About the Book:
Pat Gohn draws on decades of women's ministry experience, her popular Catholic women's podcast Among Women, and her own story as a wife and mother, proclaiming the Church's compelling vision of every woman: you have dignity, you are gifted, and you have a mission.
The lively and unforgettable Gohn guides readers through moments of her life that have shaped her identity and understanding of womanhood--abiding love and talent for music, breast cancer in her thirties, and coming to understand true feminism in light of Church teaching and Mary's example. More than a mere memoir, Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious offers readers insight into the writings of Blessed John Paul II, which articulate four gifts unique to every woman: generosity, receptivity, sensitivity, and maternity. With humor, faith, and the open-hearted tone of a trusted mentor, Gohn shares how she became empowered to embrace her blessings, beauty, and bodaciousness, and how readers can do the same.
My Comments:
There are things that bring to mind fingernails on a chalkboard (and I guess it won't be long before that comment dates me). "You sound like a little girl" or "Quit being a sissy" are comments that irritate me beyond belief. Am I a mom who bought Barbies for my son or encouraged him to wear pink so as to embrace his feminine side? No, what aggravates me so much about comments like that is the suggestion that being feminine is somehow less than being masculine. The tomboy who wanted to do what the boys did was admired; the "sissy" who wanted to be like the girls, not at all.
Pam Gohn encourages her readers to embrace femininity but not a weak, passive or manipulative femininity. She describes the terms "generosity", "receptivity", "sensitivity" and "maternity" and talks about how women have those traits and use them to honor God. She uses the Blessed Mother as an example but remains very down-to-earth and practical. Pam tells us about the development of her own spiritual life and reminds us that all of us are "Blessed, Beautiful and Bodacious" because we were created by God.
I enjoyed the book, and ended up highlighting far to many passages to quote here. Thanks to the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley. Grade: B+
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