Ebook: Awakening the Hermit Kingdom : Pioneer American Women Missionaries in Korea

Although women made up more than half of the pioneer Protestant missionaries in Korea, their stories have not taken any significant place in the discussion of the history of Korean Christianity. Awakening the Hermit Kingdom recovers the identity and contributions of American women who were pioneers in planting Protestant Christianity in the reclusive kingdom of Korea during the last decades of its last dynasty. It includes their stories of trans-Pacific journeys, friendship with the Korean queen, courageous itinerant work in the interior regions, and other fascinating facets of their missionary lives. The author reveals that the women missionaries were not just "helpers" of the male missionaries, but that they were true pioneers in every aspect. By providing the female side of the early Protestant missionary life and work in Korea, this book brings a fresh and new perspective on the history of the birth of Korean Christianity.