question on canning pickled okra and the use of pickle crisp

I have never pickled okra before. I plan on using the Okra Pickles recipe in the Ball Blue Book. A friend of mine says she never does the boil bath. She says it makes the okra soft. Is it safe to omit this process? Also have any of you tried the pickle crisp by Ball? I used it in my pickles but haven't opened a jar yet. I wonder if it will keep the okra crisp after the boil bath.