I’m reading If Women Rose Rooted at the moment, it was one of several new books I’ve ordered for research on ‘Book 4’. It reminds me a little bit of Women who Run with the Wolves, which I read in my late 20’s and found absolutely life-changingly transformative. It got me thinking about how books can really change your life (and wouldn’t it be great if Book 4 could be one of those books??!!). So I wondered, which books changed YOUR life (can be non fiction or fiction, up to you)? xx
When God Was A Woman by Merlin Stone completely changed my life. It made me question everything I’d thought about the history of religion, humanity, history, our roles as men and women etc. It put me on a path to doing my master’s dissertation on goddesses and their place in feminism. Although that research highlighted the many(!) flaws in Stone’s own research and her telling of this story of us once living in a matriarchal society (spoiler alert: we didn’t really...) it still sent me down a path of academic inquiry and exploration that I really enjoyed. It also led me to break up with online “liberal” feminism, obsessed as it is with identity, and “come out” as an ecofeminist and matricentric feminist. Great book, even if it’s a little loose with the facts 😬
If you haven't read it yet, check out Matriarchal Studies by Heidi Goettner-Abendroth. It completely changed my life, even after being tuned into the theory of the Mother Goddess cults and ideas about an ancient matriarchy. You may or may not like her core arguments which focus on what we even mean by "matriarchy" but you can't fail to be impressed by the thoroughness of her research. It is groundbreaking stuff.
Both of these books look great. I wonder, once you discovered the flaws Gudrun, if you found another, more accurate book about goddess culture - or maybe there isn't one, or maybe it's impossible because we just don't know enough?!
Hmm, it’s a while since I graduated and I’ve had baby brain twice a since then(!) but I looked through my bibliography and I seem to remember that Ancient Goddesses: The Myths and the Evidence by Lucy Goodison and Christine Morris was very good. Laid out the evidence without an agenda of trying to prove a matriarchal society.
Marija Gimbutas was more thorough in her research than Stone but did also want to present the matriarchal society theory. The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory by C.Eller lays out the arguments against but again Eller seems to have an agenda behind her. Goodison/Morris is much more neutral to my memory.
‘Trouble with Lichen’ by John Wyndham certainly made me think about sex-role stereotypes, which my parents had to some extent countered. So I was primed and ready when ‘The Female Eunuch’ came out.
The Alphabet Versus the Goddess is an interesting book. Its still half read on my shelf because I have a habit of flitting between books. I recommended it to a feminist friend of mine, she hated it and found the authors argument offensive, but I really enjoyed it
The Golden Notebook & The Female Eunuch. Both read about 50 years ago when I was late teens. Utterly life changing forever 😀 because Lessing made great fiction of feminist ideas & Greer is an amazingly entertaining writer. TFE is not good on motherhood & even at 19 I recognised it (early Womens Liberation demands included ‘24 hour free nurseries’ you dropped your kid off into, which is never gonna catch on). But apart from that….
For me it was The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche, it completely changed my views on life and how interconnected it can be with death. I refer back to it often, like a life compass.
The first is The Politics of Breastfeeding by Gabrielle Palmer which is about a whole lot more than breastfeeding but also about feminism and motherhood. It is highly recommended to anyone who is interested in advocating for women as mothers. Second is Three in a Bed by Deborah Jackson. Again much more than about co-sleeping and the third is The Continuum Concept. For this one, I loaned it to a friend who had a baby born at 29 weeks and who suffered post natal depression. She is also a mental health clinician. This book inspired her to study her PhD in a related topic.
That’s such a hard question ... As a midwife, Marsden Wagner’s Pursuing the Birth Machine was a real eye opener as it put into words exactly what I felt was wrong with obstetrics and of course Ina May Gaskin’s Spiritual Midwifery was incredibly inspiring. Green Pharmacy by Barbara Griggs educated me about the roots of medicine ( and taught me to question everything to do with drugs). But on a more personal note I have to say that The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley encouraged me to explore the feminine mystique. I’ll be honest, in terms of modern inspiration I’m not a fan of If Women Rose Rooted - I preferred Burning Woman by Lucy Pearce and there’s quite the glut of books aimed at menopausal women now. But as far as classic feminist books go I adore The Creation of Feminist consciousness by Gerda Lerner. I could go on and on... I’m a bibliophile... :)
Loving hearing others’ recommendations - as if I don’t have a big enough TBR pile already!
BTW I am your German publisher (Give birth like a feminist), can I get in touch (email) with you re the German translation? my email is: gerit.sonntag@magas-verlag.de
When God Was A Woman by Merlin Stone completely changed my life. It made me question everything I’d thought about the history of religion, humanity, history, our roles as men and women etc. It put me on a path to doing my master’s dissertation on goddesses and their place in feminism. Although that research highlighted the many(!) flaws in Stone’s own research and her telling of this story of us once living in a matriarchal society (spoiler alert: we didn’t really...) it still sent me down a path of academic inquiry and exploration that I really enjoyed. It also led me to break up with online “liberal” feminism, obsessed as it is with identity, and “come out” as an ecofeminist and matricentric feminist. Great book, even if it’s a little loose with the facts 😬
If you haven't read it yet, check out Matriarchal Studies by Heidi Goettner-Abendroth. It completely changed my life, even after being tuned into the theory of the Mother Goddess cults and ideas about an ancient matriarchy. You may or may not like her core arguments which focus on what we even mean by "matriarchy" but you can't fail to be impressed by the thoroughness of her research. It is groundbreaking stuff.
Ooh sounds very interesting, thanks for the recommendation 🙂
Both of these books look great. I wonder, once you discovered the flaws Gudrun, if you found another, more accurate book about goddess culture - or maybe there isn't one, or maybe it's impossible because we just don't know enough?!
Hmm, it’s a while since I graduated and I’ve had baby brain twice a since then(!) but I looked through my bibliography and I seem to remember that Ancient Goddesses: The Myths and the Evidence by Lucy Goodison and Christine Morris was very good. Laid out the evidence without an agenda of trying to prove a matriarchal society.
Marija Gimbutas was more thorough in her research than Stone but did also want to present the matriarchal society theory. The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory by C.Eller lays out the arguments against but again Eller seems to have an agenda behind her. Goodison/Morris is much more neutral to my memory.
‘Trouble with Lichen’ by John Wyndham certainly made me think about sex-role stereotypes, which my parents had to some extent countered. So I was primed and ready when ‘The Female Eunuch’ came out.
Trouble with Lichen also not one I had heard of! That looks so good! Thank you!
The Alphabet Versus the Goddess is an interesting book. Its still half read on my shelf because I have a habit of flitting between books. I recommended it to a feminist friend of mine, she hated it and found the authors argument offensive, but I really enjoyed it
The Golden Notebook & The Female Eunuch. Both read about 50 years ago when I was late teens. Utterly life changing forever 😀 because Lessing made great fiction of feminist ideas & Greer is an amazingly entertaining writer. TFE is not good on motherhood & even at 19 I recognised it (early Womens Liberation demands included ‘24 hour free nurseries’ you dropped your kid off into, which is never gonna catch on). But apart from that….
For me it was The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche, it completely changed my views on life and how interconnected it can be with death. I refer back to it often, like a life compass.
The first is The Politics of Breastfeeding by Gabrielle Palmer which is about a whole lot more than breastfeeding but also about feminism and motherhood. It is highly recommended to anyone who is interested in advocating for women as mothers. Second is Three in a Bed by Deborah Jackson. Again much more than about co-sleeping and the third is The Continuum Concept. For this one, I loaned it to a friend who had a baby born at 29 weeks and who suffered post natal depression. She is also a mental health clinician. This book inspired her to study her PhD in a related topic.
That’s such a hard question ... As a midwife, Marsden Wagner’s Pursuing the Birth Machine was a real eye opener as it put into words exactly what I felt was wrong with obstetrics and of course Ina May Gaskin’s Spiritual Midwifery was incredibly inspiring. Green Pharmacy by Barbara Griggs educated me about the roots of medicine ( and taught me to question everything to do with drugs). But on a more personal note I have to say that The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley encouraged me to explore the feminine mystique. I’ll be honest, in terms of modern inspiration I’m not a fan of If Women Rose Rooted - I preferred Burning Woman by Lucy Pearce and there’s quite the glut of books aimed at menopausal women now. But as far as classic feminist books go I adore The Creation of Feminist consciousness by Gerda Lerner. I could go on and on... I’m a bibliophile... :)
Loving hearing others’ recommendations - as if I don’t have a big enough TBR pile already!
Christine Northrup: The wisdom of menopause. And: Regena Thomashauer: Pussy. And: Criado-Perez: Invisible woman.
Pussy looks interesting. Not one I had come across - if you know what I mean LOL!!!
read it, it's good!
BTW I am your German publisher (Give birth like a feminist), can I get in touch (email) with you re the German translation? my email is: gerit.sonntag@magas-verlag.de
Yes of course! I will email you now x