White Fire: A Portrait of Women Spiritual Leaders in America
For White Fire: A Portrait of Women Spiritual Leaders in America, Malka Drucker interviewed 31 female rabbis, ministers, authors, gurus and teachers from all over the United States (though, not surprisingly, nearly half were from California). Included are interviews with Goddess worshipper Starhawk, Princeton professor Elaine Pagels, Hindu saint Ammachi, ashram leader Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati (born Joyce Green in Brooklyn) and the mother-daughter team of Helen and Rebecca Cohen, both Unitarian Universalist ministers. The thrust of this book is definitely toward the left end of the religious spectrum, with almost all of the interviewees reflecting commitments to feminism, tolerance and interfaith understanding. Drucker's writing can be intrusive, as she tends to insert too much of herself and her unnecessary commentary into each interview. Still, the subjects are interesting, and Gay Block's arresting photographs of each leader are memorable.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.