"This is a wise and wonderful book, a book to open minds and nourish souls." -Rabbi Harold Kushner, When Bad Things Happen To Good People
"Mirkin is a passionate storyteller who enables us to see ourselves in each story that she tells. The connection between biblical women and people living today is so moving and insightful that it is almost impossible to read this book without feeling inspired to grapple with our own relationships and emerge more fully vested in life and love." -Harriet Lerner, Ph.D., The Dance of Anger
The Women Who Danced by the Sea invites us to embark on a journey that can lead us to deeper connection within ourselves, with those we love, and with the increasingly complex and dangerous world in which we live.
The Women Who Danced By The Sea is the first book of its kind to view the lives of biblical women through the lens of contemporary psychological theories. Each chapter looks at a different foremother and a different issue she must grapple with in order to gain the wisdom to move into deeper relationship with herself, those she loves, and the Divine. Dr. Mirkin ties their struggles to those of contemporary women and men she has met in her twenty-year clinical practice and looks at what we can learn from their experiences. Our foremothers' stories offer profound lessons in living. Their legacies can guide us as we face similar challenges, have similar sorrows and confusions and find similar hope and blessings on our path to more intimate connection.
Marsha Mirkin, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and resident scholar at Brandeis University Women's Studies Research Center. The ideas for this book are drawn from courses she has been teaching on psychological interpretations and the contemporary relevance of the Bible. Dr. Mirkin has held appointments at Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine, and has been on the faculty of the Jean Baker Miller Institute at Wellesley College.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Good book but a little dry at times:
Everyone has given glowing reviews for this book and where as I enjoyed parts of the book I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea. I really enjoyed the first chapter of the book on Eve and was looking forward to the rest of the book but in the end I just wanted it finished so I could move on to something else. I found it extremely dry and somewhat boring. The constant repeating of the same issues became annoying. In addition I'm not Jewish and had a marginally difficult time following and... more info
The Women Who Danced By The Sea:
This is a very insightful book. The textual analysis is excellent from a Biblical point of view. The alternations of
psycohological case presentations is the added ingrediant to the analysis of the text and the cases used are perfect for the amplification of the text.
Job well done Dr. Mishkin!
Rabbi B.Eisenman D.D. C.P.C.
It's a lovely book, wise and readable:
Mirkin interweaves case histories of modern-day counseling clients with Biblical stories and hermeneutical discussions to draw life-affirming messages with a distinctly Jewish wisewoman flavor. The basic assumption of the book is that the stories from the Torah can be understood to be about interpersonal relationships, as well as about God and transcendent reality.
A tremendously thoughtful, reverent and inspirational book:
Clinical psychologist Marsha Mirkin presents The Woman Who Danced By The Sea: Finding Ourselves In The Stories Of Our Biblical Foremothers, a self-help guide that views the lives of biblical women from the viewpoint of modern psychology. Drawing upon the life lessons from the struggles of Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel, Miriam, Ruth, and more, The Woman Who Danced By The Sea offers profound insights into the strength of character and spirit needed to change the world. For example, the daughter of the... more info
