Four faithful women

What kind of faith inspires certain people so strongly that they accomplish seemingly superhuman feats? Carol Lee Flinders offers some answers in Enduring Lives: Portraits of Women and Faith in Action (Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2006). She considers four women whose lives exhibit extraordinary efforts to plumb the depths of personal faith and then to direct the resulting energy outward.

Three are still living: Jane Goodall, primatologist and environmentalist; Helen Prejean, Roman Catholic nun and anti-death penalty advocate; and Tenzin Palmo, Buddhist nun and spiritual guide for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. The fourth is Etty Hillesum, a young Jewish woman killed by the Nazis in 1943 who has become known through her journals for her resolve to reject hatred of the Nazis.