Rating: 
Summary: Gratifying
Review: I have been following Sue Monk Kidd since those days when she was a contributing writer to Norman Vincent Peale's Guideposts magazine. As another woman who has come to embrace the Divine Feminine, I admire her courage in relating her spiritual journey, especially in giving up those associations through which she had acquired fame and recognition.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a book FOR something, not against anything
Review: I have read this book twice and gotten a lot out of it. I think it's more about becoming a whole person spiritually than attacking a particular faith path. Sue Monk Kidd remains in the Christian tradition, but her book helps expand the understanding of how certain traditions have come to exist. Each time I've read it I've learned more and come to a greater understanding of what I want my own relationship to God to be. The sacred feminine can benefit men as well as women, enabling them both to be whole and spiritual.
Rating:
Summary: Opened my eyes to patriarchy in new ways
Review: I highly recommend this book, which I found after reading Secret Life of Bees and searching for more by this author. It's amazing to me that so many of us can be 50+ years old and yet never have really absorbed how much our patricarchal society affects how we see ourselves and act. I found the early section somewhat difficult to get through, but worthwhile for all the information contained there. Sue's treatment of the subject is more meaningful considering her Christian background and the evident research. Thank you, Sue for having the courage to write this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good start, but left to wonder...
Review: I picked up this book in the library at a Catholic retreat center. Someone must have left it there on purpose because it didn't seem to belong in such a religious atmosphere. The book started out with a lot of promise, kept me reading during the weekend whenever I got a chance, but I was left feeling a little adrift by the end of it. Let down. Like, so then what happened? I'd be very interested to know what she is doing now, besides writing fiction, about her spirituality. She went from Christian writer to goddess worshipper and feminist as far as I can tell. Does her daughter agree with her decision? Has her life really changed for the better now? I'd really be interested in another book about what's happened to her since this book was published. Got me interested in reading goddess material.
Rating:
Summary: Loved every page
Review: I want to meet Sue Monk Kidd and settle in for a cup of tea and a long afternoon of soaking up her feminine wisdom and insight. I buy many such books but rarely make it through them before I get distracted or bored. This one kept my attention to the very last page and I was so sad when it was over. Her honesty, clarity and forthrightness were breathtaking. At times I thought - "Is she allowed to write such things?" because she was so clear and outspoken in naming the truth about living in a patriarchal system. It forced me to see how brainwashed I've been. We need more women like Sue in this world. She makes me want to be one and has helped me get closer and given me something to aim for. Thanks Sue!
Rating: 
Summary: The Dance of the Dissident Daughter
Review: I was excited to read this book because I think of myself as a feminist and I have a strong interest in feminine divinity. Although Ms. Monk has some pertinent information about patriarchy in the Christian church, the balance of the book was a narcistic view of her years spent in therapy, retreats, libraries, and dream analysis, trying to find her feminist self. My view of the feminine divine doesn't include such self-indulgence. My advise to Ms Monk: "Get over it, get a life."
What a lot of drivel.
Rating:
Summary: The Dance of the Dissident Daughter
Review: I was excited to read this book because I think of myself as a feminist and I have a strong interest in feminine divinity. Although Ms. Monk has some pertinent information about patriarchy in the Christian church, the balance of the book was a narcistic view of her years spent in therapy, retreats, libraries, and dream analysis, trying to find her feminist self. My view of the feminine divine doesn't include such self-indulgence. My advise to Ms Monk: "Get over it, get a life."
What a lot of drivel.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely empowering!
Review: I wish I had found this book several years ago. It gave words to the truths I have discovered. Not for those who are only pretending they want spiritual growth. I have read all her work, this is by far the best! I can't say enough for the depth of content of this book. Thank you Sue Monk Kidd.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully thought-provoking
Review: If you are expecting this to be a story about you, you're probably going to be disappointed. This is the story of one woman's feelings, experiences and journeys out of her old ways of thinking and into new ways. Her path is not yours. However, many of our paths cross along the way and there are plenty of things to think about and see from a different angle. This book is a great jumping-off place to start exploring your own life and attitudes, whether patriarchy or religion or finding what's important to you in life. It's a story of courage, of personal expression, of re-thinking things you think you know, of following your true self regardless of what anyone else says. If you're complaining that she's generalizing or excluding you or didn't write what you wanted to see, it's time for you to write your own story, because you're not going to find it in someone else's book.
Rating:
Summary: It will take you home
Review: If you've ever felt that Christianity as you've heard it only told one (very patriarchal) side of the story; Kidd wants you to know that you are not alone. The emotions that this book arouses are so powerful (and sometimes painful) that you may only want to take it in small doses. Whatever your pace, however, I think that you will find the journey worthwhile.One of the hallmarks of feminine spirituality is an emphasis on the personal. Unsurprisingly, then, Kidd takes us on HER journey rather then that of a more abstract and impersonal third person. In connecting Kidd's story to my own, I found a kind of hope and encouragement that can only come from meeting a kindred spirit on a long road. Man or woman, your or old, this book is a must-have. It will challenge you, make you angry, and open up new worlds for you - if you let it.
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