Helpmates, Harlots, and Heroes, Second Edition: Women's Stories in the Hebrew Bible

"Feminism" and its sister philosophy "womanism" are the main subjects of this new book by Alice Bellis. Not so oddly, it is an excellent critique of the problems that faced women of yesteryear. Better yet, it addresses the adjustments, both good and bad, that challenged women in the early days of seeking for equal rights and the challenges facing women tomorrow as they now find a world that has embraced many, but not all of the indictments that feminism avowed. It is these adjustments that the author speaks of in her piercing analysis of the woman's movement.

This book was invaluable as a guide and resource for conducting the Women in the Bible Study group I'm currently leading. While somewhat academic, it provides various opinions and indepth information on the Women in the Hebrew Bible. I am indebted to Alice Ogden Bellis' fine work and applaud her effort to reclaim what we can about our foremothers. The bibliography is an additional treasure!

This book offers a comprehensive look at various modern interpretations of familiar biblical stories about women in the Old Testament. The distinguished author provides a helpful orientation to the diverstiy of methods of feminist interpretations applied to each biblical story. These interpretations directly oppose many of the standard explanation of these stories, so the insights gained by the reader are many and fresh. The book is excellent for lay readers wanting a feminist approach to the biblical stories of the Old Testament and for college and seminary students who need scholarly details. The book uses a balanced mix of a conversational style and scholarly methods to make it equally accessible to students, teachers, and general readers. I highly recommend it