Stories from the Byways of American Women and Religion
Much of the religious discourse in America has been shaped by men, but in And Your Daughters Shall Prophesy author Adrian Shirk chronicles the prophetesses, feminists, and spiritual icons who have shaped this country into what it is today. By weaving in her own spiritual experiences, Shirk creates a powerful, personal exploration of American women and their theologies, ones which are often overlooked.
Laced throughout this hybrid memoir are stories of American religious traditions revised by women, with each woman presenting a pathway for Shirk’s own spiritual inquiries: the New Orleans high priestess Marie Laveau, the pop New Age pioneer Linda Goodman, the prophetic vision of intersectionality as preached by Sojourner Truth, “saint” Flannery O’Connor, and so many more. All of these women have had to find their own ways toward divinity outside prescribed patriarchal orders, and Shirk concludes that more and more Americans are yearning for alternative, individualized, feminist routes through religion. As religious discourse reaches its peak and institutional trust dwindles, women, who have spent so much time at the margins of religious practice, can help to illuminate its darkened corners.
Reviews and endorsements of the publication include:
“This book is a pilgrimage. It takes us across the country, following in the footsteps of women who heard callings, strange knocks on the walls, and the voice of God. These spiritual geniuses shaped America’s path, and were often disregarded as kooks or charlatans by both the religious and secular world. Shirk treats these women with compassion and restores their dignity, while also candidly and with good humor exploring her own religious questions. This is a beautiful book written with great wit and a tremendous intelligence.” —Jessa Crispin, author of The Dead Ladies Project and Why I Am Not a Feminist: A Feminist Manifesto, founder of Bookslut
“And Your Daughters Shall Prophesy is the perfect hybrid of memoir and history. A stunning literary debut that will inspire you to reimagine everything you thought you knew about religion and politics in America. Here, feminism and God, poetic clarity and mental illness, love and spiritual questing, all come together like old friends who’ve missed each other for too long. Adrian Shirk is one of the great millennial thinkers. Read this book and be exhilarated.” —Ariel Gore, author of We Were Witches
“And Your Daughters Shall Prophesy is a powerful, even jubilant, reinterpretation of–and introduction to–female figures from America’s strange spiritual history as well as a tough-minded, open-hearted exploration of family mysteries. Full of righteous fire, and full of grace on the level of the sentence, it’s a passionate act of recovery that will speak to anyone who’s ever been beguiled by the unseen and unsaid.” —Carlene Bauer, author of Not That Kind of Girl and Frances and Bernard
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Fellow travelers are scholars, activists, and practitioners that embody the ideals and commitments of the Project on Lived Theology. We admire their work and are grateful to be walking alongside them in the development and dissemination of Lived Theology.