alyssathinkstoomuch's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
4.5
countingstarsbycandlelight's review against another edition
3.0
Scary stuff. I'm only more disturbed by the fact that many people don't know about this movement.
jbryson's review against another edition
1.0
Misleading Title
I was expecting a focus on the movement in the title. It is more a feminist attack on conservative Christians. It feels more like a war between combatants than an exposition of the Quiverfull movement.
I was expecting a focus on the movement in the title. It is more a feminist attack on conservative Christians. It feels more like a war between combatants than an exposition of the Quiverfull movement.
eishe's review against another edition
4.0
I (a proponent of at least entertaining the idea of some form of human population control or at least mindfulness when it comes to having children) was recommended this book by an internet stranger to better understand why some Christian denominations choose to have what exceeds the modern definition of a traditionally large family.
It's good investigative work without a lot of bias and it covers a broad spectrum of case studies, ranging from very extreme ones reminiscent of ideas discussed in [b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale|Margaret Atwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498057733s/38447.jpg|1119185], to one that left me thinking "This isn't necessarily bad". Not a lot of personal analysis though, which left me drawing a lot of my own conclusions.
The emphasis on the justifications behind the Quiverfull (basically having as many children as biologically possible) part of the movement were only partial - it also concentrated a lot of the expected and real role of a woman in fundamental churches in the United States. In a way it has served as a reminder about why I have the egalitarian stances I do and enforced my belief, that while adults should have complete religious freedom, children should not be indoctrinated and religious beliefs should not be the grounds for discrimination and limiting our freedoms.
While I felt reasonably distanced as a European, I have to admit that one case study hit way too close to home - Poland's demographic policies were discussed in detail and surprisingly a Latvian legislator was mentioned.
It's good investigative work without a lot of bias and it covers a broad spectrum of case studies, ranging from very extreme ones reminiscent of ideas discussed in [b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale|Margaret Atwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498057733s/38447.jpg|1119185], to one that left me thinking "This isn't necessarily bad". Not a lot of personal analysis though, which left me drawing a lot of my own conclusions.
The emphasis on the justifications behind the Quiverfull (basically having as many children as biologically possible) part of the movement were only partial - it also concentrated a lot of the expected and real role of a woman in fundamental churches in the United States. In a way it has served as a reminder about why I have the egalitarian stances I do and enforced my belief, that while adults should have complete religious freedom, children should not be indoctrinated and religious beliefs should not be the grounds for discrimination and limiting our freedoms.
While I felt reasonably distanced as a European, I have to admit that one case study hit way too close to home - Poland's demographic policies were discussed in detail and surprisingly a Latvian legislator was mentioned.
kellylynnthomas's review against another edition
5.0
The contents of this book are pretty terrifying. The jacket copy promises to take you inside the Christian patriarchy movement, and Kathryn Joyce definitely delivers. She attends retreats with Quiverfull women, goes to conventions and gatherings, and talks to a ton of people in and out of the movement.
Quiverfull people generally have large families so that they can raise up an army for their god. They believe men are in charge and women should be submissive and attend to their husbands' every sexual need, all the time, without hesitation or question. Joyce explores the whys and wherefores, and the connections between Quiverfull and the home school movement, and dishes on all the big names. Fascinating, horrifying, informative stuff.
Quiverfull people generally have large families so that they can raise up an army for their god. They believe men are in charge and women should be submissive and attend to their husbands' every sexual need, all the time, without hesitation or question. Joyce explores the whys and wherefores, and the connections between Quiverfull and the home school movement, and dishes on all the big names. Fascinating, horrifying, informative stuff.
ket's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Required reading for patriarchy studies
allymckill's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure I "enjoyed" this book...it was a creepy, disturbing, but intriguing look into the Christian Patriarchy movement, in which women must submit to their husbands and fathers, and commit to having as many children as "God gives them." The author delves into many facets of the movement, from its leading personalities, to everyday life, to the terrible difficulties women have in trying to extricate themselves from this lifestyle. While it's clear from infrequent comments that the author doesn't agree with this lifestyle (she mentioned incidents of her subjects trying to "save" her), for the most part the information is presented in a straightforward, dispassionate manner, allowing the reader to come to her own conclusions. As a woman, my conclusion is that this movement is terrifying.