Rachel Held Evens is a Christian blogger and author. Rachel lives in Dayton Tennessee where she spends her time typing in slippers and PJs. Evans been featured on NPR, in Slate, The BBC, The Washington Post, The Guardian (UK), The Times London, The Huffington Post, and Oprah.com. Her most recent book "A Year of Biblical Womanhood" was released this last October 2012.

I can't quite remember how I discovered her writing, I say "discovered" because I think Evans' work (even her twitter feed) is a rare gem. Most recently I listened to her preach at Mars Hill on the book of Ruth and it was mind blowing (and I don't throw around the phrase 'mind blowing' much- and neither should you)

In her new book, Evans takes much the same approach as A. J. Jacobs did with The Year of living Biblically. She went through the bible and found many of the verses and phrases that described the "perfect" wife or woman. For instance, she called her husband "Master," and she stood at the city gates with a sign that read, "Dan is awesome!" (Dan is her husband). But even though people who saw her do these acts, might have thought she was crazy — I doubt for one second that Evans felt that THIS is what biblical women do.

It was one of her main points of the book in that — Christians read the bible with a lens (or a filter) and much of our faith is based on what we deem is "biblical." But as Evans points out, "It is biblical for a woman to be sold by her father, biblical for her to be forced to marry her rapist, biblical for her to remain silent in church, biblical for her to cover her head, and biblical for her to be one of multiple wives."

But just because it's IN the bible, how do we then approach it? How do we interpret it? And most importantly, how do we live it out? Because to be quite honest, many Christians don't know what to do with a text that is confusing, or that seems to 'buck normality.' What do you do with a passage like Deuteronomy 22:28-29? A woman should marry her rapist? What do we do with that?

But as Evans points out in her book, "The Bible isn't an answer book. It isn't a self-help manual. It isn't a flat, perspicuous list of rules and regulations that we can interpret objectively and apply unilaterally to our lives."

In other words, the Bible isn't a grab bag to reach in and pull verses out and see if they stick. And to be fair to the author, I am pretty sure she would say that applies to standing at the city gates with a sign that praises your husband. For any critic who says that Evans' book is a disregard of scripture or biblical context I say, "Bah." (that's another phrase I don't throw around)

In fact, I would argue that the entire point of Evans' book is that we as the reader most often miss-read scripture because we live in a 20th century world and we in turn place our own bias and filter on the text. Evans' has done her homework, this book is well researched and well written.

I read the book with my own filter, I am a man. I am also a man who spends his life preaching and deciphering the biblical texts for others. So I can read it and nod and agree and flip pages with a blank expression — but I think this book would create a different feeling for a woman. I hope that her book is read by more Christian women and I hope it gives them a rekindled sense of purpose and passion.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson press for providing me with a review copy.

This book gets it. Rachel gets it. Finally a concrete example of the tragedy of misappropriating ancient scriptures to a modern context. Rachel does this through the highlighting of female roles and identity played in scripture and how ludicrous applying these to our day and age is, but it could be done about any number of issues in scripture as the underlying point Rachel seems to make (not the main point as that is obviously about the facade of a "biblical woman") is showing the implications of misunderstanding scripture's role in the life of the believer and shaping his/her identity. She is able to walk the thin line between recognizing the challenges of a 2000+ year old text and finding relevance and meaning for a 21st Century audience -- and not having to discard the Bible in the end! I think that's the beauty underlying this book: Rachel tears down an erroneous conventional hermeneutic and advocates for a simple and profound reading of scripture that reflects her own love and appreciation for God's Word.

I suggest all Christian women (and men for that matter!) read this book - not only for the great humour throughout but also because there's a complex that so many women have in the church as a result of, usually, listening to men in authority expound on how the Bible says women need to act. They feel guilt and shame for pursuing careers... for teaching scripture... etc. This book will help clear up some of these misconceptions and will do so with grace extended to those not of the same mindset so that walls don't have to go up and meaningful dialogue can pursue as a result.

Seriously, buy this book. It will bless you.

This is the first book by Rachel Held Evans that I've read and I was pleasantly surprised by the careful handling of scripture, the willingness to ask hard questions and the courage to leave questions unanswered when scripture didn't directly speak to it.

Given what some people elsewhere are saying about the book (and, ironically, quoting the book out of context to make it look like the author doesn't care about good hermeneutics), you might be surprised to hear that this book handles scripture carefully, but it does. In fact, I would say that this book has by far the best study and explanation of the Proverbs 31 woman I've read anywhere. It was eye-opening and beautiful.

In addition, the book sets a great example of a loving marriage. Rachel's husband, Dan, left me thinking about ways I could be a better husband.

Having said that, this book is not so much an exploration of what scripture says as much as it is an exploration of how we (the Christian community) have interpreted it. She holds up a mirror and asks us whether this looks right, if we've really thought this through. And, to her credit, she doesn't push her own point of view often in the book, sharing instead her thoughts, her questions and her conclusions, but not forcing those on the reader or pronouncing them the only way to faithfully serve God as a woman.

an Biblical.

No doubt some people will kick against this book because it doesn't match their own preconceptions about womanhood, or what they've been taught, or something along those lines. But it does do this: it takes the Bible, womanhood and what we should do about those things seriously. Don't write it off because of what someone tells you. Read it for yourself.

I got to the end of the book and thought, "What Christian woman wouldn't read this and feel a deep sense of relief and the peace of God?" I immediately bought a copy for my wife, and I have several friends who will be getting copies, too. And, when they get a little older, I'd happily have my daughters read this as well (my oldest is eleven, so maybe just a touch too young).

All that to say: this book surprised me. It made me laugh. I got choked up once. It dealt with issues of womanhood and the Bible with care and with a real heart toward helping women be Christ-centered in their lives. It's the best book about womanhood from a Christian perspective that I have read.

I recommend this book to any woman. The content is light-hearted and filled with wit, while teaching context and depth to the biblical scriptures related to womanhood. Rachel puts all our fears to rest as she comically works through the ideals and traditions that tend to plague women.

I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style - honest and real. She admitted her failures and mistakes and made my heart feel at ease. I cried when she failed and I cheered when she succeeded. Her year long project covers topics such as homemaking, motherhood, marriage relationships, purity issues and social justice to name a few.

This book is a great read, easy and fun to wade through the adventures and mishaps Rachel finds herself in. The book also includes comments from a journal kept by her husband during the year and lots of links to more information and details on line. A fantastic book for anyone ... woman or not!

This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to review it positively.

Year of Biblical Womanhood is a beautiful, hilarious, real, challenging, and honest book! Rachel Held Evan's takes us on her journey to figure out what God's plans are for women according to the Bible--LITERALLY. She writes in a conversational way that makes it both a FUN and important read for women--Christian and non-Christian a like.

If you are a woman who has struggled with both who the world tells us we need to be, and who the church has told us to be, you will find Rachel's approach to her own questions and struggles encouraging. You will also feel connected to women all over the world and the women in the Bible.

As a former youth minister, I would have loved to use this book when mentoring High School and college-age girls! God's love for women shines through this book, as she shares the stories of women in the Bible that some of us don't even realize are in there!

For those of us who have grown up in Church or attend a church now, so much of what we read and hear about God is from a man's perspective. The way many of our churches are set up, we can easily begin believing that making sense of God's Story is a man's job, rather than seeing that is a gift, and the role of each of God's children! When we do this, we all miss out on experiencing God's fullness in our communities. Hearing about Him in this book from Rachel's perspective, was so refreshing, freeing, and inspiring. Women (and men) need to read/see other women grapple with theology and the Bible (it is so important to the growth of the Body of Christ!)--and Rachel does just that in this book!

Finally, this book is also an incredible read for pastors of churches--whether they agree with Rachel theologically or not. Rachel's book reveals the hearts of so many women today who are faced with the pressure to be and do it all, and yet who want to follow God's plan above everything else. This will help anyone who is preaching to or pastoring women, understand their stories and hearts a little bit better.