by Jane Moran
Right now, Fidelia magazine is celebrating books with an issue focused on summer reading. Unfortunately, not everyone loves books the way we do. Book bans are an increasing problem in the United States, and books by authors of color are disproportionately likely to be impacted.
With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of four frequently challenged books that will be of interest to young clergywomen. We hope that you’ll find something here to fill out your summer reading list.
Happy reading!
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Gyasi’s Homegoing begins in 18th-century Ghana, where two sisters’ lives diverge dramatically. Esi is sold into slavery in America, while Effia marries a British merchant. The book follows their descendents through eight generations, with each chapter focusing on a different character.
Through these stories, Gyasi shows how religion can be used to justify evil–but also how it can be a source of hope in the face of trauma and suffering. Clergywomen may be particularly interested in the chapter about Akua, a young girl who is raised by Christian missionaries but finds herself drawn to the traditional religious practices of her homeland.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Many of our readers will be familiar with The Handmaid’s Tale. In 2017, it was adapted into a popular and timely television show that ran for six seasons. The story is set in a totalitarian theocracy where fertile women are forced into sexual servitude. We follow one of these women, known only as Offred, as she navigates this brutal society.
Atwood uses Offred’s story to show us the evils of religious extremism and how religious language can be co-opted to serve political ends. Through Offred’s personal resilience, we also see how people can hold on to hope even when all seems lost.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an autobiographical work by Maya Angelou. She recounts her childhood from age three to age sixteen, often bringing her readers face-to-face with unsettling themes like racism and sexual assault.
Religion is central to the world that Angelou grew up in. Her story shows how faith can be a source of strength, offering connection and refuge in the face of oppression. However, young Maya doesn’t always see eye to eye with some of the religious authorities in her community. Readers follow her journey as she grows up and comes into a more nuanced understanding of her own spirituality.
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies consists of nine short stories about Black women, faith, and sexuality. Philyaw uses these stories to explore the many different ways that a church can influence its members’ relationships to desire and morality. Her characters are diverse in age and in the way they relate to religion, but Philyaw treats them all with compassion.
The result is a story collection in which fictional church-goers start to feel like real, living, complicated people. Many young clergywomen will find that these characters remind them of women in their own communities. I know I did.
