A young girl explores the vibrant rainbow of items for sale in a southern Indian street market as she searches for a gift for her mother. Includes facts about the items mentioned and markets around the world, as well as photographs taken by the author in her hometown of Chennai, India.

"Elizabeth Skoglund is right--the overall effect of Amy Carmichael's writings is comfort. Not the soft, pat-on-the-back sort, but the original cum fortis, meaning 'to stand alongside and strengthen.'" --Ruth Bell Graham, best-selling author "The books and poems of Amy Carmichael have been a great inspiration to me through the years. They have a cherished and prominent place in my library. All are well worn by frequent use in my own devotional life and ministry. However, I never fully appreciated the person behind these profound and incisive thoughts until I read Elizabeth Skoglund's remarkable book, Amma: The Life and Words of Amy Carmichael. The author, an outstanding counselor and distinguished writer, presses her own sensitive and responsive heart next to Amy's, and the result is a book dealing with the crucial issues of life today. You will meet the real Amy Carmichael, and her words will give you courage and strength in suffering, pain, discouragement, spiritual burnout, and most important of all, in how to maintain a vital trust relationship with the Lord as you live and work for Him by His power. This book will move you deeply. You will keep it close at hand and reread it often. It's crammed full of authentic hope, true comfort, and powerful inspiration." --Loyd John Ogilvie, former chaplain of the U.S. Senate "Elizabeth Skoglund has succeeded in drawing a very true picture of Amma herself and the values that were vitally important to her." --Nancy E. Robbins, MD, attending physician for the last five years of Amma's life

Originally presented as the author's dissertation (Ph. D.--University of Chicago, 2010).

Looks at the life of Ammachi, Mother of Immortal Bliss, also known as the "hugging saint," who spends her time offering strangers comfort and peace, and details her divine calling.

In all of human history, no other person has done so much for so many in such a short amount of time as Mata Amritanandamayi also known as Amma.

Amma, universally known as "The Hugging Saint," went through a two-decade transformation from a simple fisherman's daughter to an international wonder worshiped by millions. Gail "Gayatri" Tredwell was there every step of the way--from early devotee to head female disciple, ever-present personal attendant, handmaiden, whipping post, and unwilling keeper of some devastating secrets. Because she became fluent in the Malayalam language and had continual intimate proximity to Amma for twenty years, Tredwell is uniquely capable of portraying this famous woman. She tells her tale with straightforward honesty, fairness, and a dash of Aussie snap and wit. Although the guru's flaws are a necessary part of her story and awakening, she strives to be factual throughout, digging deep to eschew victim frameworks and take responsibility for her own role in accepting the abuse and perpetuating the lies. Tredwell takes us vividly through her varying stages, starting with naïveté and innocent devotion, then on to dawning awareness and confusion, finally to emotional breakdown and her shocking "enlightenment"--her realization that the liberation she urgently required was is in fact liberation from her own guru