Daughter of the Reformation: A Historical Perspective of the Life and Times of the Wife of Martin Luther

Many books have been written about the great Reformer Martin Luther, but we know considerably less about his wife Catharina von Bora, the primary relationship in his life. Mary Rasmussen Jackson tells Catharina's dramatic story with authenticity and compassion, deftly reporting what we know about von Bora and filling in the missing content with imagination, clarity, and compelling dialog. The reader is invited to walk beside Catharina, listen to her thoughts, and feel her emotions as she enters and eventually flees from the Nimschen Convent, meets and marries Martin Luther, and brings stability and grace to the Luther household even as the Reformation storm rages around them. The author writes with an intelligible style that is sometimes descriptive and other times evocative. She brings to the project the authenticity of one who grew up in a parsonage and experienced firsthand the rhythms of the parish that shape the flow of family life and relationships. For all of these reasons, this book will be helpful in deepening our understanding of the role of Catharina von Bora, "the Morningstar of Wittenberg," in the momentous life of her beloved Martin and the history shaping events of the Reformation.

Mary Helene Rasmussen Jackson comes from a long line of Lutheran pastors and Norwegian farmers. Educated at Augustana Academy in Canton, South Dakota, Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and the University of California San Diego, she studied public speaking, history, educations, and English as a Second Language (ESL). She is an ESL instructor and piano teacher. For many years, she researched and performed an original monologue of the life of Catharina von Bora Luther. Her four children and seven grandchildren live nearby her home in the Minnesota woods and the family cookie jar.