When I started reading this book, I didn’t know the journey it would take me on, the mix of emotions I would feel, or the awe I would experience after finishing a chapter. There were a few times I teared up, there were a few times I got angry at the world-especially the chapter on the woman caught in adultery in John 8, but every night I read a chapter, I felt feelings of humility and thankfulness toward God and my Savior. Which is exactly what these types of books are intended to do.

I will admit, I did not agree with everything the author said in her book, but they were just minor things. The point that Schalesky is truly getting across is that God is a loving and forgiving God, and that women-no matter the circumstances they go through-still receive God’s grace, love, and care. There is nothing that happens to us nor anything we do that can separate us from Him. And that, right there, is something that we should all be able to agree on.

I liked how she would tell a modern day story about a woman and then tie it to the story she was using from the Bible, to show that these Bible passages are still relevant today. And that we can still connect to them and the women from the Bible. And I liked how when she was telling the Bible story from the viewpoint of the woman, she would heavily use scripture as her guide.

I’m glad I got the opportunity to read this book. It gave me new insight and new appreciation for these women. I think it would be interesting to go through the Bible and look at other women’s stories, too-the ones not mentioned in the book. It would be interesting to see how they may have been mistreated and how God used their situation for His glory.

I would definitely recommend this book to any woman out there. We have all felt oppressed or dominated or less than, etc., at least once in our lives, and this book is relatable and eye-opening, and will leave you wanting to thank God over and over again.

I had received a copy of this book as part of the Celebrate Lit Blogging Team and was required to give an honest review.

This book guided me through a difficult time and I’m delighted this book was written to address these issues among women.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a great way to learn about the women of the Bible. I appreciated it:

Marlo Schalesky uses a variety of women’s stories from the Bible to help modern-day women heal from betrayal, abuse, healing, and more. She uses a different approach with her devotional which some may find quite appealing. She takes liberty to fill in the missing thoughts and emotions of the women during the parts of the story the Bible isn’t specifically clear about what may be going through their minds and hearts by using a first-person dialogue. I love the variety of women she showcases, from the more well-known Eve, Sarai, and Esther, to the lesser thought about Lot’s daughters, Tamar, and “A Sinful woman.” This book definitely got me thinking about the positions the women in the Bible were placed in, but more importantly, how God sees women and values and loves them, and we can always trust Him to help us out of situations we find ourselves in, whether they are circumstances of our own doing or due to circumstances beyond our control.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit but was not under any obligation to write a review. All opinions are strictly mine.

I was interested in this book because delving deeper into what we know of women in the bible & what the scholars have written about them is interesting to me. This book is not that, it focuses on the author's take on the stories of women in the bible and connects it to her own experiences & her Christian beliefs. I think some people would enjoy this book, so if you're a devout Christian, this book is probably a good fit for you. Unfortunately it's so targeted at an audience of Christians that it doesn't cross over into other identities or religions or beliefs. It was not the right book for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I think this is an important read and an important reminder that you are not alone in your trials though it frequently feels like it, but it was a difficult read especially if you find these situations triggering. Approach this read cautiously with an open heart.

What I think you should know:
Women of the Bible Speak Out : Stories of Betrayal, Abuse, Healing and Hope by Marlo Schalesky is a Christian Living, Women’s Interest book. The book looks at 14 women of the Bible and how their stories relate to problems that still plague women today.

What you might NEED to know:
The author states she hopes that this book brings healing to women who have suffered abuse, however I think that parts of the book should be read with extreme caution as the author gives a voice to the women of the Bible including women who were raped, beaten and killed. She also includes similar stories from today that show that women still suffer many of the same injustices today.

What I think about this book:
Schalesky has given a voice and humanized women who have long been stories or overlooked figures in the Bible. While many parts of the book were hard for me to read I enjoyed how she demonstrated through scripture how much God loves women and how he provides for them. I enjoyed how she challenged me to look deeper at some of the women that she studied. I do wish that she would have given more scriptural references. I would recommend this book as a weekly read or study not as something to be read in one sitting.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.

Great book It felt almost like a personal memoir rather than a devotional, the author did an amazing job captivating the readers and crafted the stories so well! My biggest frustration with this book is that it felt pretty white and had some evangelical white ideas!

5 stars. This was a phenomenal read and I'm so happy to have read. I highly recommend this one! Review to come.

Due to being a high school teacher, I have been falling behind on reviews. Here are my initial thoughts.

This is exactly the kind of book that I love. It doesn't just talk surface level Christianity, or surface level scripture. It dives deep into the women of the Bible, and I love digging deep into Bible figures. But especially the women of the Bible. There is something very special reading about the women of the Bible, especially since there are more than it seems initially. When you get into a book like this, you see how many women are really talked about even in a culture that saw women as lesser...(God didn't). Digging in to the culture of the times and the way the Bible handles that. I also think this is a book that is vitally needed in this time when feminism is at its height but is also turning into something entirely different and new, seeing female figures from the Bible and what the Bible says of them is so important in understanding God's true place for women. Of course because there are only so many verses that cover these women, the author does expound on what they might have been thinking and feeling, (what some might call creative license), but I think we should always do this when endeavoring to understand the Bible more fully. They were people just like we are, so we can easily sympathize with them if we put ourselves in their mindsets. I think that is an important part of studying the Bible and Bible figures. Though I may not agree with everything outright, I don't believe there is a single book--except the Bible--that would agree with 100% and that doesn't mean I can't learn valuable lessons from it.

This book went super in depth and captured my attention from beginning to end. They relate problems of the now with how the women in the bible would have reacted. It was phenomenal.

I must admit, I had never looked at women of the Bible that had suffered injustices for lack of a better word, and thought about women of today dealing with the same issues. This book will make you do that. Very good book and interesting. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.

I was excited to read Women of the Bible Speak Out when I saw that the author speaks on women in the Bible no one else really writes about. This is geared toward women who have been hurt, abused, betrayed, etc and in need of healing. Schalesky deftly weaves their stories into her message and while I did not agree with everything she said, I still enjoyed this book very much. Schalesky is definitely unapologetic in her approach, not hesitating to call out the men in our society and church who use their authority or position to victimize women. However, I couldn't help but feel there was an agenda of some sort. Not that I necessarily disagree with it, but there were some things that just didn't vibe with me.

I definitely need to do a dive into Scripture to check on a few things, but I'm not mad about that. Any book that steers you toward THE Book is a good thing. I might need to watch the documentary Audrie and Daisy again but I'm pretty sure she mixed up the two girl's stories. An odd mistake but this book actually made me want to watch it and I discovered her error in the first 30 minutes. Small point but it bothered me.

With that said, what I really enjoyed was Schalesky's take on the womens' stories as they may have told them. Each one made me consider something I'd never thought of before, which is surprising. I've read the story of the first sin countless times yet never really looked at it from Eve's perspective. I never considered how Adam's finger pointing could have destroyed everything they had together. I'd never noticed that though Sarah does speak in other parts of Genesis, she doesn't say a word during the two times Abraham denies her the protection of marriage and tells her to pretend she's his sister to save his hide.

I'll probably end up eating this again just so I can do that deep dive. Will I recommend it to others? Sure, as long as they check it against Scripture. Thanks to NetGalley and Our Daily Bread Publishing for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Schlesky does a beautiful job of going deep into scripture, fleshing out stories of women in the Bible we may not know much about, and connecting that our lives as women in the 21st century. Every chapter left me both craving more of scripture and feeling peace and hope that some of what I’ve experienced is understandable to women of the Bible. I would highly recommend this book to any woman!

I absolutely loved this book! Women of the Bible Speak Out gives the reader an unique look at social injustice through the eyes of women that are in the Bible. It gives us a lens that helps us to see that God is for women and not against them and that He does not approve of the social injustice that can be imposed on them at times. It gave me a new perspective of the Bible stories referenced in the book that I had never heard before. I loved that the Bible Women gave their own account of what happened to them in the Bible. Being a woman on which injustices have been imposed on, I appreciated that the injustices laid out in the book were not swept under the rug, but were dealt with. I also appreciated how the author continued to tell the reader over and over that if these injustices happened to them that Christ still loves them and and has a purpose for them--to tell their story and to not be ashamed to get help. As soon as I started reading the book, I started telling people about it. I recommend this book to women who have experienced injustices of any kind--especially abuse or assault.. I believe and pray that anyone who reads this book will find strength to be the person God means them to be. Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Many times, when women look for protection, understanding and counsel in the church, they might feel overlooked or worse, find their church, their spiritual home, touting the same misogynist paroles, even contributing to the systems. Even the Bible is often claimed to be sexist.

I have been looking forward to reading this book and it did not disappoint my expectations. Marlo focuses on women's stories, their voices and shows that we can find hope, healing and understanding in God's word and that our stories are represented there. She connects these women's stories with real life examples of the abuse and pain women have to endure today. She does so by giving us the perspective of each woman, by imagining what she would tell us and what she felt in her situation.

I find this way of exploring Biblical stories by retelling it from their perspective very helpful to dive deeper into a story, but this is where some people may object and rather prefer the literal words of the Bible. But instead of highlighting this as a weekness of this book, I think these stories can serve as a great foundation for a Bible study and to read them alongside the Biblical text.

The book is easy to read and very comforting and encouraging. I loved learning about each woman and I think that we as women need more books like this. Recommended for all women's bible study groups as well as individual study.

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK

In Women of the Bible Speak out, author Marlo Schalesky gives the stories of many Bible women that have suffered issues such as abuse, been betrayed, abandoned, misused and so much more. The author doesn’t speak about these things to condemn them, but to show her readers that there is hope in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As she talks about each woman, she gives the hope that each finds in Christ alone.

I am glad I requested this book to review. I learned a lot if things about these women of the Bible talked about in this book. I also heard stories of real life people, including the author, of their struggles with these issues. I feel the author dies a great job interpreting the meanings and feelings if these ladies if the Bible. But of course this is the author’s viewpoint, and just as it is with anyone, it may be a little different that what others see. But the overall thing us this, we can find help, hope, strength and restoration when putting our faith and hope in Jesus Christ. And this is what the author here shows us in so many ways. And I can only sympathize with her for her own struggles, and I praise her for allowing others into her life through this wonderful book she has written. I highly recommend this book to those who are fighting with things in their life that is pulling them down, pulling them away from their life with Christ, or maybe there are ladies out there reading this that has never put their faith and trust in Jesus, and this book is for all! Everyone reading this book with find something that relates to them because we all have our struggles. And we all need the help and hope only Jesus can give.

A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Sometimes, it is all too easy to look at biblical stories and misinterpret God’s perception and purpose for women. In Women of the Bible Speak Out, Marlo Schalesky delves into the accounts of well-known female figures, highlighting how their experiences prove relevant still today—especially as God’s treatment of them offers necessary hope. Though these women have long been familiar to me, Schalesky provided me with plenty on which to think, consider, and further research. I enjoyed how approachable she made her text and easily recommend it to interested, thoughtful readers.

Womoen of the Bible Speak Out is a book with with an interesting premise - giving a voice to the women often ignored in the Bible. Collectively, women do not tend to be the focus in Christian discussions and this book meets that gap. However, as another reviewer mentioned the author oversteps providing a platform for these powerful women that allows. the reader to learn more about, but instead inserts herself on the thoughts and experiences of the women. This book has the opportunity to be incredibly powerful as some of the women included in the book experienced tragic events that still occur for some women currently. This book provides a hopeful approach and I think if a reader can focus on that this may be a good read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Our Daily Bread Publishing, and Marlo Schalesky for providing the ARC of Women of the Bible Speak Out. All thoughts and opinions on this book are my own.

With the recent headlines about gender-based abuse, power, harassment, and assault, it seems as if everyone is searching for answers. Marlo Schalesky provides a biblical response to the tough questions raised by these issues. She explores the stories of twenty women in Scripture, including Eve, Sarah, and Bathsheba—women who were betrayed, abused, endangered, blamed, and shamed. As she leads us in studying the biblical text, she draws our eye to God’s responses to these women and their situations: Eve: The Way It Was Supposed to Be

Sarai: Betrayed
Hagar: – Used
Lot’s Daughters & A Levite’s Concubine: Abused
Two Tamars: Rejected
Hannah: Devalued
Abigail: Endangered
Bathsheba: Sexualized
Esther: Dominated
Mary & Martha: Oppressed
A Samaritan Woman: Shamed
A Sinful Woman: Scorned
A Woman Caught in Adultery: Blamed
Women at the Tomb: Disbelieved
She points out a way to healing, wholeness, and freedom. In the midst of today’s #MeToo conversations, this book will give new voice to the remarkable women of Scripture—and new hope to many, many women today.

My Thoughts: This is an interesting book about women who have overcome betrayal, abuse, and how the Bible shows the healing that helped these women. The book shows us women like Sarah, Hagar, Lot's daughters just to name a few. The author then shows us through the Bible how they overcame their situations. The true-life illustrations help illustrate how women do feel in these situations. The one thing that the reader can remember is, is that God always offers grace in every situation. We see that throughout the Bible. Each woman mentioned in this book was offered grace from God and that He offers it to us as well. This is a book that would be useful for women who have been through difficult situations and are in need of healing. The author has done a wonderful job of illustrating her points in this book.