AustLit

'Louise Omer was a Pentecostal preacher and faithful wife. But when her marriage crumbled, so did her beliefs.

'Haunted by questions about what it means to be female in a religion that worships a male God, she left behind a church and home to ask women around the world: how can we exist in patriarchal religion? And can a woman be holy?

'With $500 in her pocket and the conviction that she was following a divine path, Louise began a pilgrimage that has taken her to Mexican basilicas, Swedish cathedrals, Bulgarian mountains, and Moroccan mosques. Holy Woman combines travel writing, feminist theology, and confessional memoir to interrogate modern religion and give a raw and personal exploration of spiritual life under patriarchy.'  (Publication summary)

'Years after losing my religion, I longed for a way to direct my worshipful heart without the old hierarchies. Turning to nature writing allowed me to connect spiritually with the natural world.'  (Introduction)

'Western understanding of the Middle East, wrote Edward Said in his 1978 book Orientalism, had long been constructed in ­binary opposition to the West. Dividing lines were drawn to serve the dominant colonising power. The Arab world was ­defined as sensuous, uncivilised, depraved, other.' (Introduction)

'GP Susi Fox’s debut novel digs deep into stress and exposes medicine’s sexist practices.'