New Book this week, Virtuous Woman

Although I haven't finished "Captivating," by John and Staci Eldredge, (even though it's wonderful), I bought a new book (full price too) at Hasting's yesterday. Now, first you have to know, I was raised Presbyterian: Soveriegnty of God, John Calvin, Francis Schaeffer, catechism, sit still, be quiet, wear panty-hose and semi formal dresses, sing those hymns which are written in bizzare keys for operatic sopranos with solemnity and reverance... nothing wrong with any of that, mind you, but in me, as a young person, it fostered rebellion. The "Betty Crocker" type of "Virtuous Woman" that was held up as a model was a.) unattainable, and b.) repulsive. Even though, in my own searching the scripture, I found "Little Miss Perfect" in Proverbs 31, and all the other references to being a submissive wife, I just couldn't force myself to believe that I should grow up to be what the women in my church were modeling.
Now I know that some of them were not submissive, they were just door-mats. Some of them were not virtuous, they were just content with the status quo. Some of them were not pious, they were just educated. I want to grow to be more and more like Christ, but he wasn't a wife and mother, exactly. Hmmm.
One of the many books I looked at while at the store is this book that I bought, "The Virtuous Woman: shattering the superwoman myth," by Vicki Coutney. I wasn't really sure about it until I flipped to the middle and found this passage:

I realize that many women my be somewhat hesitant to embrase the concept that a virtuous woman ould have a feisty side to her when it comes to fighting for noble causes. In fact, I was amazed to discover that the actual Hebrew word used for "virtuous" in Proverbs 31:10 is chayil. . . . Most often when chayil is used, it is translated "army" and "valor" or "valiant." Other English owrds substituted for the word chayil are "host," "forces," "power," "might," "strength," and "strong." -page 80

That was enough for me to buy it. I'll see how it goes.