Beyond Belief

June 15, 2013

Freelance writers Ostman (Second Wind: One Woman's Midlife Quest To Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents) and Tive edit a collection of narratives by women practicing in various religions, from Islam to Mormonism, Catholicism, and various forms of Protestantism. In other words, the title may be misleading. These women are not writing of fringe sects or radical separatist faiths. Some were born and moved more deeply into their faith; others write of working their way through doubt to conversion to another spiritual practice. In "The Imperceptible Head Shake," Julia Sheeres describes how she began to doubt Christianity at age 13 after reading a passage in the Bible that sought to quiet women and allow men the ultimate authority. Huda Al-Marashi's "Beaten by Devotion" depicts a ritual for Muslim women that she at first approached with apprehension but that ultimately strengthened her religious faith. Mormon Caitlin Constantine's "Baptizing the Annas" details her thoughts as she went through a ritual in which she was baptized in the names of a dozen women named Anna from the 1600s so that they could receive their salvation. VERDICT These personal accounts of faith and doubt are distinct from such memoirs of escape as Lauren Drain's Banished: Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church, with Lisa Pulitzer. These are fascinating stories mostly from within the major faiths. Recommended for those who enjoy spiritual memoirs of seekers and practitioners within various devotions.--Annette Haldeman, Legislative Svcs. Lib., Maryland General Assembly, Annapolis

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