Daughters of the Desert: Stories of Remarkable Women from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Traditions
by Mary Cronk Farrell, Meghan Nuttall Sayres, Claire Rudolf Murphy, Betsy Wharton, Sarah Conover (Editor)
Hardcover:
160 pages
Publisher: Skylight Paths Publishing (March, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN: 1893361721
Product Dimensions:8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
From Booklist Gr. 7-10. Women, though mentioned in the holy books of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, have never really gotten their due. This book tries to rectify that situation in 18 stories. Using sacred writings as their basis, the five women authors have reshaped the stories of such individuals as Sarah, Mary Magdalene, Eve, and Khadiji, the wife of Mohammed. The authors also give voice to some unnamed women--for example, the servant girl who confronts Peter for denying Jesus. The stories are short and simply told, but they are intriguing and invite discussion. Two of the most interesting concern the dismissal of Hagar and Ishmael from Abraham's tents: one is told from Sarah's viewpoint; the other from Hagar's. The story endnotes give the basis for each telling. An interesting way of showing how three religions spring from the same sandy landscape.Ilene Cooper
Book Description
This groundbreaking collection of short stories brings to life the women--daring, brave, thoughtful, and wise--who played important and exciting roles in the early days of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Join Esther as she stands against injustice and her king to save her people, Aisha as she leads hundreds of men into terrifying battle, and Mary as she andElizabeth dream of the new lives growing inside them. How must Sarah have felt, turning Hagar out into the desert? And how must Hagar have felt, traveling from the safety and security of Abraham's land toward an uncertain future? These stories invite us to come to know and appreciate the struggles and triumphs of these women--mothers, daughters, believers and seekers.
From the Inside Flap
Eighteen intriguing stories that give voice to often-overlooked figures from the holy writings of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Women—though seldom educated—played key roles in the development of these three great faiths, but their lives and contributions are rarely honored. The men who recorded and copied the sacred Scriptures and other important texts included very little about how women passed on their experiences of God through storytelling, song, and ritual.
With the help of imagination and careful research, Daughters of the Desert introduces us to the lives and loves, personalities and dreams of women who are only hinted at in the Scriptures, but whose faith and strength were vital to the growth of their beliefs. Taking as starting points passages from the Hebrew and Christian Bibles and the Qur’an, this diverse collection of short stories allows us to hear the voices of our common female ancestors loud and clear.
Ideal for anyone who has ever wondered what life was like for our spiritual foremothers, these stories bring life and breath to the past. What the Scriptures have often only outlined in passing is here fully imagined—from thrilling events that decided the fate of thousands to everyday moments of friendship and love.
About the Author
Claire Rudolf Murphy is the award-winning author of several books for children and young adults, including Children of the Gold Rush (winner of the 2000 Willa Cather Award), Gold Rush Women, and Free Radical.
Meghan Nuttall Sayres is a tapestry weaver and the author of a children’s book, The Shape of Betts Meadow.
Mary Cronk Farrell, formerly an award-winning television journalist, is now a children’s author and syndicated columnist on family spirituality.
Sarah Conover is the author of Kindness: Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents, winner of the Skipping Stones Multicultural Award, and is currently writing a children’s reader on Islam.
Betsy Wharton is a writer and nurse whose work has taken her to a Navajo Indian reservation, an AIDS hospice, and a refugee camp on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
