The Skeptical Feminist

1987, 1988 Harper & Row edition
Barbara G. Walker
The Skeptical Feminist: Discovering the Virgin, Mother & Crone
Bought newish for $9.95
Worn paperback
C+

I never took to this book like I did to Walker's Encyclopedia, and rereading it I can see why.  The first third, "The Virgin: Intimations," is easily the best, as Walker tells of her childhood and youth, although she's awfully vague about the details (years, names, towns, etc.).  After that, she drops any pretense of autobiography and for the "matron" and "crone" sections offers her opinions on men, women, and religion.  She again seems to see men as very inferior to women; it's not just a matter of preferring "men's religion" to women's.  I also didn't like the couple chapters with her "sounding board" friend who in their dialogue always gets the worst of the argument.

She does have a point that any "new" religion should avoid the errors of the past, like silly superstitions, but I'm afraid she herself slips into some errors that I've seen others (mostly but not only Christians) make in their proselytizing.

This is my last and twenty-fifth book for 1987, breaking 1978's record of 21 books.  This record will probably but not necessarily stand.