All Will Yet Be Well: The Diary of Sarah Gillespie Huftalen, 1873-1952

This volume represents 15 to 20% of the voluminous diaries of Gillespie, who was born in 1865; the entries have been selected and edited by Bunkers ( The Diary of Caroline Seabury, 1854-1863 ). Early entries record life on the Gillespies' Iowa farm and the problems typical of childhood, as well as those more particular to her family: James, her father, was inclined to depression and was all too often cruel to Emily, beloved mother. As Sarah matures and begins to teach in rural schools, she is torn between her work and her desire to care for her ailing mother. Sarah is a suffragette who thrives in her profession, writing articles, serving as a county superintendent of schools and teaching at Upper Iowa University. Yet with all these achievements, and after a happy, 22-year marriage to William Huftalen that ends with his death in 1913, duty draws her back to the family farm to care for her unmarried brother, Henry. She spends many of her final years in an unhappy relationship eerily like that of her parents. This volume should appeal to readers, particularly scholars of women's history, autobiography and educational studies. Photos not seen by PW. (Feb.)