13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Move over, Joseph Campbell!, January 3, 2011
This review is from: From Girl to Goddess: The Heroine's Journey through Myth and Legend (Paperback)
Finally, a book on the hero's journey when that hero's a woman! Ms. Frankel covers so many cultures I've never even heard of- Anatolia, Samoa, Xhosa, Ugarit, plus all the obvious Greek-Scottish-China-Germany fairytales and myths. It's a lot like Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces, but addresses women's issues like finding out you married a beast, overcoming child abuse to find your place in the world, and questing for a lost lover or child. The author covers all the steps from leaving home as a girl to becoming, you guessed it, a godddess! Then she starts all over and covers all the archetypes, like trickster, warrior, spirit, but again, all female. And it's all from literally hundreds of texts of heavily researched mythology. She has lots of resources and booklists at [...]as well. If you enjoy mythology but find all the hero quests a bit sexist, this is the book for you.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for women everywhere!, January 5, 2011
This review is from: From Girl to Goddess: The Heroine's Journey through Myth and Legend (Paperback)
Who knew those familiar fairy tales we all grew up with as children could be so relevant, enlightening teens and adults to the workings of our modern world? Laced with familiar and not so familiar ancient myths and tales with variations on the same themes, Ms. Frankel's book. "From Girl to Goddess" explores the meanings behind the stories and the lessons they hold that still ring true today concerning relationships, abuse, greed, life cycles, life styles, the powerful and powerless and much more.
Valerie knows her subject, having carefully researched how these myths and stories embedded in every culture, explain both our natural world order and manmade laws. "From Girl to Goddess" includes a wide collection of myths and stories belonging to tiny villages, ancient religions and modern countries throughout the world. These tales have been handed down by elders to successive younger generations over many centuries to explain natural events such as the seasons, birth and death or leaving ones home of origin and the familiar to seek the truth.
Many of these quests come full circle as the seeker finds answers within themselves as they explore an assortment of attributes such as patience, real love, commitment, strength, trust, intelligence, faith and often, out of the box thinking, to solve problems often not of their own making. In a gentle way, this descriptive text helps the reader face their own weaknesses, building self esteem while becoming less helpless in dealing with their own problems, from reading how heroes, victims, seekers of truth, etc. become their own wise mentors and journey from child to adult or girl to goddess. Valerie Estelle Frankel's newest book, "From Girl to Goddess" is a must on every feminist reading list and library bookshelf, and for men who want to better understand the women in their lives.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Where was this book when I was younger?, February 17, 2011
This review is from: From Girl to Goddess: The Heroine's Journey through Myth and Legend (Paperback)
Solid scholarship underlies the fascinating excerpts from myths drawn from around the world. This very readable volume explores the deep psychological themes that resonate across culture and time.
Ms. Frankel skillfully juxtaposes tales which poignantly expose how Women took their place as co-creators of the World. Every reader will be inspired as well.
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