Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc stands alone—history gives us no other person whose life and deeds can be compared with hers. Yet, so simple was she, and so lovable, that we can still feel her charm across the long centuries. What was the secret of this uneducated little farm girl who, as she herself said, didn't "know A from B"? What gave her so much self-assurance, even in the face of ridicule and rebuffs? What made her think that she, of all the people in the world, could lead the armies of France to victory against their English and Burgundian enemies? By what strange power was she able to bring peace to France when hardened professional soldiers had failed? For hundreds of years, people have been pondering these questions. Some find one answer, some answer—but all agree in their admiration for Joan's extraordinary courage and truthfulness. In this book by Nancy Ross, we see Joan as she really was, and as she appeared to those who lived and fought with her. We hear her speak, we marvel at her courage, and we smile at her quick wit. We are happy when Joan is victorious, and our hearts ache when she fails. Yet, although Joan was so real and so very human, something mysterious and strange set her apart from all others. Miss Ross tells us how various people have explained Joan's secret. She makes us understand, too, why not only France, but the whole world, has taken Joan the Maid to its heart.

From the dust jacket

According to prophecy, the country of France, "Having been lost through a woman, would be restored by a girl from Lorraine."

Joan of Arc was that girl. Born in the French province of Lorraine, Joan of Arc would go down in history as the savior of France. No one knows how Joan, a farm girl who could neither read nor write, was able to command armies and win battles. But she did all that and more. Still in her teens, Joan of Arc saw her prince safely crowned as King and her country restored to peace.

During her lifetime, Joan was called many things. Heroine. Witch. Savior. Five hundred years after her death, the Catholic Church named her a saint. Nancy Wilson Ross brings to life the fascinating true story of Joan, the peasant girl whom the world remembers as Joan of Arc.