BETSY
The dramatic biography of prison reformer, Elizabeth Fry
By Jean Hatton. Monarch Books. 368 pages. £8.99
ISBN 1 85424 705 0
Thankfully, this publication does not fall into the trap, that so many Christian biographies do, of concentrating only on the strengths and successes of its subject and hardly mentioning his or her weaknesses or failures.
‘Betsy’ is presented as a thoroughly three-dimensional figure, who, despite her faith and remarkable achievements in transforming the prison service (not only in this country but throughout Europe) suffered from a life-long fear of death and constantly struggled with both depression and her role as a wife and mother. Despite being a woman and the social conventions of the time, Betsy found that she felt most at home in the ‘theatre of action’ of public life and it is truly amazing to read of her courage, compassion and vision in dealing both with those most despised and rejected by society and those most privileged and powerful.
