Book Review: Katharina and Martin Luther by Michelle DeRusha

With the 500th anniversary of the Reformation coming this year, there will be a number of books and blogs on Martin Luther if they have not been written already. Many have wondered about the life of the man who had the courage to question the Roman Catholic church all those years ago, knowing the cost that he endured. While there have been numerous writings on Luther, according to Michelle DeRusha, there are hardly any on Martin's wife Katharina who was a nun. There are not many writings on the marriage between Katharina and Martin.

DeRusha has taken the liberty to write about what some may call an odd marriage between the Luther's in a book, appropriately titled, Katharina & Martin Luther. This is not an exhaustive biography on the Luther's but it does give you an idea of more in their background before they met each other and how they marriage was perceived by others. DeRusha took a look at Katharina's life as a nun and how it caused a great deal of trouble between her and her family. The same is true for Martin who wanted to practice law, but when he got out, there was some family issues.

The book goes with how they met and their marriage. During Luther's time, it seemed that marriage was held as a sacrament which was not the approach of either them especially Martin. They wanted their marriage to be as God intended which honored him and the joining of two people to become one flesh. The rest of the book talks about their children, the ones that were born to them and the ones they have adopted. Then the book concludes with Martin's death while he was a journey where his wife was not with him.

DeRusha's biographical account of the Luther's is a welcome edition to the growing number of books on Martin Luther. As mentioned, there are not a lot of books on the Luther's marriage so this is a good start.

Thanks Baker Books for letting me review this book.