Books

Viola Knapp Ruffner was a woman who left home early to support her family, bravely traveling alone to teaching positions in the pre-Civil War north and south. Her quest to uphold her mother’s dying wishes leads her through challenges that end in traumas and distort her hopes for contentment and happiness. After the war, she hired a young,...

At a time when the country faced division and growth after the Civil War, Viola Knapp Ruffner struggled with what was just and fair, becoming a little-known confidant for a young black scholar from Virginia. But Viola was much more than a teacher; she was a mother, wife, game changer, and friend. With her mother’s dying wish, a young woman...