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I think the group of people that found this book and have continued to pass it along are a bit removed from the original audience Held Evans had in mind. It's often people intensely deconstructing their faith, looking for a fairly thorough exploration of the intersection of feminism and faith with a snarky tone. But this book is written pre-2016 for a blog-friendly church going millennial. spiritual descendants of each other but with very different tastes. my venn diagram leans deconstructor but I was a part of both vibes so I don't know: I liked it. I really liked it once I figured out what it was and what it wasn't.
in terms of the content the reflections were better than the details of the actual experiment. it feels like she kinda chickened out a lot lol
in terms of the content the reflections were better than the details of the actual experiment. it feels like she kinda chickened out a lot lol
I’ve put off reading this all summer, mostly because I didn’t want to have read all of RHE’s books. It’s magnificent and I miss her every single day.
3.5 stars. This is totally me having 2020 perspective on a book published 8 years ago. There were some beautiful moments where she deconstructs and challenges ideas about “Biblical womanhood” that have distinct historical, patriarchal roots. One area that I wish Evans had explored more was how rooted this “biblical” femininity is rooted in American evangelical whiteness...a fairly recent development in the scheme of history. The brief references and quotes from Created to be His Helpmeet and Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood made me gag. I do admire the glimpses the book provides of her marriage. Loved the chapter intermissions that focus on specific women of the Bible and how many of them are not the women we’ve been taught they are or are women whose contributions whom the Church has suppressed. Could probably have done without Dan’s journal entries.
Oh, how I wish I could have had this book on hand six months after I got married when my grandmother told me she didn’t think women had any business planning their weddings because “the husband is the head of the household.” Or the following year, when a former friend of mine boasted that she’d walked right out of church when a woman stood up to preach.
Seriously, though, I loved this, and Rachel Held Evans is someone I’ll keep reading.
Seriously, though, I loved this, and Rachel Held Evans is someone I’ll keep reading.
Best religious book I have ever read. Good intersection of feminism, and religion, and liberalism. Well researched.
At first I was a little annoyed by this book because some of the choices that Evans made on what scriptures to focus on and when felt so arbitrary. As I read on though I started to feel like that was kind of the point. There are so many interpretations of these scriptures by different groups of Christians and Jews. I appreciated that Evans specifically pointed out passages that even the most fundamentalist folks do not follow even though these folks would claim that they do not pick and choose.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
She was a bit mocking, but then again-- many of the bible passages about women are pretty ridiculous. I most enjoyed her husband's reaction to her activities.
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I'd say it's more of a 3.5. Definitely worth reading, especially for people less familiar with the topic, but not earth shattering. I think her blog is better than the book.