A Year of Biblical Womanhood

I want to break bread with Rachel.

I just finished, and I feel refreshed, as if I just had the most rejuvenating fellowship. Not with finger foods and gossip and complaints veiled as concerns, but early church gathering of The Way style. I wasn't even part of the book, yet I feel celebrated, as a woman daily fighting chronic illness, as a woman of valor.
I felt especially drawn closer by the chapter of the veneration of motherhood as the goal and role of the Christian Proverbs 31 woman. My illnesses have taken that ability away from me–unable to conceive, too sick to adopt. Rachel's study, words, and bright, feisty spirit showed me that I am no less for that, but that childless women played pivotal roles in God's plan and Jesus' ministry!
Should Team Dan and Rachel welcome a newcomer to break bread, I shall come bearing my own gifts: knitting needles and stories of growing up in a tiny Southern Episcopal church.

This is how you should feel after reading a book, as if you are a better person for it!

Rating this book makes it difficult for many reasons. If I rate it 5 star, would that mean that I agree with it and if I rate it 1, that I don't? Well, it depends on how one looks at it. It's a book that makes me think, question and not accept things just because that's how evangelical churches tell me to. If you like to go in more depth with things, wonder why “this or that”, you might at least find it interesting. I totally don't agree with quite a few of her conclusions but many issues that she brings might at least be worth to form an opinion about. Lots of unbelievers or secular Christians (if there is such a thing) might think as she does and as believers, we should have an good foundation for our faith that we can clearly share with others. I loved the different perspective she brought into the pictures, from Amish to Jews, Quakers and anything in between. Despite not agreeing with her in everything, might I say quite some things, I still plan on reading her other books. Her writing is if nothing else entertaining, quirky and thought provoking.

Short Review: I wasn't planning on reviewing this until next year. But it is on sale at Amazon, so I posted early. I am more mixed than I thought I would be. It is a book with great promise. And Evans is a writer with even greater promise. So I think I am disappointed because it did not live up to my expectations. I both wanted more and less. I wanted more focus. I think the book was trying to do too many things, talk about the problems with bible interpretation, the problems with modern movements toward conservatism, the role of women in the church, complementarianism, and wrap it up as a funny memoir. I think if she had focused on a couple of them, instead of all of them it would have been better. I also am tired of the ‘year of...' experiments. Doing something for a month is just not enough time to have life change. I think some of the choices of experiments were mistakes and tended to make the whole project seem a bit trite.

On the positive side, I am amazed at the depth of thought that Evans gets of out these short little experiments. I also think she really reached into the problems with biblical interpretation especially around women's roles. I just wish there was more development around it. It is also a very readable and funny book. I don't want to suggest that her humor is the problem, but I have a problem with some of the choices that seemed to make the problems of women in the church less important.

I have a much longer review on my blog at http://bookwi.se/a-year-of-biblical-womanhood-by-rachel-held-evans/