Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil

Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil

by Deborah Rodriguez

Soon after the fall of the Taliban, in 2001, Deborah Rodriguez went to Afghanistan as part of a group offering humanitarian aid to this war-torn nation. Surrounded by men and women whose skills–as doctors, nurses, and therapists–seemed eminently more practical than her own, Rodriguez, a hairdresser and mother of two from Michigan, despaired of being of any real use. Yet she soon found she had a gift for... (more)

The Red Tent

by Anita Diamant

A New York Times Bestseller A decade after the publication of this hugely popular international bestseller, Picador releases the tenth anniversary edition of The Red Tent . Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis that tell of her father, Jacob, and his twelve sons. Told in Dinah's voice, Anita... (more)

Heloise & Abelard: A New Biography (Plus)

Heloise & Abelard: A New Biography (Plus)

by James Burge

New Revelations about One of the Greatest Romances in History Peter Abelard was arguably the greatest poet, philosopher, and religious teacher in all of twelfth-century Europe. In an age when women were rarely educated, Heloise was his most gifted young student. Their private tutoring sessions inevitably turned to passion, and their moments apart were spent writing love letters. Astoundingly, a few years ago a... (more)

Spiral Dance, The - 20th Anniversary: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess: 20th Anniversary Edition

Spiral Dance, The - 20th Anniversary: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess: 20th Anniversary Edition

by Starhawk

This brilliant overview of the growth, supression, and modern-day reemergence of Wicca as a Goddess-worshipping religion has left an indelible mark on the feminist spiritual consciousness. In this beautiful 20th-anniversary edition, Starhawk now reveals the ways in which the practice of ritual and Goddess religion have, in the face of a changing world, developed over the last 20 years – and the ways in which these... (more)

The Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail

The Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail

by Margaret Starbird

Margaret Starbird’s theological beliefs were profoundly shaken when she read Holy Blood, Holy Grail , a book that dared to suggest that Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalen and that their descendants carried on his holy bloodline in Western Europe. Shocked by such heresy, this Roman Catholic scholar set out to refute it, but instead found new and compelling evidence for the existence of the bride of... (more)

The Good Husband (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

The Good Husband (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

by Gail Godwin

"<A> BRILLIANT, WITTY AND PROVOCATIVE NEW NOVEL." --San Francisco Chronicle As a young woman, the brilliant and eternally curious Magda Danvers took the academic world by storm. Then, to everyone's surprise, she married Francis Lake, a mild, midwestern seminarian, who has devoted his life to taking care of his charismatic wife. Now, Magda's grave illness puts their marriage to its ultimate test. Though... (more)

The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women in America

The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women in America

by Donna Gehrke-White

For years, the image of the Muslim woman in America has been shrouded in secrecy, as mysterious as the face behind the veil. In this timely and moving book, journalist Donna Gehrke-White provides a rare, revealing look into the hearts, minds, and everyday lives of Muslim women in America and opens a window on a culture as diverse as it is misunderstood. "The Face Behind the Veil" is an insightful chronicle of... (more)

The Showings of Julian of Norwich (Norton Critical Editions)

The Showings of Julian of Norwich (Norton Critical Editions)

by Julian

Julian of Norwich is among the most intriguing religious visionaries in Christian history. Carefully edited for the undergraduate reader, this Norton Critical Edition includes an informed introduction, focusing on Julian's theology and preparing students to understand the complex, controversial themes of the text, particularly Julian's solution to the problem of evil in Revelation XIII and XIV. Paragraph divisions... (more)

Sufi Women: The Journey Towards the Beloved

Sufi Women: The Journey Towards the Beloved

by Sufi Women Organization

This book is the first volume of a series dedicated to the life stories and works of Sufi women, in this case written by the women themselves. Contains inspirational autobiographies from Sufi women across the world, in different cultures and spiritual traditions.

All of the Women of the Bible

by Edith Deen

All the women of the Bible offers a rich biographical perspective on evey female figure in scripture -- including the famous, the little-known, and even the unnamed. In more that 300 engaging and insightful portraits, Edith Deen brings alive the saints and sorceresses, queens and servants, mothers and daughters, wives and widows whose profound influence is felt through-out the Bible. "You can almost trace light... (more)

Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion

by Sara Miles

“Mine is a personal story of an unexpected and terribly inconvenient Christian conversion, told by a very unlikely convert.” –Sara Miles Raised as an atheist, Sara Miles lived an enthusiastically secular life as a restaurant cook and a writer. Then early one winter morning, for no earthly reason, she wandered into a church. “I was certainly not interested in becoming a Christian,” she writes, “or, as I thought of... (more)

The Story of Ruth

by Joan D. Chittister

The biblical story of Ruth is a woman's story about a woman's life. Though written thousands of years ago, it is nonetheless perennial. It calls us to reflect in every generation on what it means to be a whole woman, a spiritual woman. In THE STORY OF RUTH Joan Chittister and John August Swanson reclaim this powerful biblical story as a model for contemporary women seeking a fully spiritual life. Through... (more)

Called to Question: A Spiritual Memoir

by Joan Chittister

"Following a moving prologue on the nature of faith, Called to Question is broken into six parts that explore key themes- the inward life, immersion in life, resistance, feminist spirituality, ecology, dailiness. Within each theme is a wide array of topics that embody Sr. Joan's life's work as a sociologist, theologian, Benedictine nun, rights activist, and spiritual guide to countless people throughout the world.... (more)

The Journal of Hildegard of Bingen: A Novel

The Journal of Hildegard of Bingen: A Novel

by Barbara Lachman

The acclaimed fictional diary of the medieval abbess, visionary, composer, healer, and "feminist" writer--now available in paperback. Although it is a work of fiction, this rich, exuberant account of one liturgical year in the life of this great 12th-century mystic is firmly rooted in the facts of Hildegard's life. Two-color interior.

The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully

The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully

by Joan Chittister

Not only accepting but celebrating getting old, this inspirational and illuminating work looks at the many facets of the aging process, from purposes and challenges to struggles and surprises. Central throughout is a call to cherish the blessing of aging as a natural part of life that is active, productive, and deeply rewarding. Perhaps the most important dimension revealed lies in the awareness that there is a... (more)

The Long Loneliness : An Autobiography

by Dorothy Day

A compelling autobiographical testament to the spiritual pilgrimage of a woman who, in her own words, dedicated herself "to bring<ing> about the kind of society where it is easier to be good.'

Scarred By Struggle, Transformed By Hope

Scarred By Struggle, Transformed By Hope

by Joan Chittister

Everyone goes through times of pain and sorrow, depression and darkness, stress and suffering. It is in the necessary struggles of life, however, that we stretch our souls and gain new insights enabling us to go on. Building on the biblical story of Jacob wrestling with God and on the story of her own battle with life-changing disappointment, Sister Joan Chittister deftly explores the landscape of suffering... (more)

Three Cups of Tea

One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations... One School at a Time

by Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin

The astonishing, uplifting story of a real-life Indiana Jones and his humanitarian campaign to use education to combat terrorism in the Taliban’s backyard Anyone who despairs of the individual’s power to change lives has to read the story of Greg Mortenson, a homeless mountaineer who, following a 1993 climb of Pakistan’s treacherous K2, was inspired by a chance encounter with impoverished mountain... (more)

The Cloister Walk

by Kathleen Norris

A reverent study of the monastic world assesses the meaning of the cloistered life in modern times, journeying through a liturgical year to capture the relevance and spiritual significance of the religious life. Reprint. Tour. NYT. PW.

The Skeptical Feminist : Discovering the Virgin, Mother, and CroneBarbara Walker

Shelfari Book Activity

Tags: women and religion

by Deborah Rodriguez

by Anita Diamant

by James Burge

by Starhawk

by Margaret Starbird

by Gail Godwin

by Donna Gehrke-White

by Julian

by Sufi Women Organization

by Edith Deen

by Sara Miles

by Joan D. Chittister

by Joan Chittister

by Barbara Lachman

by Joan Chittister

by Dorothy Day

by Joan Chittister

One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations... One School at a Time

by Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin

by Kathleen Norris

by Barbara G. Walker