Hannah, the mother of Samuel, is often remembered through a simple Sunday School lens: a barren woman who was tormented by her husband’s other wife, Peninnah. The situation eventually became so intolerable that Hannah begged God for a child and then in her gratitude, gave the child (Samuel) back to the Lord. It’s a familiar story — but far from the whole truth.

However, when we look closer at Hannah’s narrative, this simplistic view begins to crumble. Beneath the surface lies a far more complex, stirring, and deeply human story. Hannah’s anguish wasn’t driven only by barrenness. Her pain was caused by something deeper than taunts or jealousy and her desperate prayer was about far more than the longing to hold a baby in her arms.

Hannah was crying out for change — for Israel, for her family and for the honour of God in a corrupt and degenerating nation. Her vow set in motion the rise of a man who would reshape Israel’s future and stand for truth when few others dared.

This book uncovers the layers we often miss, revealing Hannah not just as a woman in sorrow, but as a woman of immense faith, courage, and prophetic vision.

Reading age: 11-18 years