In 1863, twenty-five-year-old Addie Ballou risks losing the personal freedom and self confidence she has only begun to taste when illness forces her to leave her tenure as matron for the Union Army and return to rural Wisconsin. The young mother is quickly reminded her rights, opinions, and needs are secondary to that of her husband's. "Allan's dedication to highlighting the life of an early proponent of women's rights is admirable. Spiritualist researchers will be grateful for Allan's thoroughly researched work (inspired, she says, by Addie's original diaries). Newcomers to the subject matter may also find Addie's journey interesting, if not inspirational." --Kirkus Reviews