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Godstruck: Seven Women's Unexpected Journeys to Religious Conversion
A candid, thought-provoking exploration of contemporary women’s experiences of religious conversion and the relationship between faith and fulfillment in our time
In recent decades, Americans have become less likely to identify with any organized religion. Yet 70 percent of U.S. adults describe themselves as spiritual in some way or say that spirituality is very important in their lives. In an era marked by atomization, polarization, and rapid change, the enduring questions of how to find community and purpose and live a meaningful life haven’t gone away—they’ve become more urgent and crucial.
In Godstruck, Kelsey Osgood profiles seven young women from various backgrounds—some raised firmly atheist, others agnostic or religious—charting independent paths into organized religion in adulthood and wrestling with the complexities of their choices. From Angela, a data-driven science writer who finds herself undeniably drawn to Quaker meetings, to Hana, whose conversion to Islam leads her halfway around the world, to Christina, whose Amish faith transforms her relationship to modernity, these women’s unexpected revelations introduce them to new and sometimes radically different ways of living. Along the way, Osgood charts a fascinating course through a wide range of cultural, historical, and psychological references—from Saint Augustine, Simone Weil, and Tolstoy to desert hermits, Alcoholics Anonymous, and contemporary feminism—to explore some of our various attempts to understand and cope with the human condition.
Driven by a profound curiosity and anchored by intimate reporting and Osgood’s own transformative conversion experience, Godstruck is a provocative, insightful, and refreshingly nuanced exploration of both the joys and the challenges of faith that reveals what these seekers can teach us about modern life and our own search for meaning.
In recent decades, Americans have become less likely to identify with any organized religion. Yet 70 percent of U.S. adults describe themselves as spiritual in some way or say that spirituality is very important in their lives. In an era marked by atomization, polarization, and rapid change, the enduring questions of how to find community and purpose and live a meaningful life haven’t gone away—they’ve become more urgent and crucial.
In Godstruck, Kelsey Osgood profiles seven young women from various backgrounds—some raised firmly atheist, others agnostic or religious—charting independent paths into organized religion in adulthood and wrestling with the complexities of their choices. From Angela, a data-driven science writer who finds herself undeniably drawn to Quaker meetings, to Hana, whose conversion to Islam leads her halfway around the world, to Christina, whose Amish faith transforms her relationship to modernity, these women’s unexpected revelations introduce them to new and sometimes radically different ways of living. Along the way, Osgood charts a fascinating course through a wide range of cultural, historical, and psychological references—from Saint Augustine, Simone Weil, and Tolstoy to desert hermits, Alcoholics Anonymous, and contemporary feminism—to explore some of our various attempts to understand and cope with the human condition.
Driven by a profound curiosity and anchored by intimate reporting and Osgood’s own transformative conversion experience, Godstruck is a provocative, insightful, and refreshingly nuanced exploration of both the joys and the challenges of faith that reveals what these seekers can teach us about modern life and our own search for meaning.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published April 8, 2025
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2029 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 22, 2025
The title is misleading. While it is about 7 women and their individual journeys to various religious beliefs, it is at least 1/3 Osgood's own story and 1/3 explorations of various religious themes. At the beginning, it felt slightly self-obsessed because the triple focus was unexpected and including all three in each chapter was a bit much.
Some of the tone was a bit skeptical---and this hit me before she covered my faith. Perhaps this is because the people and relationships were sought out specifically because they fit a mold, instead of friends first, book later.
All that being said, I really enjoyed a lot of it. I enjoyed the foray into Tolstoy's life, I enjoyed getting to know the girls(and was disappointed there wasn't more). And I thought a lot of her essays, particularly on women and feminism were quite good. We can't do it all. And I say that as someone who works remotely 20 hours a week. Does it feel fulfilling? Yes. But is it absolutely draining on the days when you have to tack on laundry(with a broken washer), sickness, food, medical appointments, errands, shopping, and school? And all on 3 hours of sleep because one of your kids didn't sleep well the night before? 100%. Especially when your husband has deadlines to meet and it's just you and the kids until bedtime.
Anyway, I'd give it 3.5 stars. Rounded up because the end was pretty solid.
Some of the tone was a bit skeptical---and this hit me before she covered my faith. Perhaps this is because the people and relationships were sought out specifically because they fit a mold, instead of friends first, book later.
All that being said, I really enjoyed a lot of it. I enjoyed the foray into Tolstoy's life, I enjoyed getting to know the girls(and was disappointed there wasn't more). And I thought a lot of her essays, particularly on women and feminism were quite good. We can't do it all. And I say that as someone who works remotely 20 hours a week. Does it feel fulfilling? Yes. But is it absolutely draining on the days when you have to tack on laundry(with a broken washer), sickness, food, medical appointments, errands, shopping, and school? And all on 3 hours of sleep because one of your kids didn't sleep well the night before? 100%. Especially when your husband has deadlines to meet and it's just you and the kids until bedtime.
Anyway, I'd give it 3.5 stars. Rounded up because the end was pretty solid.
April 16, 2025
this was fascinating. I love learning. some sections felt a bit more fleshed out than others (couldn’t help but feel that Osgood could not care less about Catholicism) but the whole thing was super compelling and weirdly quite fun! and as someone who routinely gets told they buy clothes that make them look like they’re in a cult I’m glad to hear that dressing modestly is in.
May 14, 2025
I enjoyed Hana's story most, but was baffled by the way the author kept interrupting the flow of each woman's story by segueing into her experiences as a Jewish convert. I had to go back several pages to make sure I wasn't in a new chapter - staying on topic for each religion would have made the story much more cohesive and easier to follow. It feels like a disjointed mess, constantly switching back and forth.
August 11, 2025
I only read the parts of the book discussing a woman living in San Diego who converted to Islam and lived in Saudi Arabia, the nun from Toronto who spent time in my hometown of St. Louis, and a woman who converts to Judaism. I admit, I don't find Protestants and (or Eastern religions) that interesting. However, the most enlightening parts of this book to me are when Kelsey Osgood talks about her own Orthodox conversion to Judaism, experiences, and religious teachings. The chapter on the Muslim convert had some interesting parts such as some converts, usually white females of a progressive orientation, seeking a sexy or marginalized identity to cosplay; but the chapter could've used some more insight.
June 17, 2025
I thought this was lovely. Osgood, a convert to Judaism, sets out to write a book exploring seven different woman's stories of conversions to different religious Traditions. Glancing at the written version, I will say that listening to the audio loses some of the distinctivness that is necessary for tracking between the three-fold focus of the book's structure. Because we are jumping between Osgood's own story, the story of the seven women, and broader more objective observations, the singular voice of the audio isn't always helpful. Having those visible markers to track between the three different POV's I think would have worked better.
However, the structure is very much in the mold of a storytelling approach, which was a good fit for the audio version. So a bit of give and take. In any case, the most interesting part of the book was the way it helps capture what are very different paths to very similar places. It helps to show how similar questions shape very different circumstances, anchoring the spiritual quest in a clear universal longing.
However, the structure is very much in the mold of a storytelling approach, which was a good fit for the audio version. So a bit of give and take. In any case, the most interesting part of the book was the way it helps capture what are very different paths to very similar places. It helps to show how similar questions shape very different circumstances, anchoring the spiritual quest in a clear universal longing.
June 8, 2025
I found this book really interesting. I am religious so it was very interesting to hear about these modern women who felt the pull to a religion they did not grow up with. I especially appreciated hearing about the author’s personal journey to embracing Judaism. Excellent audiobook narrated by the author.
August 30, 2025
I was unimpressed by this book, though I went in expecting to be uplifted and awed. She spent no time on being “Godstruck” - the reality of *calling* and *obedience* and all of her time on explaining the life stories of seven women - personal experience is fine, but not what was advertised. I was also irritated by how frequently she stopped telling the stories of unusual and really fascinating women to continue part of her own story, even though the seventh woman was herself and there was ample room to tell her own story.
June 10, 2025
Deeply researched and expansive across religious experiences. Rated 3.5 overall some technical parts that dragged. Overall the author has a lot of insight from her personal journey which she also weaves into other stories, might have worked better if she kept each chapter more biographical and saved her story for the chapter she writes of her own chapter at the end.
Not a light read but thoughtful and deep and inspiring.
Not a light read but thoughtful and deep and inspiring.
September 29, 2025
I was fascinated by these women's journeys into faith. The writer was largely informed by her own conversion into Judaism, but her insights and research seemed pretty thorough. That most of the religions found were Christian seems pretty consistent with the religious bearings of our country. I appreciated that the chapter titles gave a good outline to the book:
1. Angela, to the inner light of Quakerism
2. Sara, to the ecstatic healing of Evangelicalism
3. Kate, to the overpowering revelation of Mormonism
4. Hana, to the collective embrace of Islam
5. Christina, to the pastoral restraint of the Amish
6. Orianne, to the expansive silence of Catholicism
7. Kelsey, to the divine femininity of Judaism.
I learned about each religion in a more intimate way than a dispassionate study, or even a devotional delving would have given me. I value education and individual development highly, and I think the spiritual side of development and growth is often overlooked in today's guidance for women in general.
A quote that appealed to me was this one, from the Hungarian rebbetzin (not sure what that is) Esther Jungreis, found on p. 274 in the hardbound book:
"[T]o those feminist friends who mock this 'slave mentality' I ask: Is caring for children slavery? Is hassling in the world of business freedom?. . . The American emphasis on separatism, independence, and individuality [has resulted in] the new folk hero, the 'anti-mother,' a product of Pavlovian conditioning, doomed to existential angst.... College graduates are conditioned to equate achievement with financial remuneration, and therefore motherhood, which is a non-salaried position can accord one no status [sic]. The young housewife is led to believe that motherhood stifles all creative instincts and dooms one to bovine passivity."
There was much for me to learn and to ponder about in this book.
1. Angela, to the inner light of Quakerism
2. Sara, to the ecstatic healing of Evangelicalism
3. Kate, to the overpowering revelation of Mormonism
4. Hana, to the collective embrace of Islam
5. Christina, to the pastoral restraint of the Amish
6. Orianne, to the expansive silence of Catholicism
7. Kelsey, to the divine femininity of Judaism.
I learned about each religion in a more intimate way than a dispassionate study, or even a devotional delving would have given me. I value education and individual development highly, and I think the spiritual side of development and growth is often overlooked in today's guidance for women in general.
A quote that appealed to me was this one, from the Hungarian rebbetzin (not sure what that is) Esther Jungreis, found on p. 274 in the hardbound book:
"[T]o those feminist friends who mock this 'slave mentality' I ask: Is caring for children slavery? Is hassling in the world of business freedom?. . . The American emphasis on separatism, independence, and individuality [has resulted in] the new folk hero, the 'anti-mother,' a product of Pavlovian conditioning, doomed to existential angst.... College graduates are conditioned to equate achievement with financial remuneration, and therefore motherhood, which is a non-salaried position can accord one no status [sic]. The young housewife is led to believe that motherhood stifles all creative instincts and dooms one to bovine passivity."
There was much for me to learn and to ponder about in this book.
June 17, 2025
Blurb is wrong… but, OK book nevertheless.
This book is not what the blurb says. It says we’re going to get seven women’s conversion stories. There’s seven chapters. You’d figure one chapter per woman. But, most of the text is memoir from the author, Kelsey. She’s a converted Jew. She does tell the stories of the other six girls, but, she uses each one to launch into topics, which she then writes about herself. So, the book is probably 70% memoir of the author and 30% stories of the other girls.
The book is still pretty good though. I liked her memoir essays. She takes a very modern view of religious devotion. I don’t think there’s anything in the book of fundamentalist ideas: there are no supernatural beings who are doing these women favors. There’s no miracles. Nobody is praying away cancer. I’m not even sure any of these women believe in heaven. Rather, It’s a book about the life of ritual, tradition, and devotion, deliberately turning one’s self over to a program of living (that’s not prescribed by five corporations).
This book is not what the blurb says. It says we’re going to get seven women’s conversion stories. There’s seven chapters. You’d figure one chapter per woman. But, most of the text is memoir from the author, Kelsey. She’s a converted Jew. She does tell the stories of the other six girls, but, she uses each one to launch into topics, which she then writes about herself. So, the book is probably 70% memoir of the author and 30% stories of the other girls.
The book is still pretty good though. I liked her memoir essays. She takes a very modern view of religious devotion. I don’t think there’s anything in the book of fundamentalist ideas: there are no supernatural beings who are doing these women favors. There’s no miracles. Nobody is praying away cancer. I’m not even sure any of these women believe in heaven. Rather, It’s a book about the life of ritual, tradition, and devotion, deliberately turning one’s self over to a program of living (that’s not prescribed by five corporations).
April 21, 2025
I found GODSTRUCK totally absorbing. Kelsey Osgood tells the story of religious conversion through the eyes of seven women, each of whom chose to join traditionalist—sometimes even stringent—religious communities. In an age of hyper-secularism and endless personal freedom, she asks a fascinating question: why would anyone, especially women, choose the rigidity of religious life?
She’s not just telling their stories; she’s asking the deeper, sometimes existential questions too—about life's meaning, personal agency, and the strange modern freedom to choose constraint. The book is smart, layered, and incredibly thoughtful, while managing to remain grounded and not didactic.
It’s rare to read a book that speaks so honestly across lines—religious, secular, whatever—and still feels this personal. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.
She’s not just telling their stories; she’s asking the deeper, sometimes existential questions too—about life's meaning, personal agency, and the strange modern freedom to choose constraint. The book is smart, layered, and incredibly thoughtful, while managing to remain grounded and not didactic.
It’s rare to read a book that speaks so honestly across lines—religious, secular, whatever—and still feels this personal. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.
February 12, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
OK, this one is hard to rate for me. I enjoyed most of the book. I felt like I learned a lot about religious experience and why people might make the choices they do. I liked all the six stories of the other women who joined a religion, and I liked the chapter about the author's religious experience as well. The only problem I had was the very long segments of the chapters about the other women that the author wrote extensively about herself and digressed off into some very murky and hard to read philosophical bits. It really broke up the flow of the womens' stories and made them harder to read, for myself personally. I wanted more info on the women in those chapters, and less digression.
OK, this one is hard to rate for me. I enjoyed most of the book. I felt like I learned a lot about religious experience and why people might make the choices they do. I liked all the six stories of the other women who joined a religion, and I liked the chapter about the author's religious experience as well. The only problem I had was the very long segments of the chapters about the other women that the author wrote extensively about herself and digressed off into some very murky and hard to read philosophical bits. It really broke up the flow of the womens' stories and made them harder to read, for myself personally. I wanted more info on the women in those chapters, and less digression.
August 30, 2025
I enjoy religion and stories of personal religious experience — I'm not a skeptic, and these women have interesting stories.
There were two flaws for me:
1) With only 7 profiles (one being the author) and 5 of them being branches of Christianity, it felt a little one-dimensional in terms of the range of experience portrayed. The varieties of Christianity were all different (Quaker, Evangelical, LDS, Amish, and Catholic), and I suppose it's inevitable given the religious makeup of the US, but it still felt lacking.
2) Too much of the chapters on the other women end up being about the author's experience, and not necessarily in closely related ways. I won't speculate as to why she did that, but she took over the book a bit.
There were two flaws for me:
1) With only 7 profiles (one being the author) and 5 of them being branches of Christianity, it felt a little one-dimensional in terms of the range of experience portrayed. The varieties of Christianity were all different (Quaker, Evangelical, LDS, Amish, and Catholic), and I suppose it's inevitable given the religious makeup of the US, but it still felt lacking.
2) Too much of the chapters on the other women end up being about the author's experience, and not necessarily in closely related ways. I won't speculate as to why she did that, but she took over the book a bit.
December 12, 2025
The cover material made me think this would be a series of spiritual biographies, and it is HALF that, but it's also a series of essays on how aspects of religious life may be affirming and healing ways to love in the modern age, most often through the lens of the author's autobiography.
For me, this created a conflicting rhythm in the book, where I greatly wished we either could dive deeper with the congressional biographical subjects or we could dive deeper into the thoughts about religious life, but I was actively annoyed by what felt very self serious and narcissistic in the author's constant return to her own experience.
This was a frustrating, interesting read.
For me, this created a conflicting rhythm in the book, where I greatly wished we either could dive deeper with the congressional biographical subjects or we could dive deeper into the thoughts about religious life, but I was actively annoyed by what felt very self serious and narcissistic in the author's constant return to her own experience.
This was a frustrating, interesting read.
August 12, 2025
The seventh woman is Osgood herself, and her story is interwoven with the other six. That is, in the process of telling the other women's stories, she relates their experiences to her own. I'm always fascinated by how people come to religion (I don't think I would have converted to my own religion if I hadn't been raised in it), so I found it all interesting.
April 24, 2025
I was sorry when this book ended. Profound, fascinating, and funny. Osgood's writing vanquishes the gap between those of us who can't imagine really believing and those of us who do, through seven very different profiles. Highly recommend.
June 6, 2025
Liked this book Read just one chapter on woman becoming a nun. Very interesting. But since I was just picking it up now and then, I ran out of time. Library could not renew so I guess others are also curious about it. I will get it again to finish.
July 15, 2025
I’ll admit that I skipped around in this book, but I like the sentiment!
July 20, 2025
Excellent book. I really enjoyed reading about the different conversion stories of each woman. The author tied her experiences with Judaism to each one as well.
September 25, 2025
Appreciated she did a wide-spectrum of religions and was honest about the why’s and how’s of her own conversion.
August 21, 2025
My AudioFile review:
GODSTRUCK
Seven Women's Unexpected Journeys to Religious Conversion
by Kelsey Osgood | Read by Kelsey Osgood
Philosophy & Religion • 11.5 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2025
In a light tone and quick cadence, Kelsey Osgood recounts the stories of seven millennial women who encountered God through different means, faiths, and worship experiences. Chinese American Angela became a Quaker, while Sara, who suffered from the trauma of the Boston Marathon bombing, found healing in evangelicalism. Kate was drawn to the stories and structure of Mormonism. Christina adopted the simple life of the Amish. Hana embraced Islam and moved to Saudi Arabia, while Orianne discerned a religious vocation with the Sisters of Saint Paul. Kelsey herself converted to Orthodox Judaism and weaves her story throughout the other accounts. The author/narrator's tendency to speed-read detracts somewhat from the narration, but the stories are fascinating, especially at a time when organized religions report declining numbers. S.G. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2025]
Trade Ed. • Penguin Audio • 2025
DD ISBN 9780593911723 $20.00
Library Ed. • Books on Tape • 2025
DD ISBN 9780593911730 $76.00
GODSTRUCK
Seven Women's Unexpected Journeys to Religious Conversion
by Kelsey Osgood | Read by Kelsey Osgood
Philosophy & Religion • 11.5 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2025
In a light tone and quick cadence, Kelsey Osgood recounts the stories of seven millennial women who encountered God through different means, faiths, and worship experiences. Chinese American Angela became a Quaker, while Sara, who suffered from the trauma of the Boston Marathon bombing, found healing in evangelicalism. Kate was drawn to the stories and structure of Mormonism. Christina adopted the simple life of the Amish. Hana embraced Islam and moved to Saudi Arabia, while Orianne discerned a religious vocation with the Sisters of Saint Paul. Kelsey herself converted to Orthodox Judaism and weaves her story throughout the other accounts. The author/narrator's tendency to speed-read detracts somewhat from the narration, but the stories are fascinating, especially at a time when organized religions report declining numbers. S.G. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2025]
Trade Ed. • Penguin Audio • 2025
DD ISBN 9780593911723 $20.00
Library Ed. • Books on Tape • 2025
DD ISBN 9780593911730 $76.00
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews