Fierce Longing : Women and Infertility [Paperback]

Ruth H. Judy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 2000

This book addresses the many issues facing women who are having difficulty creating their family by conceiving and bearing a child. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 26 women, Fierce Longing explores women's psychological, physical, and spiritual nature, her family and larger community, and the decisions and healing that can and do occur at various stages throughout her journey through infertility. Several perspectives are used to look at these areas. The first examines the role crises play in each person's life, both generally and specifically with infertility. The second perspective addresses infertility through mythology, using it to broaden our understanding of what happens when our old identity is insufficient and a new one must be forged. Women's voices provide the third perspective as women share their differing life stories and resolutions through rich antidotal material from the interviews.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ruth H. Judy brings a unique perspective to the crisis of infertilty. In addition to her personal experiences with infertility, she has studied it from a transpersonal perspective, receiving her doctorate in transpersonal psychology in 1984. She then worked for a non-profit agency in California offering peer counseling to individuals experiencing life-threatening illnesses or grief. She is currently on the teaching staff at Oakwood Spiritual Life Center in Syracuse, Indiana, leading workshops on infertility, stress management, life transitions, archetypes, and women and spirituality. She and her husband have two adopted sons.

Product Details

• Paperback: 287 pages
• Publisher: R S H J Communications (December 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970268807
• ISBN-13: 978-0970268808
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,795,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable book, February 23, 2002

By 

Pat Luce (CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fierce Longing : Women and Infertility (Paperback)

In this remarkable book, Dr. Ruth Judy explores the soulful stories of those who have longed to give birth, their struggles to let go of this deep heart's desire and to find courage to embrace what life brings. Ruth offers a community of support to those who are meeting this challenge, as well as to their families and friends. All their experiences, both conscious and unconscious, result in a birth of emotional and spiritual courage. This is a wonderful book for anyone searching for deep spiritual meaning or resolution of conflict, especially in oneself.
Pat Luce, MA, Co-President of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, mother of five children (two adopted) and author of "Where East Meets West, A Story of Healing and Hope."