Product Description

Today’s young women are smart, educated, career–oriented, and maybe a little bit fashion–obsessed. So where does the spiritual life fit in? With InStyle magazine on one nightstand, and Julian of Norwich on the other, author Donna Freitas has her finger on the pulse of a new generation of women and understands the spiritual issues that most concern them. Drawing on the stories of popular heroines such as Bridget Jones and Carrie Bradshaw, Becoming a Goddess of Inner Poise illustrates how our life choices can have a profoundly spiritual dimension—in the bedroom, the boardroom, the beach, and at Barney’s. Freitas combines wisdom from a variety of spiritual traditions and with a generous dash of humor, giving modern women a new model for the spiritual journey.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #588473 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-02
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Review
For the increasing base of 20– and 30–somethings (particularly of the single variety) who have forged their circle of friends into substitute families, created social events of television series finales and count fictional characters among their role models, here is the perfect book on spirituality. Donna Freitas, a professor of spirituality, has, like an increasing number of the new crop of Ph.D.s, found a way to legitimize our pervasive pop culture. For years, Madonna has been the subject of college classes and the Simpsons have had a recent spate of publishing attention––why not Bridget? Freitas’s impressive collection of resources includes everyone from St. Augustine (Confessions) to Dorothee Soelle (Thinking About God), Grace Jantzen (Becoming Divine) to Peter Brown (The Body and Society). Directed at a generation of women born of women who marched in the streets in a desperate escape from their June Cleaveresque mothers, she emphasizes that the "challenge today is to anchor our personal journeys toward Inner Poise within the communities that already surround us, exploring the spiritual possibility in the rituals we already practice and the spiritual leaders we already are." Throughout, Freitas delights with her Bridget–inspired voice (the Bridget–speak is fun, but over the top) while seamlessly showing her prowess as a student and teacher of spirituality. (Oct.) (Publishers Weekly, September 13, 2004)

Review
"...here is the perfect book on spirituality…. Freitas delights with her Bridget–inspired voice." (Publishers Weekly, September 13, 2004)

Synopsis
The first book to extend the Chick Lit genre in an entirely new direction spirituality Bridget Jones's Diary took the world by storm because a generation of smart, educated, career-oriented women saw their own lives reflected in the quirky, lovable, and clever Bridget who journaled obsessively about her career, her love life, and her calorie intake. But spirituality books have had little to say to the Bridget Jones crowd until now. Author Donna Freitas has her finger on the pulse of the spiritual issues that most concern today's young women. Becoming a Goddess of Inner Poise explores eleven themes (career, love, body-image, biological clock, and beyond) that parallel most women's spiritual journeys. Using the experiences of Bridget Jones and other popular heroines from books, movies, and TV, Freitas illustrates how our life choices can have a profoundly spiritual dimension, giving young women a new model for their spiritual journey, rooted in self-awareness, forgiveness, grace, prayer and uniquely a dash of humor. Donna Freitas (Vermont) is Professor of Spirituality at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont, and the owner of an enviable shoe collection.

Her research and speaking center on pop culture and women's spirituality.