Nonfiction

The Dance of the Dissident Daughter

The Dance of the Dissident Daughter

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-05 11:58:52
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sue Monk Kidd
  • ISBN：006064589X
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Summary

The acclaimed spiritual memoir from the author of The Secret Life of Bees。

I was amazed to find that I had no idea how to unfold my spiritual life in a feminine way。 I was surprised and， in fact， a little terrified when I found myself in the middle of a feminist spiritual reawakening。

Sue Monk was a "conventionally religious， churchgoing woman， a traditional wife and mother" with a thriving career as a Christian writer until she began to question her role as a woman in her culture， her family， and her church。 From a jarring encounter with sexism in a suburban drugstore to monastery retreats and rituals in the caves of Crete， Kidd takes readers through the fear， anger， healing， and transformation of her awakening。 Retaining a meaningful connection "with the deep song of Christianity，" she opens the door for traditional Christian women to discover a spirituality that speaks directly to them and provides inspiring wisdom for all who struggle to embrace their full humanity。

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Reviews

Courtney ，

I listened to this on audio and it felt like I was listening to myself tell my story。 Thank you， Sue Monk Kidd。 You are a wondrous gift that I only discovered a few months ago。 This book will be one that I come back to again and again。 A big thank you to the narrator Carrington MacDuffie who did a splendid job reading this book。 You are also a gift。Note to self: This is one of my Top Ten Favourite Books。。。

Jacki ，

Loved it！I would recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with place in life and fearful to move forward。 It was amazing to me how many items in this book that I shared a similar experience with the author。

Cate Tedford ，

A beautiful story of breaking free from a conservative， oppressive faith practice to a contagiously liberating way of living and perceiving the Divine。 And that’s what it’s all about， right？！ Setting each other free<3 I hesitate to get behind the idea that “every woman will experience。。。” or “we all must awake from the system of the patriarchy” or any other generalization of the sort because there are so many variables in the world of things which diversely impact the feminine experience， and I A beautiful story of breaking free from a conservative， oppressive faith practice to a contagiously liberating way of living and perceiving the Divine。 And that’s what it’s all about， right？！ Setting each other free<3 I hesitate to get behind the idea that “every woman will experience。。。” or “we all must awake from the system of the patriarchy” or any other generalization of the sort because there are so many variables in the world of things which diversely impact the feminine experience， and I don’t want to invalidate someone else’s idea of a fulfilled life。 From a domestic standpoint， it’s easy to examine the dominant religious power structures and who benefits from them， and I think that’s what SMK was really getting at。 But I absolutely can get behind this dive into ancient traditions of Female Goddesses and the mystical Divine Feminine。 So much respect for SMK。 “For when we stop perceiving， assuming， and theorizing from the top， the dominant view， and instead go to the bottom of the social pyramid and identify with those who are oppressed and disenfranchised， a whole new way of relating opens up。 Until we look from the bottom up we have seen nothing。” 。。。more

Liz Bartels ，

At first I couldn’t relate to her growing awakening to the patriarchy （probably due to our thirty year age difference）， however her research and understanding of feminist divinity really helped me see things I’d overlooked in my own life and spirituality。

Jeanne Mitchell ，

What if all our pronouns to describe the Almighty were female？ What if we felt included in the worship of the divine by recognizing the feminine nature of being？

Karen Shipman ，

A story about the “hidden” patriarchy in religion and the world。 It wasn’t always so。

Teresa ，

Gorgeous！

Amy ，

I wish everyone of every gender would read this。

Amanda ，

I've had this tome on my bookshelf for at least a decade， and so I'm not sure what compelled me to finally start reading it this year （blame the pandemic， perhaps？）。 I was initially attracted to the concept of this book all those years ago because of my personal journey， or more accurately， struggle， with separating myself from the religion of my upbringing。 Like Monk-Kidd， I too had lived the first part of my life with Christian dogma being the axis around which my world revolved。 At some point I've had this tome on my bookshelf for at least a decade， and so I'm not sure what compelled me to finally start reading it this year （blame the pandemic， perhaps？）。 I was initially attracted to the concept of this book all those years ago because of my personal journey， or more accurately， struggle， with separating myself from the religion of my upbringing。 Like Monk-Kidd， I too had lived the first part of my life with Christian dogma being the axis around which my world revolved。 At some point during and after college， I was in an emotional tug-of-war with my intrinsic feelings of justice， fairness and equality among persons no matter their gender， sexuality， or race， and how much of that conflicts with the structural ideologies of American Evangelicalism。 The first part of this book appealed to me a little more than the rest of it for that reason。 I was able to relate to the feelings of internal struggle， then curiosity and awakening that Monk-Kidd went through as she began to embrace her "feminine divinity。" The rest of the book， however， reads like a series of one metaphor after another， after another。 Every painting， rock， turtle and stream of piss has some sort of divine significance for Monk-Kidd to relate to her spiritual journey。 She's also really into Jungian dream analysis， so you get to hear about how things like an old crone appearing in a dream is somehow a symbol of the death of the submissive housewife， or something。 All of the dreams and the symbolic metaphors pile on， becoming insufferable， and reeking of privilege， as if we can all go on spiritual pilgrimages and have our own Jungian analysts。 Not all of us are afforded the opportunity to take all-inclusive goddess seminars in Greece， or go on spiritual retreats at picturesque abbeys in the Ohio countryside。 Certainly there are occasional tidbits of teachable wisdom， but mostly it is just Monk-Kidd sharing her personal story by using a lot of esoteric imagery and analogy。 That's perfectly OK for her to do， but reading it may only appeal to a very small slice of similarly-minded， and similarly-positioned women。 。。。more

Shannon ，

I would read Sue Monk Kidd's grocery list。 Love her！ I would read Sue Monk Kidd's grocery list。 Love her！ 。。。more

Chloe Renee Saldana ，

I found Her， I hear Her call and my heart is aching with love I'm so happy to find this book and awaken to the Absolute Force that I could wholly feel embraced by and connect to with no degree of separation。 This book is a wonderful enlightenment that truly helps women go beyond the systemic oppression and reclaim our feminine souls。 I love it so much。 I already had a few wakeup calls and I can't wait to fully explore my journey。 I found Her， I hear Her call and my heart is aching with love I'm so happy to find this book and awaken to the Absolute Force that I could wholly feel embraced by and connect to with no degree of separation。 This book is a wonderful enlightenment that truly helps women go beyond the systemic oppression and reclaim our feminine souls。 I love it so much。 I already had a few wakeup calls and I can't wait to fully explore my journey。 。。。more

bobbie willard ，

By far， one of my favorite books。。。。。。profound reading for all women。。。

Tessa ，

I've enjoyed several of Kidd's novels， so I wanted to like this book and was hoping it would delve into the Divine Feminine--and maybe it does that later on--but I couldn't get past halfway。 Kidd seems continually amazed that Christianity is patriarchal and confining for women。 I'm already there; I wanted more。 Giving this up and moving on to something else。 I've enjoyed several of Kidd's novels， so I wanted to like this book and was hoping it would delve into the Divine Feminine--and maybe it does that later on--but I couldn't get past halfway。 Kidd seems continually amazed that Christianity is patriarchal and confining for women。 I'm already there; I wanted more。 Giving this up and moving on to something else。 。。。more

Patricia S ，

This is one of my favorite books which I’ve read more than once。 The author and her young adult daughter take a trip together to Greece。 They’re each at a crossroads in their lives and make enlightening discoveries during this adventure-about themselves and their relationship with each other。 I’ve read several of this author’s books。 Each one shares the strength of being a female without any feminism nor superiority towards males。 They’re about the strengths that all women have and the unity we This is one of my favorite books which I’ve read more than once。 The author and her young adult daughter take a trip together to Greece。 They’re each at a crossroads in their lives and make enlightening discoveries during this adventure-about themselves and their relationship with each other。 I’ve read several of this author’s books。 Each one shares the strength of being a female without any feminism nor superiority towards males。 They’re about the strengths that all women have and the unity we feel with each other。 。。。more

Tiffany Mathews ，

I had to take this book slow， to use it to explore myself and pull out the very small， subtle remnants of a belief system I've been unraveling and dismantling for some time now。 Then I considered what these practices would look like in the very real life I am living now。 I don't have the same level of freedom that Sue Monk Kidd has in terms of getting to the middle of the woods or immersing myself in nature。 But I can still move forth with ways of hearing my deepest self。 I had to take this book slow， to use it to explore myself and pull out the very small， subtle remnants of a belief system I've been unraveling and dismantling for some time now。 Then I considered what these practices would look like in the very real life I am living now。 I don't have the same level of freedom that Sue Monk Kidd has in terms of getting to the middle of the woods or immersing myself in nature。 But I can still move forth with ways of hearing my deepest self。 。。。more

Nancy Norton ，

Kidd relates the somewhat tortured and definitely prolonged awakening of her feminine spirit and the incorporation of the feminine divine into masculine-dominated Christianity。 This is the starting point of her very successful career as a writer of fiction。

Can ，

Although this book did not resonate with my own experience， it is indeed inspirational。 Kidd has told her own rebelling or unconventional experience from a traditional Christian woman into a sacred famine。 Once I read this book， I realized how she created some of the other characters in the book of longing （which is an excellent novel）。 And you can feel this book came from her genuine experience。 I would recommend this book to ladies who are seeking to challenge their old self and trying to sear Although this book did not resonate with my own experience， it is indeed inspirational。 Kidd has told her own rebelling or unconventional experience from a traditional Christian woman into a sacred famine。 Once I read this book， I realized how she created some of the other characters in the book of longing （which is an excellent novel）。 And you can feel this book came from her genuine experience。 I would recommend this book to ladies who are seeking to challenge their old self and trying to search for a way out of patriarchal society。 It does not matter you are Christian or not。 There are things you will be inspired from this book。 。。。more

Jodi ，

Put down Untamed and read this instead。 This book has completely altered my view of the divine and validated my own experiences with religious patriarchy。 Although she comes from a different faith tradition， I could relate to many of her experiences giving so much to serve in the church and receiving so little authority or recognition in return。 I enjoyed the depth of research she presents alongside her more hippie experiences， and while I felt that the second half of the book was a little slowe Put down Untamed and read this instead。 This book has completely altered my view of the divine and validated my own experiences with religious patriarchy。 Although she comes from a different faith tradition， I could relate to many of her experiences giving so much to serve in the church and receiving so little authority or recognition in return。 I enjoyed the depth of research she presents alongside her more hippie experiences， and while I felt that the second half of the book was a little slower， it came to a satisfying conclusion for me。 I hope to someday be as empowered and sure of myself as she is。 This is a good one to own because she presents so much research I’m sure I’ll want to reference again。 。。。more

Jacci ，

This book will change your life and blow open your understanding of God。 I've been searching for words and images for the female part of God and there just aren't many ways to find them in the kinds of churches I've been a part of。 Thank you to Sue Monk Kidd to taking me on her journey of deconstruction and reconstruction to a broader， fuller， richer view of God。 A great book for men and women。 Our world needs the divine feminine like never before。 Now the pandemic has cracked us open to look fo This book will change your life and blow open your understanding of God。 I've been searching for words and images for the female part of God and there just aren't many ways to find them in the kinds of churches I've been a part of。 Thank you to Sue Monk Kidd to taking me on her journey of deconstruction and reconstruction to a broader， fuller， richer view of God。 A great book for men and women。 Our world needs the divine feminine like never before。 Now the pandemic has cracked us open to look for it。 Help us lady Wisdom！ 。。。more

James McReynolds ，

I wasn't sure I would like reading this book chosen by our book group。 I found the book interesting and compelling。 I wasn't sure I would like reading this book chosen by our book group。 I found the book interesting and compelling。 。。。more

Elisabeth Watts ，

I read this book like I used to eat ice-cream after dinner as a child - slowly savoring each bite making it last an eternity， not wanting it to end。 Sue Monk Kidd has named the story， and her journey has mirrored my own awakening over the past 6 years， or maybe the past 42 years。 It has re-woken me to the Divine Feminine， to the ritual of finding ones place and power as women， and to belonging to oneself， and to celebrate the embodiment of the feminine soul。

Angelia Turner ，

This book came to my attention at the perfect time in my own spiritual journey， and touched on many things I had been feeling。 Although my experience is somewhat different from hers， there are many similarities。 And I have felt the need for the stories of other women who have walked a similar path。

Morgan Finegan ，

on women being against women demanding the right to vote: "I pondered what caused one group to support the system that subordinated and wounded [women] and the other group to believe their rights as women were worth fighting for。 Looking at those two disparate groups of women， the things I'd learned during my awakening had never seemed more true - that women internalize the feminine wound or feminine inferiority so deeply， there's little or no female authority and esteem to fall back on。 So they on women being against women demanding the right to vote: "I pondered what caused one group to support the system that subordinated and wounded [women] and the other group to believe their rights as women were worth fighting for。 Looking at those two disparate groups of women， the things I'd learned during my awakening had never seemed more true - that women internalize the feminine wound or feminine inferiority so deeply， there's little or no female authority and esteem to fall back on。 So they seek it by adopting and pleasing patriarchal standards。 And my heart went out to these women， too， despite their blindness， because once upon a time， I'd been there too。""My religion is being in awakened relationship with all that is and doing so with a kind and pure heart， with an authentic feminine soul and a vision of justice。""The Divine cannot be contained solely in a book， church， dogma， liturgy， theological system， or transcendent spirituality。 The earth is no longer a mere backdrop until we get to heaven， something secondary and expendable。 Matter becomes inspirited; it breathes divinity。 Earth becomes alive and sacred。 [。。。] [I]f we discover Herself in the earth， we will not be so inclined to rape her forests， pave over her jungles， poison her rivers， dump fifty million tons of toxic waste into her oceans each year， or wipe out whole species of her creatures。 Sin becomes defined as refusing to befriend and love the earth， for in doing so， we refuse to befriend and love the Divine。" "In Christianity God came in a male body。 Within the history and traditions of patriarchy， women's bodies did not belong to themselves but to their husbands。 We learned to hate our bodies if they didn't conform to an ideal， to despise the cycles of menstruation -- 'the curse，' it was called。 Our experience of our body has been immersed in shame" "Restoring the feminine symbol of Deity means that divinity will no longer be only heavenly， other， out there， up there， beyond time and space， beyond body and death。 It will also be right here， right now， in me， in the earth， in this river and this rock， in excrement and roses alike。 Divinity will be in the body， in the cycles of life and death， in the moment of decay and the moment of love-making。" "This earth is my sister; I lover her daily grace， her silent daring， and how loved I am how we admire this strength in each other， all that we have lost， all that we have suffered， all that we know: we are stunned by this beauty， and I do not forget: what she is to me。 what I am to her" - Susan Griffin"Indeed， if you highlighted all the references to the [Wisdom， a feminine reflection of God]'s acts in the Bible， they would far exceed references to the Old Testament giants we are so familiar with - Abraham， Isaac， Jacob， Moses， Isaiah。 [。。。] When Christianity came along， Wisdom was not completely lost， though specific references to her are far less frequent。 There she's referred to by the Greek word Sophia。 [。。。] [In 1 Corinthians] Paul's words say boldly that Sophia became the Christ。 [。。。] Later the masculine term Logos is used in place of Sophia。""The deletion of Sophia from Christian tradition arose because Gnostics recognized and proclaimed Jesus as Sophia。 [。。。] So naturally， the churches who came to be represented in the New Testament， not wanting to appear to align themselves with Gnosticism， referred to Sophia only in the most muted ways。""The root word for the idea of compassion or mercy in Hebrew is rechem， or womb。" - Rosemary Radford Ruether"[El Shaddai] has been traditionally translated as 'the almighty' or， more exactly 'God of the mountain。' But shad is also a Hebrew word for breast。 The ending ai is an old feminine ending， therefore a probable ancient meaning of El Shaddai was 'the breasted one。' God， the breasted one。""'If we leave our father's house， we have to make ourselves self-reliant，' writes Marian Woodman。 'Otherwise， we just fall into another father's house。' If we don't keep up the work of burying patriarchy， we may climb out of one oppressive situation only to land in another。 We may get rid of one facet of the Bishop only to have him show up in another guise， sometimes a far subtler one。 He may turn up as a benevolent， kind-faced dictator who gets you back in line， not through bullying， but by his 'caring': 'Father knows best。' But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy。""Starhawk says the voices from patriarchy， which attack our inherent worth， become internalized as the self-hater。 It is the old king， she says， with five faces: the Conqueror， who treats the self and those around us as enemies to be feared and destroyed; the Orderer， who inflicts a rigid control; the Mater of Servants， who demands that we deny our own needs and desireds to serve others' ends; the Censor， who keeps us silent; and the Judge， who offers to restore value to us in exchange for obedience""Our psyches begin to realign and remold to compensate for the damage， usually favoring the 'other side。' For instance， if the feminine 'ankle' is crippled， we learn to shift our weight to the 'standpoint' of strength。 That is， we compensate by identifying with and supporting male dominance。 We become good daughters to the cultural father。""I am a slow unlearner。 But I love my unteachers" - Ursula K。 Le Guin"When a woman is exhorted to be compliant， cooperative， and quiet， to not make upset or go against the old guard， she is pressed into living a most unnatrual life - a life that is self-binding。。。 without innovation。 The world-wide issue for woman is that under such conditions they are not only silenced， they are put to sleep。 Their concerns， their viewpoints， their own truths are vaporirzed"- Clarissa Pinkola Estés"I was trying。。。 to lead a conventional life， for that was how I was brought up， and it was what my husband wanted of me。 But one can't build little white picket fences to keep the nightmare out" - Anne Sexton 。。。more

Sammy ，

This is， without doubt， one of my absolute favorite books of all time。 I have been on a spiritual awakening journey for about a decade at this point and a large portion of that journey has been dedicated to my own feminist and feminine awakening。 This book feels like a balm， a way-station in the journey where I have been able to ponder， gather wisdom， and become discipled by a Wise Woman who has been there before。

Jennifer ，

This was a stunning， incredible book that I could only read， digest， and process in small doses。 I know I will need to continually re-read it through the next few years as I find my footing in the Divine Feminine and find my own voice。 I found the myth of Ariadne particularly compelling at this point in my life。 Highly， highly recommend。

Misti ，

This book took some time to get through， but it spoke to me in ways I had been craving for so long in my struggle as a Christian and a Feminist。 It was uncomfortable at times， yet needed and relatable。 I'm still trying to process it all and I imagine I will for awhile。 This is a life-changing book that requires many more read-throughs over one's life。 This book is a gift that should be shared。 This book took some time to get through， but it spoke to me in ways I had been craving for so long in my struggle as a Christian and a Feminist。 It was uncomfortable at times， yet needed and relatable。 I'm still trying to process it all and I imagine I will for awhile。 This is a life-changing book that requires many more read-throughs over one's life。 This book is a gift that should be shared。 。。。more

Kaleigh ，

This book was great。 I felt better about my own experiences with struggling to fit into the church。 I recognized that I am on the path that she was on。

Laurel ，

Perfect timing for this 50 year old woman to read！ It got a little feely-good in parts， but so many aha moments for me。

Mary ，

Loved certain parts， other parts were so so。

Sara Pantazes ，

Wow， this was a powerful book。 The author spends the first 100 pages or so telling the story of how she broke away from the Southern， conservative Christianity life that she was raised in and embodied for the first part of her adult life。 This part felt familiar， because I'm already well versed in the negative effects of evangelical theology， patriarchy， etc。 The rest of the book dived into much more unknown and fascinating territory。 She moves far beyond the box of traditional Christianity （eve Wow， this was a powerful book。 The author spends the first 100 pages or so telling the story of how she broke away from the Southern， conservative Christianity life that she was raised in and embodied for the first part of her adult life。 This part felt familiar， because I'm already well versed in the negative effects of evangelical theology， patriarchy， etc。 The rest of the book dived into much more unknown and fascinating territory。 She moves far beyond the box of traditional Christianity （even， some might argue， progressive Christianity） to grow in her knowledge and embodiment of the feminine divine。 She tells the story of her journey slowly， but I didn't mind this and in fact appreciated it。 One idea she ultimately comes to is that humanity would be better served by fully understanding and embracing co-equally the masculine and feminine qualities of the divine。 This book was beautiful， empowering， and inspiring。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dance of the Dissident Daughter

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dance of the Dissident Daughter&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Dance of the Dissident Daughter&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0