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A review by alicia_joy
Defiant: What the Women of Exodus Teach Us about Freedom by Kelley Nikondeha
3.0
I was really excited by the concept behind this book, but I must admit I was left disappointed and think that this book misses the mark in many ways.
My biggest issue with this book is the way Nikondeha recounted the Exodus and supplemental Bible passages/women without differentiating between what is actually present in the Biblical narrative and her speculative editorializing. If this was a work of historical fiction or Bible-based fiction, then sure, create conversations and name characters and fill out the story. But as this is a work of nonfiction, there are way too many liberties taken with the Scriptural narrative. There are no clear lines between the author's imaginings (which is not at all a bad thing to do if it's noted that "I imagine it this way" or "the conversation may have gone something like..."); but instead, she presents her own imaginative gap-fillings and things passed down through tradition as fact in a lot of places. Although I am very familiar with the Exodus narratives she references, I still found myself going back to the Scripture passages to make sure I knew what was fact and what was speculation in what she was narrating. For someone newer to scripture or unfamiliar with the Exodus narratives, I think her narration could be really confusing.
There's an undertone of Universalism to her writing. I am not sure if it was intentional or not, but just putting that out there as for some that would be really important to know before reading it. Also know that Nikondeha has no qualms clearly expressing her opinions on hot-button and polarizing issues going on in the American political landscape. Again, just something to be aware of.
All of that being said, there were parts that I enjoyed. It reiterated my drive towards justice and making our communities better places. I greatly appreciated how she emphasized the role women have in changing the world, as oftentimes in conservative Christian circles, the women do 80% of the work and yet hold no seats at the table. The stories of modern-day world changers that she shared (some known to me, some new) were captivating.
My biggest issue with this book is the way Nikondeha recounted the Exodus and supplemental Bible passages/women without differentiating between what is actually present in the Biblical narrative and her speculative editorializing. If this was a work of historical fiction or Bible-based fiction, then sure, create conversations and name characters and fill out the story. But as this is a work of nonfiction, there are way too many liberties taken with the Scriptural narrative. There are no clear lines between the author's imaginings (which is not at all a bad thing to do if it's noted that "I imagine it this way" or "the conversation may have gone something like..."); but instead, she presents her own imaginative gap-fillings and things passed down through tradition as fact in a lot of places. Although I am very familiar with the Exodus narratives she references, I still found myself going back to the Scripture passages to make sure I knew what was fact and what was speculation in what she was narrating. For someone newer to scripture or unfamiliar with the Exodus narratives, I think her narration could be really confusing.
There's an undertone of Universalism to her writing. I am not sure if it was intentional or not, but just putting that out there as for some that would be really important to know before reading it. Also know that Nikondeha has no qualms clearly expressing her opinions on hot-button and polarizing issues going on in the American political landscape. Again, just something to be aware of.
All of that being said, there were parts that I enjoyed. It reiterated my drive towards justice and making our communities better places. I greatly appreciated how she emphasized the role women have in changing the world, as oftentimes in conservative Christian circles, the women do 80% of the work and yet hold no seats at the table. The stories of modern-day world changers that she shared (some known to me, some new) were captivating.