Forgotten Women of God: Whom the Men Left Out of the Bible

by Diana Webb

Have you ever wondered why there aren t more stories about women in the Bible? Or why there aren t more details about the women who are included? Forgotten Women of God offers a fascinating and detailed analysis of ancient women who were left out of the Bible. This new book by Diana Webb pairs captivating accounts of faithful women from ancient texts with modern research to offer insightful, informative glances into the lives of the women who, until now, have largely been ignored. Explore the little-known details behind the inspiring tales of Susanna, Judith, Aseneth, Hagar, Tamar, and others to gain a greater understanding of the powerful influence that these holy women have had on the history of mankind.

Genres: Lds, Religion, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Colette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but I have no idea who the audience is supposed to be. It's definitely not scholarly enough to be academic, and it's not really for the general masses, either. Without my having read the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, it seems that Webb has basically summarized stories from it. There is very little commentary of her own, or really from other experts, either. I would have liked to have seen more conversation about each woman in addition to her basic story.

That being said, I probably still would have finished the book had it not been for tangents that really had nothing to do with the woman the chapter was covering (such as a lengthy analysis of Samson), as well as the gratingly unsophisticated asides from the author (such as saying "some girls have all the luck" when speaking of Joseph's wife who was born beautiful and then was blessed with another gift of beauty). This leads me back to, for whom was this book intended?

[Shirley Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It brought new insights into women of the Bible and was quite informative. I liked the author's personal comments throughout the book. My favorite Forgotten Woman was Hagar. Her story is so strong and compelling. I want to be like her when I grow up. Thank you Diana for being such a great "ezer" yourself and setting the example for many of us to follow.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with Colette that this is not a Scholarly book. She is summarizing stories of the women mentioned in both the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha. I do think her intent is to bring these unfamiliar stories into the homes of people who already love the stories of the Bible and who would appreciate knowing more about these women. During the first few chapters, I really did not know what to think about her writing style. I would be good with just a summary, and let the reader come to their own conclusion. I was not real comfortable with her commentary. I am not sure if she was trying to be funny or sarcastic with her comments. Towards the middle of the book I was able to ignore her infrequent comments and focus on the spirit of the book.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Learning more about Women from the Old Testament days that either you never heard about or who were misunderstood. I enjoy Diana's humor in presenting the story. I especially enjoyed knowing more about Tamar, and how important it is to really understand the customs of the day before you can judge another person's actions. I recommend this to everyone, especially those who love learning.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The stories of these women are interesting, especially the ones that aren't included in the King James Bible. But I feel like I could have looked up their names on Wikipedia and been more interested. There is nothing special about the writing nor the conclusions drawn in the book and I did a lot of skipping over.

[Becky]

I just saw this at Costco...written by an LDS mother who did her Masters in ancient near-eastern studies at BYU while her children were in school...it appears that the book tells the stories of little known Bible women like Hagar and a bunch of other names I didn't even recognize!!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO Wonderful! One of my favorite books on women in the scriptures.

[Christina]

Lost it in move! maybe I will find and finish later.