Title: Finding Anna

Author: Christine Schaub

Publisher: Bethany House

ISBN: 0-7642-0059-3

Genre: Inspirational/Biography

Did you ever wonder about the true story behind the classic hymn “It Is Well With My Soul”? Christine Schaub did. And she dug into the story deep enough to develop a play for her church, and when an editor heard the story, the play evolved into a book, Finding Anna.

Anna Spafford enjoys her life married to lawyer, Horatio Gates Spafford. They have four beautiful children, a lovely home, and many friends. When the Chicago fire destroys most of the city, thankfully, Anna and her family were spared great loss, but many others are left homeless, and the Spaffords use their home as a sanctuary for the misplaced. Anna steps up to the challenge and does what she can to help.

As a lawyer, Gates sees his opportunity to minister in more tangible ways. He builds homes, but unfortunately, this takes him away from home for hours at a time. Anna is lonely but doesn’t know how to tell Gates. When Anna finally reaches the end of her rope, a near tragedy brings her back home.

The Spafford family has many more hardships to face in their lives, bringing both Anna and Gates to their knees time and again. Sometimes it seems as though God doesn’t care for them at all. Will they be able to maintain their faith in God and each other when they face the greatest tragedy of their lives?

I found Finding Anna an interesting read. I knew part of the story behind this hymn, but I didn’t know the whole story. Ms. Schaub was able to weave the tale into a good book, and the readers are able to grow to care for Anna, Gates, their children, and friends. This is based on a true story and it is truly memorable. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone who doesn’t know the stories behind the hymn or just enjoys a good historical. There are many other books coming out by this author based on other well-known hymns. Pick up Finding Anna today. $12.99. 211 pages.