A Review of the Book "A Year of Biblical Womanhood" by Rachel Held Evans

Title: A Year of Biblical Womanhood

Author: Rachel Held Evans

Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc

Year: 2012

308 pages

From the Back: Strong-willed and independent, Rachel Held Evans couldn't sew a button on a blouse before she embarked on a radical life experiment - a year of biblical womanhood. Intrigued by the traditionalist resurgence that led many of her friends to abandon their careers to assume traditional gender roles in the home, Evans decides to try it for herself, vowing to take all of the Bible's instructions for women as literally as possible for a year.

    Evans learns the hard way that her quest for biblical womanhood requires more than a "gentle and quiet spirit" (1 Peter 3:4). It means growing out her hair, making her own clothes, covering her head, obeying her husband, rising before dawn, abstaining from gossip, remaining silent in church, and even camping out in the front yard during her period.

    With just the right mixture of humour and insight, compassion and incredulity, A Year of Biblical Womanhood is an exercise in scriptural exploration and spiritual contemplation. What does God truly expect of women, and is there really a prescription for biblical womanhood? Come along with Evans as she looks for answers in the rich heritage of biblical heroines, models of grace, and all-around women of valour.

Personal Thoughts: This was an absolutely incredible book that, I feel, successfully showed if we tried to live as biblical literalists, we would all struggle very much. But also, there is so much more to learn from the biblical women than the religious world has let on. Evans is an amazing writer who allows herself to be quite vulnerable in her storytelling while bringing humour along for the ride, as well. It is so easy to read her books and you can't help but become passionate about the words on the pages.

    If you want to learn more about the women of the bible, what is was like to live their everyday lives, and the power they still have on our lives today, then I truly recommend "A Year of Biblical Womanhood". You might be surprised at the things you learn!