Tap into what we’re reading at WATER with the following resources.
All of the books we recommend are available for the borrowing from the Carol Murdock Scinto Library in the WATER office. Check out librarything.com for our complete collection. We are grateful to the many publishers who send us review copies to promote to the WATER community.
WATER Recommends: Fall 2024
/in What We're Reading /by waterstaffWATER Recommends: Fall 2024
Bird, Jennifer G. MARRIAGE IN THE BIBLE. London, UK: Rowman & Littlefield, 2023 (260 pages, $20.10).
If feminist scholarship is socialized and made available to a wide public there is real hope that minds will change. Jennifer Bird does just this kind of promotion of ideas that many seasoned feminists take for granted but that most biblically-based Christians have missed entirely.
Carbine, Rosemary P. NEVERTHELESS, WE PERSIST: A FEMINIST PUBLIC THEOLOGY. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2023 (259 pages, $35).
Feminist public theology has many roots and connections. Rosemary Carbine offers the foundations in civil rights, non-violence, farm worker justice, non-violence, political work, among others. Out of the “ekklesia of women” emerge new, effective, persistent efforts to create a just world.
Clooney, Francis Xavier. HINDU AND CATHOLIC, PRIEST AND SCHOLAR: A LOVE STORY. London, UK: T&T Clark, 2024 (195 pages, $22.45).
A love story indeed of a man who had a mystical experience as a teenager that set him on a religious journey told in modest but epic terms. Francis Clooney is a brilliant, insightful, learned, and deeply spiritual person whose deep dives into two faith traditions and deep commitments to two ways of being in the world make provocative reading.
Federer, Julia. INCARNATING GRACE: A THEOLOGY OF HEALING FROM SEXUAL TRAUMA. New York, NY: Fordham University Press, 2023 (237 pages, $30).
Victim-survivors of sexual violence will thank Julia Federer for collecting some of the best insights in the field and developing a strong theological analysis. She dispenses with the unhelpful tropes about redemptive suffering and focuses instead on the healing work that religions can do. Feminist scholar-activists and Teresa of Avila alike can be enlisted in this urgently needed work.
Gafney, Wilda C. A WOMEN’S LECTIONARY FOR THE WHOLE CHURCH. New York, NY: Church Publishing, 2021 (360 pages, $26.10).
This volume delivers on its title. The regular readings of the church year are the usual fare in many denominations. A lectionary that reflects the womanist, feminist, post-colonial thinking of biblical scholars and theologians will make sermon preparation a new endeavor.
Kenny, Amy. MY BODY IS NOT A PRAYER REQUEST: DISABILITY JUSTICE IN THE CHURCH. Ada, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2022 (194 pages, $19.99).
A bracing, straight-up read about how Christianity misses the mark on disability. Damaging preaching and barriers of every kind abound in churches. This no-nonsense, popularly written, insightful treatment of these issues is a recipe for change.
Khan, Daisy. 30 RIGHTS OF MUSLIM WOMEN: A TRUSTED GUIDE. Rhinebeck, NY: Monkfish Book Publishing Company, 2024 (350 pages, $22.49).
Whether for students of Islam or Muslims who want to know more about their faith, this useful compendium of Islamic teachings and practices is invaluable in a religiously pluralistic society. Thanks to Daisy Khan for leading the way and for making the scholarship of Muslim women accessible to a broad audience.
Pui-Lan, Kwok. THE ANGLICAN TRADITION FROM A POSTCOLONIAL PERSPECTIVE. New York, NY: Seabury Books, 2023 (256 pages, $24.98).
Comprehensive, insightful, pushing the large business-sized envelope, Kwok Pui-Lan lays out the contours of a religious tradition in search of its integrity. Everyone wins as she clarifies a complicated history and points ways forward without erasing the past. A model for adherents in other religious communities to follow as they seek their own integrity.
Rich, Bryce E. GENDER ESSENTIALISM AND ORTHODOXY: BEYOND MALE AND FEMALE. New York, NY: Fordham University Press, 2023 (258 pages, $34.99).
Moving beyond the binaries in Orthodoxy is a heavy lift. Bryce Rich does so with erudition and candor. Those who oppose his views on women’s ordination and LGBTIQ+, for example, do not realize that he is doing orthodox traditions a huge intellectual and moral favor, perhaps even saving them from their own demise.
Vesely-Flad, Rima. BLACK BUDDHISTS AND THE BLACK RADICAL TRADITION: THE PRACTICE OF STILLNESS IN THE MOVEMENT FOR LIBERATION. New York, NY: New York University Press, 2022 (331 pages, $32).
Buddhism as a resource for liberation is a welcome theme. Even more welcome is the focus on Black experiences in Buddhism that showcases the power of silence, suffering, and intergenerational trauma. This is an important book, a font of insight.
WATER Recommends: July 2024
/in What We're Reading /by waterstaffWATER Recommends: July 2024
Ensign, Diana J. FAITH, HOPE, ACTION: USHERING IN A NEW EARTH ERA, TOGETHER. Indianapolis: SpiritHawk Life Publications, 2024 (244 pages, $19.84).
The climate crisis is so overwhelming that it stops most people from doing anything. Diana J. Ensign (who was a winner in WATER’s 2023 Rosemary Ganley Essay Contest) breaks it down into doable chunks, something for everyone to try. Whether building a house with recycled materials, probing one’s faith tradition for inspiration, and/or eating healthily grown food, the options are endless, the needs now. This book, with its concrete examples, helps and challenges.
Frohlich, Mary. THE HEART AT THE HEART OF THE WORLD: RE-VISIONING THE SACRED HEART FOR THE ECOZOIC ERA. Orbis Books, 2024 (256 pages, $21.59).
This volume is a refreshing surprise—a realistic, contemporary look at the Sacred Heart. In a gently written, accessible text, scholar Mary Frolich, in the role of spirit-guide writes: “The Heart at the heart of the world resounds in every creature and in the intricate web of all creatures, seeking to communicate Wisdom to us…” (p. 154). She explores chaos, the queer kindom, Gaia, ecology, Jesus, and more issues in useful questions for reflection and practice. Who knew the Sacred Heart held such richness for our era?
Hoffman, Merle. CHOICES: A POST-ROE ABORTION RIGHTS MANIFESTO. Skyhorse Publishing, 2023 (240 pages, $22.12).
The history of abortion in the U.S. is a story of courage against vicious forces that would keep pregnant people from making their own choices. Merle Hoffman, a leader in the provision of abortion services, provides an inside look at how things played out post-Roe. Now, post-Dobbs, they are destined to devolve without bold actions. It is a chilling tale but an important read if future generations are to have basic human rights.
Nittle, Nadra. BELL HOOKS’ SPIRITUAL VISION: BUDDHIST, CHRISTIAN, AND FEMINIST. Augsburg Fortress Press, 2023 (147 pages, $21.49).
Gone too soon, bell hooks had a complicated relationship with spirituality. Whether Buddhist or Christian, neopagan or other, she brought the same discerning eye and heart to religions that she brought to everything else.. This study opens some of that search to a wide audience that can only benefit from her forays into the unknowable.
O’Dell, Darlene. THE STORY OF THE PHILADELHIA ELEVEN: REVISED AND EXPANDED 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION. Church Publishing, 2024 (320 pages, $28.95).
Darlene O’Dell’s revised and expanded 50th anniversary edition of the definitive history of Episcopal women’s successful struggle for valid and licit ordination is a must read. Now that the popular movie is out (“THE PHILADELPHIA ELEVEN,” Director, Margo Guernsey, 2023, https://www.philadelphiaelevenfilm.com/), there is new interest in what these courageous and committed women teach for the ages: exclusion never holds where and when justice is proclaimed.
Oredein, Oluwatomisin Olayinka. THE THEOLOGY OF MERCY AMBA ODUYOYE: ECUMENISM, FEMINISM, AND COMMUNAL PRACTICE. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2023 (244 pages, $53.95).
The life and work of the great Ghanaian theologian Mercy Amba Oduyoye comes into clear focus in Professor Oredein’s book. Readers find how one African woman paved the way for future generations including the author, through her study, ecumenical involvement, community-based organizing, and especially the creation of the Concerned Circle of African Women Theologians. This book is a gateway to globally important work.
Peace, Jennifer and Elinor Pierce. PILGRIMAGE, PLACE, AND PLURALISM: ESSAYS IN CONVERSATION WITH DIANA ECK. Red Elixir, 2024 (276 pages, $31.66).
Complex religious pluralism is the stuff of deep relationships, shared commitments, honest disagreements, and shared hopes. It is a signal achievement of the last fifty years in American religion with Diana Eck in the lead. This volume of reflections by her academic colleagues, appreciative students, and professionals in interreligious work, her friends and admirers offers both kudos to Diana and an overview of the field. These ties that create a livable world are more necessary and precious than ever in today’s morass.
Rutten, Mara D. CALLED TO ACTION: NETWORK’S 50 YEARS OF POLITICAL MINISTRY. NETWORK Advocates for Catholic Social Justice, Washington, D.C., 2023 (158 pages, $14.99).
Fifty years after the creation of one of post-modern Catholicism’s most consequential women’s groups, Mara D. Rutten offers a welcome history. From the founding sisters to today’s young strategists, NETWORK’s mission of making social justice integral to American legislation and structures continues with style.
Walker-Smith, Angélique Keturah. AHEAD OF HER TIME: PAN-AFRICAN WOMEN OF FAITH AND THE VISION OF CHRISTIAN UNITY, MISSION, AND JUSTICE. World Council of Churches, 2023 (132 pages, $18.95).
Rev. Dr. Angélique Keturah Walker-Smith has written a springboard book, one that will propel other writers to explore the many Pan-African women who have shaped contemporary ecumenical work. Included in the panoply are such luminaries as Rena Karefa-Smart, Brigalia Bam, Mercy Amba Oduyoye, Ruth Nita Barrow, and many others. Their pioneering efforts against great odds paved the way for women in ecumenical movements. Pictures, references, and data to give other scholars a running start on chronicling these women and their successors.
WATER Recommends: January 2024
/in What We're Reading /by waterstaffWATER Recommends: January 2024
Belser, Julia Watts. LOVING OUR OWN BONES: DISABILITY WISDOM AND THE SPRITUAL SUBERVERSIVENESS OF KNOWING OURSELVES WHOLE. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2023 (276 pages, $29.95).
Five star alert: Read this book that is so captivating in its creativity, so tough in its analysis, and so fluidly written that, like a good novel, this reader did not want it to end. Julia Watts Besler does not simply want the deaf to hear nor the lame to walk, as so many scripture passages would have it. Rather, she wants the Divine to sign and the rest of us to get with the program in terms of inclusive architecture and design. This is theology, disability activism, queer theory, feminism, and Hebrew Bible all put to the service of structural and personal change.
Coady, Mary Frances. CARYLL HOUSELANDER: A BIOGRAPHY. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2023 (166 pages, $28).
A singular figure in Catholic history, Caryll Houselander was both artist and theologian, both community-attracted and solitary, both creative and tradition-bound. This study of her life offers insights into her complexity and helps readers make sense of her work. Still, she is an enigma which makes her all the more intriguing.
Common, Kate. UNDOING CONQUEST: ANCIENT ISRAEL, THE BIBLE, AND THE FUTURE OF CHRISTIANITY. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2024 (208 pages, $28.00).
Kate Common’s book arrives at a propitious moment when an intractable conflict with scriptural roots cries out for new thinking. The Highland Settlement material is a “liberative origins narrative,” a “countermemory…that can help prompt radical imagination and social change.” This is Feminist Practical Theology at its best and just in the nick of time.
Eulinberg, Jerrolyn S. A LYNCHED BLACK WALL STREET: A WOMANIST PERSPECTIVE ON TERRORISM, RELIGION, AND BLACK RESILENCE IN THE 1921 TULSA RACE MASSACRE. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2021 (248 pages, $18.00).
This terrible tale bears telling and retelling since it has been purposely obscured from most accounts of 20th century racist America. Lucidly written, the author brings a critical womanist eye and a keen justice agenda to this scandalous chapter which illustrates the deep and pernicious white racism that continues to plague the US.
Garling, Wendy. THE WOMAN WHO RAISED THE BUDDHA: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF MAHAPRAJAPATI. Boulder, CO: Shambala Publications, 2021 (256 pages, $18.95).
The Buddha had two mothers, his birth mother and his sister who raised him. This book about the latter is a delightfully written volume that adds a dimension oft en missing in Buddhist teaching. The mother nurtured the little boy as well as the early cadres of Buddhist women who laid the foundation for one of today’s major religious traditions. An important read to appreciate Buddhism in its fullness.
Moon, Hellena. LIBERALISM AND COLONIAL VIOLENCE: CHARTING A NEW GENEALOGY OF SPIRITUAL CARE. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications of Wipf and Stock, 2023 (260 pages, $32.55).
Decolonializing pastoral care and related issues is a radical project. Hellena Moo n handles it with scholarly precision and ministerial depth. New emerging paradigms can only make religion more useful in the service of global justice and freedom.
Moultrie, Monique. HIDDEN HISTORIES: FAITH AND BLACK LESBIAN LEADERSHIP. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2023 (240 pages, $25.95).
The stories of these 18 women prove that those who are most marginalized often utilize amazing creativity “to do the work their souls must have” as the late Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon taught. Monique Moultrie is a trusted researcher whose skill and care shine through this illuminating volume of LGBTIQ+ history.
Parker, Julie Faith. EVE ISN’T EVIL: FEMINIST READINGS OF THE BIBLE TO UPEND OUR ASSUMPTIONS. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023 (224 pages, $19.19).
Julie Parker brings a scholar’s eye and a pastor’s heart to the complex questions of feminist biblical interpretation. Using solid academic foundations, she reconfigures mistaken assumptions about the Bible into insightful, accessible texts for prayer and action. Ministers who preach will benefit enormously.
Ruether, Rosemary Radford. VISIONARY WOMEN: THREE MEDIEVAL MYSTICS. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2002, 2023 (79 pages, $11.35).
Taken from Rosemary Ruether’s Women and Redemption A Theological History (2002) this handy compendium of three mystics is a perfect introduction, refresher, or companion on a retreat. Hildegard, Mechthild, and Julian, like Ruether herself, were major contributors to refreshing worldviews and women’s ways of being fully human.
WATER Recommends: September 2023
/in What We're Reading /by waterstaffWATER Recommends: September 2023
Ali, Tazeen M. THE WOMEN’S MOSQUE OF AMERICA: AUTHORITY & COMMUNITY IN US ISLAM. NY, NY: New York University Press, 2022 (274 pages, $30.00).
While progressive Christian groups in the United States have made their presence known to society, progressive Islamic groups have suffered racist and sexist Islamophobia in this regard. Tazeen Ali’s deep dive into the Women’s Mosque of America highlights the difficulties of that unique interracial community’s fight for existence. Read this to get up to speed on aspects of Islam that need public attention.
Altaras, Cameron and Carol Penner, Editors. RESISTANCE: CONFRONTING VIOLENCE, POWER, AND ABUSE WITHIN PEACE CHURCHES. Elkhart, IN: Institute of Mennonite Studies, 2022 (480 pages, $48.00).
Even Peace Churches are not immune from the many forms of violence that religious groups can exacerbate through silence and complicity. Whether marginalizing women, excluding and demeaning 2SLGBTQIA+ people, or abusing through clerical and leadership privilege, these stories are all too familiar from other traditions and at the same time very particular to the denominations involved. This is brave and necessary work, well worth reading and heeding.
Baker, Dori Grinenko. GIRL/FRIEND THEOLOGY: GOD-TALK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press, 2023 (302 pages, $39.95).
Faith-sharing in a world of gender fluidity, racism, and climate change is beyond challenging. Fortunately, the author highlights many fonts of womanist, feminist, and indigenous wisdom that new storytellers can access as they shape their new faiths.
Glenn, William D. I CAME HERE SEEKING A PERSON: A VITAL STORY OF GRACE. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2022 (229 pages, $29.95).
A contemporary autobiography of a thoughtful, committed, spiritual person. Bill Glenn’s story tracing his life from conventional Midwestern good Catholic boy to deeply differentiated West Coast therapist has a bright red thread throughout: the combination of spiritual search with concrete acts of compassion and care. The Catholic Church’s loss was the world’s gain.
Murray, Michele WISDOM COMMENTARY: TOBIT, Vol. 15. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2023 (268 pages, $44.99).
Tobit is a little-used book, but this author proclaims it ripe for the feminist plucking both for its content and its place in the history of Jewish storytelling. This volume will astonish and enrich both experts and casual users of biblical resources by its many and varied themes. A recounting of the author’s scholarly progression from an arid, academic approach to an involved reading of the texts offers a good model of feminist work.
Oredein, Oluwatomisin Olayinka. THE THEOLOGY OF MERCY AMBA ODUYOYE: ECUMENISM, FEMINISM, AND COMMUNAL PRACTICE. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2023 (244 pages, $38.99).
Mercy Oduyoye is the source and root of so much of African and African American womanist/feminist theologies. This study of her life, writings, and activism offers a running start to those who wish to understand and build on the firm foundation she laid. Thanks to Dr. Oredin for this contribution to the literature.
Todd Peters, Rebecca and Margaret D. Kamitsuka. T&T CLARK READER IN ABORTION AND RELIGION: JEWISH CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM PERSPECTIVES. London, GB: T&T Clark, 2023 (452 pages, $42.95).
Rebecca Todd Peters and Margaret D. Kamitsuka do a service to the field of religion with this comprehensive reader on abortion in three major faith traditions. This is an indispensable resource for social, historical, religious, and political insights. It is a valuable resource for those looking at the complex matters of reproductive ethics and practice.
Wilcox, Ashley M. THE WOMEN’S LECTIONARY: PREACHING THE WOMEN OF THE BIBLE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2021 (258 pages, $28.49).
Lectionaries are useful tools for understanding scriptures from many perspectives. Wilcox’s version allows people to expand and enhance their readings of the Bible to include the under-explored role of women. Whether you are writing sermons, or learning about female involvement in the texts, this is an enlightening resource.
Zagano, Phyllis. JUST CHURCH: CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING, SYNODALITY, AND WOMEN. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2023 (122 pages, $17.95).
What would a just Catholic Church look like, and why is it imperative that one emerge? Read Phyllis Zagano’s primer on the topic. She is best known for her tireless efforts to get Roman Catholic women ordained to the diaconate. This book shows that her commitment is set in scholarship, realism, and strategizing.
WATER Recommends: July 2023
/in What We're Reading /by waterstaffWATER Recommends: July 2023
Akers, Daneen and Gillian Gamble. DEAR MAMA GOD. Oceanside, CA: Watchfire Media, 2023 (32 pages, $25.00).
Beautiful illustrations guide you through a simple prayer to Mama God. This lovely book is a wonderful and simple opportunity for children and adults to connect with God as a mother to us all.
Apffel-Marglin, Frédérique and Randy Chung Gonzales. INITIATED BY THE SPIRITS: HEALING THE ILLS OF MODERNITY THROUGH SHAMANISM, PSYCHEDELICS AND THE POWER OF THE SACRED. Housatonic, MA: Green Fire Press, 2022 (264 pages, $18.95).
Professor Apffel-Marglin makes a case for healing plants pushing well beyond the bounds of Western medicine. Randy Chung Gonzales describes his journey into shamanism in vivid detail. Most scholars of religion know precious little about shamanism. That knowledge is augmented by this unusual volume which is equal parts scholarship and story, challenge and mystery.
Apostolos-Cappadonna, Diane. MARY MAGDALENE: A VISUAL HISTORY. London, UK: T&T Clark, 2023 (143 pages, $22.28).
Mary Magdalene has always been a contentious figure in Christian history, saddled with the projections of a patriarchal world view. This lovely work features many of her titles, including Witness, Anointer, Preacher, and even Feminist Icon, in the form of classic and priceless works of art over two thousand years. It is made for those who wish to experience a wonderful immersion into the power of art to portray a person in all of their complexity.
Cooper-White, Pamela. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM: WHY PEOPLE ARE DRAWN IN AND HOW TO TALK ACROSS THE DIVIDE. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2022 (137 pages, $18.99).
In the aftermath of January 6, 2021, Pamela Cooper-White offers a comprehensive look at Christian nationalism and its psychology. She deals with the definition of Christian nationalism, the psychological mechanisms of participating in such movements, and ways of communicating across the divides that exist in a polarized country. She acknowledges the need to listen in order to be heard. A useful read to ponder how the events on January 6th took shape and how their dynamics endure.
Esser, Annette. THE HILDEGARD OF BINGEN PILGRIMAGE BOOK. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2022 (311 pages, $29.95).
Lace up your hiking books for an inspiring walk through the land of Hildegard of Bingen. Medieval saint and doctor of the church, a healer with herbs and a medical doctor, Hildegard’s eco-spirituality is increasingly attractive to contemporary readers. This amazing volume outlines a pilgrimage of key places in her life and ministry. It is complete with maps and pictures, readings and reflection questions. Tuck this in your backpack as you go, or enjoy it from the comfort of your easy chair.
Hays, Carolyn. A GIRLHOOD: A LETTER TO MY TRANSGENDER DAUGHTER. Durham, NC: Blair/Carolina Wren Press, 2022 (274 pages, $26.92).
Listening to stories about trans people is fundamental to reaching social acceptance. No one can better teach us this than the mother of a trans child living in the South. The author describes her family’s experience coming to understand what transgenderism is and the cruel hatred that comes from those who refuse to try to do so. Lots to learn from this book written with love and care for all types of people.
Heyward, Carter. THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF WHITE CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM: A CALL TO ACTION (RELIGION IN THE MODERN WORLD). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2022 (290 pages, $34.00).
White Christian Nationalism plays a large role in contemporary U.S. social disorder. Carter Heyward brings a feminist liberation theologian’s lens to the issues with a strong justice bent. Use this as a springboard for community conversations among people of Christian faith who will find their values operationalized for action.
Ibrahim, Celene. WOMEN AND GENDER IN THE QUR’AN. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2020 (232 pages, $29.95).
Over a billion people claim Islam as their religious tradition, yet billions more know little or nothing about it, and even less about women in Islam. This scholarly yet accessible book provides a helpful overview of gender matters with abundant resources for future study. A serious volume for enrichment and collaboration across religious traditions.
Ladin, Joy. THE SOUL OF THE STRANGER: READING GOD AND TORAH FROM A TRANSGENDER PERSPECTIVE. Waltham, MA: Brandeis University Press, 2019 (147 pages, $29.95).
Transgender is a many-splendored thing, in this instance living in a non-binary way. Torah and trans experience, God and stranger are read, reread, and interwoven. It becomes abundantly clear that one usefully informs the other. Breathtakingly new and challenging ideas are expressed in lovely, accessible prose. Treat yourself to this gem.
Mapp Frett, Latanya. THE EVERYDAY FEMINIST: THE KEY TO SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL IMPACT – DRIVING MOVEMENTS WE NEED NOW MORE THAN EVER. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2023 (183 pages, $18.99).
The President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women invites funders and friends to recognize and support local feminists who labor in the vineyards to change the world. This is a primer for people in the foundation world on how grassroots groups function. It is a reminder to individual donors to support women’s daily work in communities because it adds up to social change.
Ripatrazone, Nick. THE HABIT OF POETRY: THE LITERARY LIVES OF NUNS IN MID-CENTURY AMERICA. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2023 (125 pages, $28.99).
The impact women religious have made in literature has long been under-acknowledged. This book helps to change that by focusing on the lives and works of Madeleva Wolff, Jessica Powers, Mary Bernetta Quinn, Madeline DeFrees, Maura Eichner and Mary Francis. Their poetry deserves critical attention and careful reading. Read this for insights into their work and imagine their impact if sexism were not the barrier it remains today.
Townes, Emilie, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Alison P. Gise Johnson, and Angela D. Sims, Editors. WALKING THROUGH THE VALLEY: WOMANIST EXPLORATIONS IN THE SPIRIT OF KATIE GENEVA CANNON. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2022 (163 pages, $27.00).
Womanist colleagues celebrate the life and work of Katie Geneva Cannon. A dozen colleagues explore her insights and impact on the study of religion. This is predicted to be the first of many such volumes about this key thinker and consummate professor. A must-read to appreciate the respect Dr. Cannon enjoyed and the brilliant work of her colleagues to take womanism to new heights.
WATER Recommends: March 2023
/in What We're Reading /by waterstaffWATER Recommends: March 2023
Douglas, Kelly Brown. RESURRECTION HOPE: A FUTURE WHERE BLACK LIVES MATTER. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2021 (224 pages, $26).
In the face of white Christian nationalism and other forms of racism, Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas’ realistic yet hopeful analysis opens eyes and hearts. From Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC to the Nave of the Washington National Cathedral, her voice rings “loud as the rolling sea” for all to pay attention.
Haen, Jan. HEAVENLY HOMOS, ETC. : QUEER ICONS FROM LGBTQ LIFE, RELIGION, AND HISTORY. Hannacroix, NY: Apocryphile Press, 2022 (103 PAGES, $24.50).
Who knew how many we are? The author writes: “In this graphic book, you will find sketches of persons who—rightly or wrongly—were presumed to be homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or asexual. I believe that heteros and homos etc. long to be respected and loved in equal measure.” Ok, Ruth and Naomi, Joan of Arc, Walatta Petros, Juana Ines de la Cruz, Mary Daly, Virginia Woolf, and good company.
Koosed, Jennifer L. and Robert Paul Seesengood. WISDOM COMMENTARY: JUDITH VOLUME 16. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2022 (272 pages, $49.59).
Judith saved her city from Assyrian invaders and lopped off the head of the general who led the charge, or so the story goes. This sophisticated commentary illuminates the textual issues, clarifies the historical from the literary, and ends on the grace note of Martha Graham dancing “Judith.” Not your grandmother’s commentary, and suitable for readers who want their worlds widened.
Maloney, Linda M. with Ivoni Richter Reimer. WISDOM COMMENTARY: ACTS OF THE APOSTLES VOLUME 45. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2022 (452 pages, $49.59).
As complicated a book as the Christian scriptures contain, Acts of the Apostles is unpacked in this volume with scholarly skill and practice wisdom. Linda Maloney dissects with precision and writes with verve. Her “preferred method of analysis is a form of reader-response criticism that I might call fact-based imaginative empathy.” (p. lxi). It is an effective approach as the various writers in this commentary bring their own insights and commitments to the text. It is bracing, refreshing, effective feminist work.
Slee, Nicola. FRAGMENTS FOR FRACTURED TIMES: WHAT FEMINIST PRACTICAL THEOLOGY BRINGS TO THE TABLE. London, UK: SCM Press, 2020 (352 pages, £25).
Feminist practical theology is a worthy antidote to a shattered world order. Nicola Slee demonstrates that theology is useful insofar as it employs multiple disciplines, vivid imagination, and a willingness to incorporate new insights with old.
Stokes, Jeanette. MAKING THE ROAD AS WE GO. Durham, NC: RCWMS Press, 2022 (243 pages, $30).
Read this memoir to know who Jeanette is—born into white, Presbyterian, privilege in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she studied at Smith College and Duke Divinity School. Her life’s work to date has focused on the wonderful Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South, a feminist non-profit that includes religion, the arts, social justice, and much more. Stay tuned as her creative, beauty-seeking, peacemaking life unfolds.
Williams, Shannen Dee. SUBVERSIVE HABITS: BLACK CATHOLIC NUNS IN THE LONG AFRICAN AMERICAN FREEDOM STRUGGLE. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2022 (424 pages, $29.95).
The painful and inexcusable story of white racism in the context of religious orders is just beginning to be written. This volume is a welcome contribution. It serves as a cautionary tale for the whole Roman Catholic Church. White racists now have no excuse for perpetrating the injustice for another generation.
Yugar, Theresa, Sarah Robinson, Lilian Dube, Teresia Mbari Hinga, editors. VALUING LIVES, HEALING EARTH: RELIGION, GENDER, AND LIFE ON EARTH. Leuven, Belgium: Peeters Publishers, 2021 (298 pages, 55 euro).
This signal volume, including voices from all over the world, is a fitting unfolding of the trajectory Rosemary Radford Ruether set decades ago in her pioneering effort to value each living creature, human and otherwise, and to heal Earth of the wounds inflicted by a ruthless human(un)kind. Essays focused on Knowledge, Ritual, Activism, and Food provide a partial roadmap for moving forward as a global community. What a legacy, what a challenge!
Strahm, Doris, Silvia Strahm Bernet. MÄCHTIG STOLZ: 40 JAHRE FEMINISTISCHE THEOLOGIE UND FRAUEN-KIRCHE-BEWEGUNG IN DER SCHWEIZ. Wettingen, Switzerland: efef publisher, 2022 (300 pages, CHF 38.00).
Discover 40 courageous years of feminist theology and women’s church movement in Switzerland. Be part of a journey through essential interfaith facilities, networks, personalities, and initiatives. This work offers a detailed introduction to how feminist theology unfolded in Switzerland and similarly in other parts of Europe. A great model for other national women’s groups to follow.
Zinsstag, Evelyne, Dolores Zoé Bertschinger, AUFBRUCH IST EINES, UND WEITERGEHEN IST ETWAS ANDERES: FRAUENRÄUME: VON DER SAFFA 58 ÜBER DAS TAGUNGSZENTRUM BOLDERN ZUM FRAUEN*ZENTRUM ZÜRICH. Wettingen, Switzerland: efef publisher, 2020 (212 pages, CHF 29.00).
The second Swiss exhibition of women’s work (SAFFA) enabled the establishment of the ecumenical women’s movement. However, the beginning is one step, but continuing is the next difficulty, and requires intergenerational exchange. This work was written by the next generation of Swiss feminist theologians to remember their successful predecessors and describe the challenges of continuing their legacy.
WATER Recommends: September 2022
/in What We're Reading /by waterstaffWATER Recommends: September 2022
Tap into what we’re reading at the WATER office with the following resources.
All of the books we recommend are available for the borrowing from the Carol Murdock Scinto Library in the WATER office. Check out librarything.com for our complete collection. We are grateful to the many publishers who send us review copies to promote to the WATER community.
Butler, Anthea. WHITE EVANGELICAL RACISM: THE POLITICS OF MORALITY IN AMERICA. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2021 (164 pages, $25).
A crucial read to understand and eradicate the racist foundations of white evangelical Christianity. Dr. Butler lays bare the hypocrisy of a movement that has white supremacy at its heart. In retrospect, so much of the history makes ‘perfect’ sense when read through an anti-racist lens. In present struggles, the contours are even clearer. Read and heed.
Cannon, Katie Geneva. KATIE’S CANON: WOMANISM AND THE SOUL OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2021 (248 pages, $29).
Wonderful new 25th anniversary edition of this classic with Foreword by Emilie M. Townes. If only Dr. Cannon were still with us to reflect on her writing and add to them. That is now our work. Her spirit lives in this volume. Alleluia!
Cassidy, Laurie and M. Shawn Copeland, editors. DESIRE, DARKNESS, AND HOPE: THEOLOGY IN A TIME OF IMPASSE: ENGAGING THE THOUGHT OF CONSTANCE FITZGERALD, OCD. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2021 (480 pages, $44.95)
Mary E. Hunt wrote in a review: “Theological page turners are rare; anthologies that hold the reader’s interest throughout are even rarer. DESIRE, DARKNESS, AND HOPE is a happy exception, a welcome read that incorporates classic Christian spirituality with contemporary theological reflection. Constance FitzGerald, OCD, is an insightful spiritual writer whose work deserves a broad audience. This book is a giant step in that direction.”
Falk, Marcia. NIGHT OF BEGINNINGS: A PASSOVER HAGGADAH. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 2022 (232 pages, $19.95).
A Haggadah that is as beautiful as it is innovative, as poetic as it is theological, as inspiring as it is empowering. The author’s drawings and design add life and breath to the text and tradition. A must-have for people of many faiths and no faith who can appreciate the sacred anew through this pearl.
Kim, Grace Ji-Sun. INVISIBLE: THEOLOGY AND THE EXPERIENCE OF ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2021 (177 pages, $28).
Current anti-Asian violence is a continuation of so many generations of oppression and injustice to immigrants. The voices of Asian American women in theology echo the themes and offer insightful, incisive, practical theories and actions to put them to rest. A broad audience will benefit from this volume.
Pak, Su Yon and Mychal B. Springer, editors. SISTERS IN MOURNING: DAUGHTERS REFLECTING ON CARE, LOSS, AND MEANING. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2021 (148 pages, $20).
From the Foreword by Mary Gordon to the final story of a mother’s death, the often fraught and usually loving relationships between mothers and daughters come into poignant focus. Seven writers from different backgrounds and life circumstances flesh out the complexities and offer queries for others to ponder.
Scholz, Susanne, editor. THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF FEMINIST APPROACHES TO THE HEBREW BIBLE. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2021 (696 pages, $150).
A reference book for all libraries and serious scholars of the Hebrew Bible. This collection is a veritable who’s who in biblical scholarship—Adele Reinhartz, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Esther Fuchs, Carol Meyers, to name just a few. Eco-feminist poet Anne Elvey pushes the disciplinary horizons with her expansive essay. Kudos to the editor for this valuable volume.
Tsomo, Karma Lekshe. WOMEN IN BUDDHIST TRADITIONS. New York, NY: New York University Press, 2020 (223 pages, hardcover $89, paperback $22).
Buddhist women are active all over the world in changing their tradition to make it more inclusive, therefore more useful. Karma Lekshe Tsomo is a noted authority who not only chronicles the progress but has been instrumental in it. An excellent book for classes, discussion groups, and/or research.
WATER Recommends: June 2022
/in What We're Reading /by waterstaffWATER Recommends: June 2022
Tap into what we’re reading at the WATER office with the following resources.
All of the books we recommend are available for the borrowing from the Carol Murdock Scinto Library in the WATER office. Check out librarything.com for our complete collection. We are grateful to the many publishers who send us review copies to promote to the WATER community.
Allen, Lisa. A WOMANIST THEOLOGY OF WORSHIP: LITURGY, JUSTICE, AND COMMUNAL RIGHTEOUSNESS. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2021 (231 pages, $28).
Theologians, liturgists, students, and ministers will find a thorough introduction to theology of worship especially in the Black Church. The author weaves basic womanist insights into the fabric of worship making clear that worship will improve immeasurably.
Bourgeois, Roy. MALE SUPREMACY IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: AN INSIDER’S VIEW. Columbia, SC, 2022 (102 pages, $12).
Longtime peace activist and Maryknoll priest, Roy Bourgeois writes about his life in simple and clear prose. He highlights how championing women is a lonely task in patriarchal settings, quoting Martin Luther King Jr: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.”
Chown, Mary Ellen with Illustrations by Andrea Nairn, GRACE DRIFTS IN. Oakville, Ontario, Canada, available at www.andreanairn.com, $25 CAD.
Word pictures, images, poems that are seared in the imagination combine with compellingly wrought graphics to become a lovely book of poetry. The perfect size to hold in grateful hands, a combination of muted colors that give the words beautiful accompaniment result in a welcome and profound volume. “how shall we wear our losses,” and “indulgences” are just a few of the many themes which make rich food for meditation.
De Sola, Carla. DANCING WITH THE DIVINE: A FLOW OF GRACE. Santa Cruz, CA: Omega Kairos Books, 2021 (163 pages, $25).
Liturgical dance is common in many places of worship because Carla De Sola pioneered it. In this beautifully written and rendered volume she provides an overview of the genre and how she embraces is. Thirty dancers reflect on their “Kairos moments” in dance. Accompanying photos and paintings, calligraphy and insights make this a sensuous volume in every sense of the word.
Ierardi, Anne, COMING ALIVE: MEMOIR. Brunswick, ME: Shanti Arts Publishing, 2022 (199 pages, $27).
This wonderful memoir offers insight into the plain goodness of a life full of integrity. With deep authenticity, the author finds a way where there is still no way for a conscious Catholic woman,. All are born into times we do not choose and cannot always change. Readers learn how marvelous it is to embrace vocations and actualize talents the world needs, regardless.
O’Donnell, Karen and Katie Cross, ed. FEMINIST TRAUMA THEOLOGY: BODY, SCRIPTURE & CHURCH IN CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE. London, UK: SCM Press, 2020 (384 pages, £30).
Trauma is a common, pernicious, often preventable experience. The essayists in this volume attempt to situate it in a theological framework and attempt constructive work to make sense of it. The only sense is to stop it which is a common thread here. Read in combination with practical theologies of ministry for maximum usefulness.
Ortega, Ofelia. CUBAN FEMINIST THEOLOGY: VISIONS AND PRAXIS. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield/Lexington Books, 2022 ($110/$45 Kindle).
From the Foreword by Mary E. Hunt:
“I am a woman who dreams and who struggles,” wrote the Reverend Doctor Ofelia Miriam Ortega Suárez in Cuban Feminist Theology. What dreams they are, and what struggles! This English language publication of her work is a rare and welcome volume. It fills in many theological blanks and opens new horizons for Latin American and Caribbean feminist work in religion.” WATER is thrilled with the publication of this valuable volume.
Pui-Lan, Kwok. POSTCOLONIAL POLITICS AND THEOLOGY: UNRAVELING EMPIRE FOR A GLOBAL WORLD. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2021 (261 pages, $30).
“Christians have often put their hope in the eschaton—the end time. But post-colonial hope is more like a process, for we cannot defer hope till eternity.” (p.203) So Kwok Pui-Lan sets the goal of this work, to use religious analysis to bring about global social change. Her essays are crisp and clear; her approach accessible and pragmatic. Read this important book to join the efforts to “unravel Empire.”
Thistlethwaite, Susan Brooks. WALLS OF FEAR. Eugene, Oregon: Resource Publications, 2022 (226 pages, $23).
Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite wrote the nonfiction Women’s Bodies as Battlefield: Christian Theology and the Global War on Women. In her mystery, Walls of Fear, she shows how Black and Brown women’s bodies bear the hideous brunt of war to unthinkable but real extremes. This thriller offers crystalline insights into racism, private prisons, and domestic violence. Deeply poignant moments demonstrate the price of oppression, the joy of justice.
Coloe, Mary L. JOHN 1-10. Edited by Mary Ann Beavis and Barbara E. Reid. Wisdom Commentary, vol. 44A. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2021 (304 pages, $49.95).
Johannine studies have always seemed to hold a sort of pride of place in biblical studies. This volume, written by distinguished international group of scholars, is on track to be a go-to resource in the field.
Coloe, Mary L. JOHN 11-21. Edited by Mary Ann Beavis and Barbara E. Reid. Wisdom Commentary, vol. 44A. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2021 (600 pages, $49.95).
As the study unfolds, the power of Sophia and not simply Logos becomes obvious. The author concludes, “Women disciples today know that there were women disciples throughout the Gospel scenes, even when their presence has slipped through the ‘holes in the text,’ and many are not named.” (p. 549) No wonder we need this commentary series.
Perkins, Pheme, Eloise Rosenblatt and Patricia McDonald. 1-2 PETER AND JUDE. Edited by Linda M. Maloney and Barbara E. Reid. Wisdom Commentary, vol. 56. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2022 (320 pages, $49.95).
This “reading from the margins” as stated in the Author’s Introduction, is focused on “the presence of the nonelite and the marginalized” (p. 3). It makes a volume on some of the less read biblical texts into another good feminist window on the whole enterprise.
Reid, Barbara E. and Shelly Matthews. LUKE 10-24. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Wisdom Commentary, vol. 43B. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2021 (713 pages, $49.95).
Luke is an “ambiguous Gospel” indeed as the authors affirm. Their efforts to clarify the complexities and continue to incorporate new feminist insights make this a signal volume in the collection.