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.

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Berger, Teresa (Editor). LITURGY IN MIGRATION: FROM THE UPPER ROOM TO CYBERSPACE. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2012 (200 pages, $35.99).

This edited collection of essays offers historic and contemporary examples of liturgical migration –from antiquity to Internet era. Technical and nuanced, it is a volume for those interested in liturgical history and theory.

Berry, Jan. Ritual MAKING WOMEN: SHAPING RITES FOR CHANGING LIVES. London, England and Oakville, CT: Equinox, 2009 (257 pages, $34.95).

Jan Berry explores feminist liturgy and ritual through a close look at theology, spirituality, and gender. She highlights the healing power of feminist ritual in the face of religious patriarchy with narrative and interviews. Examining this new field from its beginnings and encompassing facets such as methodology, embodiment, and identity, her research emphasizes the power of ritual for women and by women.

Fulkerson, Mary McClintock and Sheila Briggs (Editors). THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF FEMINIST THEOLOGY. Oxford, England and New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2012 (600 pages, $150).

A reference work of broad scope and intricate details, this book is a useful companion to academic research. Chapters include ample bibliographies and helpful notes on a number of narrowly drawn topics.

Hayes, Diana L. STANDING IN THE SHOES MY MOTHER MADE: A WOMANIST THEOLOGY. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2011 (232 pages, $22).

Drawing upon a rich womanist history of foremothers and community, Diana Hayes weaves elements of her womanist liberative perspective into considerations of liturgy, church, ministry, and salvation. She provides an invaluable resource for theologians, students, and parishioners trying to build inclusive communities.

Miles, Margaret R. AUGUSTINE AND THE FUNDAMENTALIST’S DAUGHTER. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2011 (236 pages, $26).

A powerful read of a powerful life. Margaret intersperses Augustine’s events with her own: family, love, sex, loss, the arts, faith, and death. Stunning. Likewise, her memoir with Hiroko Sakomura, GETTING HERE FROM THERE: CONVERSATIONS ON LIFE AND WORK. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2011 (128 pages, $18) gives more glimpses into Margaret’s scope. Paired as professor and producer, American and Japanese, Christian and Buddhist, these women share and illuminate their many commitments.

Murdock, Michele. A JOURNEY OF COURAGE: THE AMAZING STORY OF SISTER DOROTHY STANG. Cincinnati, OH: Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, 2009 (139 pages, $12).

A tragic injustice, the killing of Sister Dorothy Stang because of her commitment to indigenous people in Brasil is told in a heart-warming biography, bringing joy to readers as if she wrote it herself. Michele Murdock shows that Dorothy’s lifelong commitment to social justice is at once that of a woman religious and of every justice seeker.

Newsom, Carol A., Sharon H. Ringe, and Jacqueline E. Lapsley (Editors). WOMEN’S BIBLE COMMENTARY. 3rd Edition (Revised and Updated). Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012 (680 pages, $50).

Feminist biblical criticism has evolved in the past twenty years, hence a new version of this classic resource was in order. The revised and updated volume includes the voices of younger and increasingly diverse feminist biblical scholars. New essays and provocative artwork focused on female characters in the bible make this holistic commentary a valuable part of any library.

Phillips, Anne. THE FAITH OF GIRLS. Surrey, England and Burlington, VA: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2011 (218 pages, $89.96).

Adolescent females between the ages of 11 and 13 have historically been an ignored group in Christian churches and in relation to the Bible. Anne Phillips attempts a study of their spirituality and faith using psychological and sociological methods including interviews. It is a difficult task when trying to take account of cultural differences, girls’ autonomy, agency, and the like. But it is a start.

Pineda-Madrid, Nancy. SUFFERING AND SALVATION IN CIUDAD JUÁREZ. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2011 (200 pages, $18).

Instead of turning away from the disturbing violence of feminicide in Ciudad Júarez, Nancy Pineda-Madrid calls theologians to consider the theo-political ties between suffering and salvation in light of this violence. She puts forth a notion of social salvation that accounts for structural evils and requires deep human solidarity.

Ruether, Rosemary Radford. WOMEN AND REDEMPTION: A THEOLOGICAL HISTORY. 2nd Edition. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2012 (352 pages, $39).

This updated version of a classic is student-friendly and future-oriented with timelines, focusing questions, and recommended readings. Macro and micro dimensions of women and redemption stand out thanks to a new chapter on post-colonialism and the “Fourth World.” Historically overlooked and emerging perspectives move to the forefront of the conversation.

Valente, Judith. ATCHISON BLUE: A SEARCH FOR SILENCE, A SPIRITUAL HOME, AND A LIVING FAITH. Notre Dame, IN: Sorin Books, 2013 (224 pages, $15.95).

This unvarnished picture of one women’s religious community echoes so many others where people go to live intentional lives of meaning and spirit. Each must find her own way, not copy another’s path.

Wind, Renate. DOROTHEE SOELLE: MYSTIC AND REBEL, THE BIOGRAPHY. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2012 (224 pages, $25).

An insightful account of the life of Soelle, this is biography with a personal feel. Family and academic history shine light on her postwar politics and Christian liberation theology as well as on the woman herself.

 

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.

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Copeland, M. Shawn. UNCOMMON FAITHFULNESS: THE BLACK CATHOLIC EXPERIENCE. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2009 (228 pages, $26).

A must-read on contemporary Catholicism, this book includes essays by Jamie Phelps, Shawn Copeland, Diana Hayes, and others who bring their theological acumen and their political commitments to an important history.

 

Copeland, M. Shawn. THE SUBVERSIVE POWER OF LOVE: THE VISION OF HENRIETTE DELILLE. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1989, (85 pages, $9.95).

The life of Henriette Delille, founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family, is told with verve and insight. A religious community for free women of color, the Sisters were in the vanguard of racial inclusivity and women’s empowerment.

 

Corley, Kathleen E. MARANATHA: WOMEN’S FUNERARY RITUALS AND CHRISTIAN ORIGINS. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2010 (262 pages, $25.55).

Women have always been the ones to deal with death and dying in communities. So it was in the Jesus movement with resurrection at stake.

 

Isherwood, Lisa. PATRIARCHS, PROPHETS, AND OTHER VILLAINS. London: Equinox Publishing Ltd., 2007 (226 pages, $27.95).

Counter readings of texts with feminist and queer lenses is a productive exercise by a variety of writers including Lisa Isherwood, Marcella Althaus-Reid, Carol P. Christ, and Janet Wooton.

 

Jantzen,Grace M. VIOLENCE TO ETERNITY: DEATH AND THE DISPLACEMENT OF BEAUTY, VOLUME 2 (Edited by Jeremy Carette and Morny Joy), Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, London and New York, 2009 (250 pages, $37.95). A PLACE OF SPRINGS: DEATH AND THE DISPLACEMENT OF BEAUTY, VOLUME 3 (Edited by Jeremy Carette and Morny Joy), London and New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2010 (218 pages, $87.50).

Thanks to these editors, the final work of the late feminist philosopher Grace Jantzen is now available. How violence took over and beauty took a back seat lies at the heart of this project. Her emphasis on “natality” is exemplified by this “new life” that comes after the premature death of a brilliant and productive scholar.

 

Kamitsuka, Margaret D. (Editor), THE EMBRACE OF EROS: BODIES, DESIRES, AND SEXUALITY IN CHRISTIANITY. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2010 (356 pages, $22.24).

New readings of traditional sources open the Christian community to previously unimagined richness. These authors, including Laurel Schneider, Serene Jones, and Mark Jordan, leave little doubt that the difficult task of rereading is worth doing. Imagine the bodies that will benefit.

 

Karkazis, Katrina. FIXING SEX: INTERSEX, MEDICAL AUTHORITY, AND LIVED EXPERIENCE. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2008 (365 pages, $23.95).

Most people know so little about Intersex realities that this primer is a good place to start. The author sees surgery as the last resort, trying instead to make society more open and accepting of human diversity.

 

Krondorfer, Bjorn. MEN AND MASCULINITIES IN CHRISTIANITY AND JUDIAISM: A CRITICAL READER, London: SCM Press, 2009 (489 pages, $75).

A first, this anthology brings together well chosen essays in which maleness is seen as gendered, not as normative. It contains a conversation that is ongoing but little noticed as men deal with the realities of being human beings who share the world with women. This is a book worth buying and studying in a group.

 

Miles, Rebekah (Editor). GEORGIA HARKNESS—THE REMAKING OF A LIBERAL THEOLOGIAN: COLLECTED ESSAYS FROM 1929-1942, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010 (186 pages, $22.80).

Rebekah Miles has done a great service to make these core writings of Georgia Harkness available. Dr. Harkness was among the earliest women theologians, a Methodist champion of women’s ordination, a prolific writer, preacher, and teacher who paved a hard way toward equality.

 

Murray, Anne Firth. FROM OUTRAGE TO COURAGE: WOMEN TAKING ACTION FOR HEALTH AND JUSTICE. Monroe, ME: Common Courage Press, 2008 (311 pages, $24.95).

Global Fund for Women founder Anne Firth Murray knows the world of women. It is a dangerous, fraught place for all of us, especially for young and poor women. This book is a healthy antidote to the multiple problems of sexism, poverty, racism, and the rest.

 

Pinsky, Dina. JEWISH FEMINISTS: COMPLEX IDENTITIES AND ACTIVIST LIVES. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2010, (168 pages, $20).

This is a compact treatment of the women and men who give feminist Judaism a great name as they reshape a tradition.

 

Vigen, Aana Marie. WOMEN, ETHICS, AND EQUALITY IN U.S. HEALTHCARE: “TO COUNT AMONG THE LIVING.” New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010 (272 pages, $84.95).

Health care justice for all, especially for poor women, ought to be at the heart of every political conversation. This book puts it there.

 

Walker, Alice. HARD TIMES REQUIRE FURIOUS DANCING: NEW POEMS. Novato, CA: New World Library, 2010 (184 pages, $18).

Inspired and inspiring poems from a beloved American poet. Alice Walker knows what it takes to keep on going.