THE VIOLA FACTOR, first edition

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 alone, she left her New England roots and experienced trauma and love in the south while battling for education and justice for the enslaved and once enslaved. African American leader Booker T. Washington called her his friend and model for life.