Reviews for American Priestess: The Extraordinary Story of Anna Spafford and the American Colony in Jerusalem

The average rating for American Priestess: The Extraordinary Story of Anna Spafford and the American Colony in Jerusalem based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-05-02 00:00:00 Darrian Turner Talk about a bittersweet, memorable read. The American Colony in Jerusalem. Now a 5-star hotel which I'd often heard about, and in a rather positive light given its history of unusual neutrality in that most tense city. But until now, few have known the true story of the house that became the American Colony Hotel or its bizarre history of tragedy, religious extremism, emotional blackmail, and peculiar sexual practices. Enter the Norwegian-born Anna and American Horatio Spafford, residents of Chicago. After a series of tragic losses following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and a devastating shipwreck, Anna and Horatio Spafford led a small American contingent in 1881 to Jerusalem to form a Christian utopian society. Riding the wave of Protestant evangelicalism, they were eager to witness the Second Coming that was surely at hand, complete with a wish to see a Jewish return to the Holy Land (views which are still shared by many today). A thoroughly researched account, the range of abuse within the community was as disturbing to read as their dedication to charitable work, to people of all backgrounds, was commendable. As such, in time its reputation grew, and hosted famous figures such as TE Lawrence, Gertrude Bell, and Peter Ustinov (whose grandfather was a Russian nobleman). I most definitely look forward to reading her other book, 'Passionate Nomad', about Freya Stark. On a personal happier note, the place had recently garnered my attention while writing my book on our Russian grandfather Nicola, for that is where he met, and of course instantly, fell in love with our lovely Palestinian grandmother. :)<3+

Review # 2 was written on 2008-07-05 00:00:00 Expedito Guanabara Junior Fascinating story of The Overcomers, a religious cult from Chicago, who moved to Jerusalem to await the Second Coming of Christ in the late 1800's. Their interest was not prosleytizing -- in fact, they counted both Arabs and Jews among their staunchest supporters -- but only (originally) to place themselves at the foot of Christ and His return. Their impact on the city remains today, in the form of the American Colony Hotel which continues to provide four-star lodging to important visitors to the Holy City. The author did a fine job of admiring their many positive contributions while never white-washing the increasingly problematic behavior of Anna Spafford, who assumed leadership of the group on the death of her husband.