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This is the story of Mary Slessor, a petite redhead from the slums of Dundee who became one of the most influencing people in the land known to her compatriots as 'the white man's grave'. Despite her eccentricities, this woman truly understood and connected with the Africans among whom she lived, so much so that the British government appointed her their first woman magistrate anywhere in the world and later awarded her the highest honor then bestowed on a woman commoner. Examining both the eraand the influence of this extraordinary woman, the book reveals aspects of her public and private life that has previously been unanswered.

A pioneering woman missionary hailing from Aberdeen in Scotland, Mary Slessor's journey to Nigeria set an example to all Christian missions; she gained the trust, respect and thanks of the local peoples, and introduced the gospel of Christ. Most notably from a social viewpoint, Slessor managed to convince the Ibibio tribespeople of southern Nigeria to cease killing infants who were twins. The tribes of the region held a belief that one of two twins is an evil spirit; to be certain the spirit was vanquished, both babies would be left to die of exposure in the countryside. Appalled at this practice, Mary Slessor found, rescued and adopted many twins - seeing that the babies grew up to be healthy children, the tribes repented and ceased the abysmal practice. In the late 19th century and early 20th centuries, women's rights were inferior to those of men. Mary Slessor used her public profile to support the women's suffrage movement which argued for political enfranchisement.

"Mary Slessor was a missionary woman from Scotland who relied on God's will and power to overcome hardship and danger to be a missionary in Africa for thirty-nine years"--

Mary Slessor (1848-1915) was a Scottish missionary to Nigeria. In 1876, she applied to the Foreign Mission Board of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland. She was briefly trained before being sent to Calabar where she arrived in September. Mary shocked many missionaries by living with and as the locals. She learned to speak Efik fluently and became practised in the local customs and culture, thus assisting her missionary work and promotion of women's rights. While her insistence upon working by herself brought her into conflict with authorities, her close understanding of the Nigerians led the local Governor to offer her a position on the Itu court. She adopted a number of children including twins which were considered an abomination and often killed. Her determined work and strong personality allowed her to be trusted and accepted by the locals, spreading Christianity and promoting women's rights. She received the Order of St John of Jerusalem in 1913. Recurring illness made her very weak and in 1915 she died of a fever. She was buried in Nigeria after a full state funeral.