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Apr 03, 2009

Anne rated it:

You might think, given the format of this book (short fictional stories of modern women followed by short character studies of BIble women) that it's a light read or a shallow Bible study with no more depth than the latest novel. But in reality, Liz Curtis Higgs, the author, has studied these Bible women extensively, and her study is evident in the lessons found in this book. The fictional stories add a dimension to the women in the Bible that we thought we knew. The Bible studies offer insights More...

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Oct 22, 2007

Kate T. Bug rated it:

This book was really great and a definite must read for all Christian women. I love how Liz tells a modern story that is similar to the bible story before she discusses the events in the bible. It helped me relate to the women in the bible so that I can understand where they were coming from. It teaches Chrisian women that although we may have backslidden in the past that we are not defined by our misdeeds. Jesus loves us and has washed those sins away. In fact, those sins have made us bett More...

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Nov 19, 2007

Kara rated it:

I'm reading this with my friends and we're doing the study book too. So far...excellent.
The way she re-writes the biblical stories into modern life situations (usually NOT a fan of this) is so helpful. I suddenly relate to all these 'bad' girls. A snake, an apple, not so tempting, but a smooth-talking guy, a kiss....yup. Understanding the wife of an Egyption official in the kings court, ordering around slaves, no, but the bored wife...again yup. I get it. And I'm learning how to see the si More...

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Jun 30, 2011

Kristine rated it:

I was excited to read another Liz Curtis Higgs book. However, I am experiencing trouble in reviewing this book. I like some insights Liz has about bible characters: Potiphar’s Wife, Jezbel, Delilah, Lot’s Wife, the Sinful Woman and the Woman at the well, I learned more about Sapphira and Michah. I guess I saw them as minor female characters and they are not.
I do have some concerns about this book. Yes Higgs admits that she is not a bible scholar and it does show in her writing. I find some More...

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Apr 22, 2011

Lydia rated it:

The Bad Girls of The Bible And What We Can Learn From Them by Liz Curtis Higgs is a wonderful devotional, and the title says it all. The book takes an in-depth look at ten of the Bible’s women; Eve, Potifar’s Wife, Lot’s wife, the woman at the well, Delilah, Sapphira, Rahab, Jezebel, Michal, and the sinful woman, separating them into the categories Bad to the Bone, Bad for a Moment, and Bad for a Season, but Not Forever. Each chapter discusses a different woman, opening with a fictional story se More...

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Aug 08, 2010

Angela rated it:

I remember picking this up at the grocery store -- I think it was the cover, intrigued me.

In any case -- I am NOT a Christian, not even close, however, with that stated, here are my thoughts on this excellent book:

She has the chapters (a prologue, a chapter devoted to each "Bad Girl", and an epilogue) separated into the fiction story -- the Bible's version (with amusing comments ala Elvira or perhaps Mystery Science Theater provided by her) -- the lessons learne More...

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Jun 30, 2010

Laura rated it:

In Bad Girls of the Bible, Curtis Higgs makes the case that often the “bad girls” of the bible are easier to relate too than the good girls (such as Mary). She then presents different bad girls from both the Old and New Testaments. Each story is first told as a modern day story, then a discussion of the Biblical context, and then lessons that can be learned from each story. While the modern story sometimes allowed one to really understand the story in terms of today (such as Lot’s Wife and th More...

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Jul 26, 2010

Donna rated it:

In her first book on “Bad Girls of the Bible,” Liz Curtis Higgs encourages her readers to take a new look at these women who had a problem with sin. It may have been for a moment, for a season, or they may have been “bad to the bone,” but each has something to teach us. As each chapter opens, Ms. Higgs gives us a real time story based on the life of the woman she is discussing before introducing us to her. Tying the past to the present, each story shows how Satan continues to tempt in the same m More...

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Apr 19, 2010

Lisa rated it:

I really enjoyed this book, as it made several Bible characters really come alive for me. Often it's hard for me to picture Bible characters as real, and to imagine what their lives were like and why they made the decisions that they made. This is especially true for Bible characters who make "cameo" appearances in the Bible, and have their story told in just a few verses.

The author does a wonderful job making these people more real, and the lessons they can teach us more More...

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Sep 02, 2010

Kayce rated it:

Talk about an entertaining read! Liz Curtis Higgs is a laugh out loud author. She will keep your interest on every single page of this book while you learn from other Bad Girls’ mistakes. Written without a “holier than thou” attitude, Higgs will be the first one to admit she is a former Bad Girl herself. But God’s grace is enough for anybody!

At the beginning of each chapter, Higgs writes a fictional story similar to the biblical one. I thought this was a very creative way to get the More...

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May 21, 2010

Kate rated it:

This is a fantastic book that talks about women in the Bible who are portrayed as "bad girls" - think Eve (the first bad girl, who just had to take a bite of that darn fruit!), Potiphar's wife, Jezebel, etc.

The author starts each chapter with a fictional story which is meant to illustrate, in a more modern and relatable fashion, each woman's sin. If you're familiar with the Bible, you'll probably catch on to who she's talking about before the end of each story. Then she More...

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Sep 16, 2011

Lyndi rated it:

I like her non fiction better than the 1 fiction of hers that I tried. Funny that a couples Bible study my husband & I are doing have some of the same characters, basically examples on who NOT to base your relationships on! A few of the ones in this I wondered why she called bad girls, a few should be worst of the worst! Author hints at her life prior to her conversion, and I do want to hear her testimony now. And in authors defense, the 1 fiction book that I tried, it is mostly the Scottish More...

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Sep 22, 2011

Claire rated it:

I tried to stick with this... I really did. In fact, I made it to about page 200 before I gave up.

I think there are definitely people this book will appeal to, but I guess I'm not one of them. The contemporary retellings of biblical stories seemed to be reaching a lot to make the connection between the two worlds. In addition, while the author says she used many different commentaries and did lots of research, it's pretty obvious she picked and chose which to use by picking sources th More...

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May 26, 2011

Charity rated it:

Wow, this book was absolutely amazing! I highly recommend it to any young lady. I think it could be used as a devotional. Each chapter (there were 10) begins with the story written in modern times. Usually it's still quite recognizable and you'll guess who each woman is. Then Liz follows it with the story from the Bible. She goes through it verse by verse, explaining each one in a very interesting and entertaining manner. I think I learned a lot!

I'm so glad that our library also has More...

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Jul 09, 2011

Eve rated it:

Even though this book, for some reasons, was shelved with the Jewish biblical commentaries, this is a book FOR Christian women. I did read her take on the various Old Testament women in the book (skipping over the New Testament characters) and I found them good for a short read. I am sure she does well with her intended audience, and I did find myself curious enough about some of the characters in her stories to look them up on my own. However, I probably should have left this one on the shelf. More...

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Aug 19, 2008

Teresa rated it:

Great book. Brings the stories of the bible to life. Would definitely read other things by this author.

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Aug 06, 2011

Nikole rated it:

This book reminds me of those soft centered chocolates where you get a pleasant surprise after you bite into them. It begins like a novel. In fact, each chapter begins with a short story. Each story illustrates a Bad Girl for us to understand in our time and then goes into the good stuff. It’s surprisingly deep.

She (Eve) stopped looking to God for the truth. She stopped looking to her husband for shared counsel. She stopped looking at the good, wholesome fruit already available to More...

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Aug 11, 2011

Lisa rated it:

I've read many scholary studies of Biblical women, and I perhaps thought this would be too light in comparison. Well, it is funny, direct, and conversational, but that doesn't mean that Liz doesn't point out important lessons from the lives of these women. I found it very readable and thought-provoking, especially the "What Lessons Can We Learn?" at the end of each chapter. Each section also begins with a contemporary story (unusual) and ends with questions, so it's much more meaty More...

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Mar 15, 2010

Jeanette rated it:

i picked this up for $1 at half price books because the title interested me and it looked like something i would like. not so much. i think it's awesome how she takes biblical stories and makes them contemporary. and that's where what i like ends. she's anti-gay, pro husband before wife and she is extremely judgemental and harsh towards the women she chooses. if i would have known it was a bible study book i wouldn't have picked it up. and the whole anti gay, marriage is for a man and woman, yo More...

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Jul 23, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

With very captivating fictional telling of the Biblical stories involving ten women, Liz brings these ten women alive in our contemporary times. She also writes with a sense of humor and biblical commentary about the actual text, helping readers identify and learn more about these women. There are discussion questions at the end of each chapter to help us reflect over these stories. My favorite stories were about Eve, Delilah, Rahab, Michal, and the Sinful Woman. There are also stories about Pot More...

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Dec 20, 2011

Amanda rated it:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Liz Curtis Higgs. I have been to a conference where she spoke, I met her personally, have watched her videos and read her books. She has an easy-going, fun-loving way about her. She is not ashamed to talk about her past in relation to her present, she is witty, funny, and instantly likable. That quality definitely comes through in her books. I really like reading her stories of "real women" scenarios and trying to discern for myself which Bible story it is referring to More...

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Sep 13, 2011

Laura rated it:

Liz's fiction is so well written and ties so closely to the predicaments encountered by the women of the Bible. Her historical accounts are well researched, and the location and characters of her fiction are so appropriate. She was excellent at presenting believable situations, and you couldn't help but relate to her followup thoughts and lessons for discussion. The book is an easy read. Don't overlook the "Chat with Liz" at the end.

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Feb 07, 2009

Lori rated it:

We were looking for a light study last summer, however we stopped this study mid-book. It was light, and parts of it were interesting, but not enough to keep going on. We didn't care for the format- the study guide that goes along with it is really repetetive. I might suggest this book for a light read if you don't know a lot of the stories in the Bible (ie Potiphar's wife, the woman at the well, etc.)

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Jan 12, 2009

Stephanie rated it:

Wow, what a great book. I never knew these stories or these "bad girls" existed. It was a great way to get me into the Bible. I'm surprised at how the women of biblical times were treated. I loved how the author set up each chapter or bad girl with a modern day situation. Isn't it wonderful to know the grace of God? Would love to read Really Bad Girls of the Bible

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Jan 29, 2012

Jennifer rated it:

Great book! I enjoyed how she wrote a modern version of the story to start each chapter and then went through the actual story in the Bible verse by verse to talk about it, teach you about it and help you learn from it. Quick read and made a lot of great points and made me think about these women from the Bible much more deeply.

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Jun 13, 2011

Julie rated it:

This book was a great idea- creating contemporary stories to parallel Biblical bad girls stories. But that's where the good ideas end. The author is clearly anti-gay and seems to be a reformed lesbian herself. When she's not calling the kettle black, she's preaching to me about how I should be putting my man before me. And she keeps calling me girlfriend and sister. I couldn't even finish this crap. I was really looking forward to a contemporary Christian read, but this was not it.

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Apr 08, 2010

Tara rated it:

I really enjoyed this book, I liked the writers style and the way she spun a similar story in modern times. It was interesting to learn the stories behind these famous women that I had heard of but didn't know the actual reasons why they were who they were or why they did what they did.

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Jun 12, 2010

Amy rated it:

Did this in Bible Study and wasn't too impressed. The author's questions for each chapter were repetitive and sometimes seemed far-fetched. An easy read, possibly beneficial for those less familiar with different Bible stories, but I wouldn't really recommend it for a group study.

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Jan 27, 2012

Barbara rated it:

We really can learn from these wild women in the bible. Eve acted without the facts and added her own interpretation to God's word and we know what happened from there. She is just the first of a list of wild women found in the pages of God's holy word.

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Jun 12, 2010

Ashley rated it:

Despite the way casual way the lessons are written, I did learn one of the most important life/spiritual lessons of life while reading this book... I won't provide details except to say I have a HUGE salt shaker to remind me every day of this lesson!

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