Desperate Women of the Bible: Lessons on Passion from the Gospels »

Jo Kadlecek is a journalist, author, retreat and conference teacher, and creative and editorial consultant based in Bradley Beach, New Jersey. She is the author of eight books, including Feast of Life and her first novel, The Sound of My Voice.

If the Bible can be thought of as the grand story of God, many of its main characters are passionate and even desperate men and women. Jo Kadlecek introduces us to eight biblical women driven by their passion and desperation to seek out Jesus. She explores their stories in their cultural context, then draws out the lessons they hold for contemporary readers who are willing to let an encounter with Jesus change their lives.

In studying these eight characters, readers will find new insights into the central character of God's great story--Jesus--and how he can transform their desperation and their passions and bring their lives new hope.

LIST OF WOMEN AND BIBLICAL REFERENCES:

Samaritan Woman, John 4: 1-42

Crippled Woman Healed on the Sabbath, Luke 13:10-17

The Widow (Who Makes an Offering), Mark 12:35-44

A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman, Mark 5:21-43

A Widow (Who's Son is Raised by Jesus), Luke 7:11-17

A Sinful Woman (Who Jesus Annoints), Luke 7:36-50

A Syrophoenician Woman, Mark 7:24-30

A Canaanite Woman, Matthew 15:21-29

Library Journal

An educator, retreat leader, and writer on popular spirituality, Kadlecek (Feast of Life) writes to an audience of 21st-century American women about secondary (and unnamed) female characters in the Gospels. She divides her study guide-like book into seven chapters. Each begins with a "preparation" (a Gospel reading) and a brief prayer; proceeds to a discussion of the reading, how it fits in the gospel context, and the similarities one may find in one's own life and reading; and concludes with study questions and thoughts on "digging deeper." Among the figures considered are a Samaritan woman (John 4:1-42), a crippled woman whom Jesus heals on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10-17), a widow who makes an offering (Mark 12:35-44), and a sinful woman whom Jesus anoints (Luke 7:36-50). The writing is clear and thoroughly thought out and the subject well worth considering. The book's only flaw is its omission of one very desperate woman indeed: the woman taken in adultery (John 8:3-11) and on the verge of execution by stoning. This omission looms large, for this reading is central to any understanding of Jesus's views on law and society. Recommended with reservation for all libraries, especially those with substantial collections on spirituality.-James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.