College of the Ozarks professor releases new book titled “The Working Homemaker”

POINT LOOKOUT, MO — College of the Ozarks Associate Professor of English, Dr. Charity Gibson, has released her new book, “The Working Homemaker: Employed Christian Moms Desiring a Thriving Homelife,” offering a faith-centered perspective for women navigating both career and homemaking.

Written from a Christian worldview, The Working Homemaker seeks to provide encouragement for mothers in all walks of life — whether they work outside the home, stay at home full-time, or do a combination of both. The book combines academic insight and personal experience to affirm that home can be a nurturing, life-giving place, no matter what a mother’s daily schedule looks like.

“The goal for the book was to be something that could be unifying for women,” Gibson said. “A lot of books on parenting seemed to cause a divide between working moms and stay-at-home moms. This is intended for all walks of life — regardless of what they do from 9 to 5 — if they are desiring to create their home as a nurturing, life-giving place.”

The book draws on Gibson’s own experience as a full-time working mother, weaving together biblical principles and practical wisdom.

“One of the challenges in writing the book was that I was living through the life stage I was discussing — being a working mom with children at home,” Gibson said. “But it was important to embrace simplicity and know that you don’t have to do it all by yourself.”

Gibson emphasized that her message is not about promoting one lifestyle over another.

“It’s okay for our households to be different as long as they are enriching for our family,” Gibson said. “The book is intended to validate choices from a Christian perspective regarding how the Lord is leading us.”

The Working Homemaker debuted in October 2024 and is available in hardcover, paperback, and audiobook on Amazon. It is also available locally at The Keeter Center, Fig Tree Books in Branson, ABC Books, and Redeemed Books in Springfield. It is also in circulation at the Library Center of the Ozarks and available as an e-book through the Springfield-Greene County Library.

About College of the Ozarks

College of the Ozarks is a private, Christian, liberal arts college, located in Point Lookout, Missouri, on a 1,000-acre campus. Christian values, hard work, and fiscal responsibility comprise the fundamental building blocks of the “Hard Work U.” experience. The College earns numerous accolades yearly, including No. 2 Best Performers on Social Mobility-Regional Colleges in the Midwest and No. 4 Best Regional College in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for 2024-2025 and No. 3 Best Bang for the Buck by Washington Monthly, 2024. To achieve its vision, the College pursues academic, vocational, Christian, patriotic, and cultural goals. These goals are mirrored in School of the Ozarks, a laboratory school that completes the K-college model.

The Keeter Center — the College’s award-winning lodge, restaurant, and conference facility — earns awards consistently, including the TripAdvisor Best of the Best Award 2024 and the Readers’ Choice Awards 2024 from ConventionSouth magazine. The Keeter Center features historic lodging, fine dining, and meeting rooms. With more than 350 student workers, it is the largest workstation on campus.