Publishers Weekly - “These five authors, of Jewish and Christian backgrounds, originally set out to write about ancient women from their own faith traditions, but realized through the story of Hagar that they also needed to “embrace another branch of the family tree”: Islam...The device of using short stories to better establish these women’s characters and spiritual motivations works well and should appeal to a wide audience.” –March 2003

New Age Retailer - “At a time when strife between faiths is heightened–and surely this has not been uncommon throughout their shared histories–it is refreshing to find stories from these three (monotheistic) religions together in one volume...These are not the “usual” versions of these stories, however...Rather, they take readers

"A recovery of the wisdom of women in the great Abrahamic religions is long overdue. Daughters of the Desert is a knock-out contribution to that project. Read the stories, fill your heart, share the wealth with others. This book deserves to become a classic of twenty-first century spiritual reading. Cherish it."

Reviews of Daughters of the Desert

Booklist - “Women, though mentioned in the holy books of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, have really gotten their due. This book tries to rectify that situation...An interesting way of showing how three religions spring from the same sandy landscape.” –Ilene Cooper

Catholic Book Publishers Association – Daughters of the Desert ranked eighth in the top ten hardcover book sales list, June 2003.

back to the days just before the scriptural mentions, revealing qualities of the women’s everyday lives that may have led to the parts they played in scripture.”

–S. Aurin Harber

Praise for Daughters of the Desert

--Mitch Finley, author of Prayer for People Who Think Too Much
and The Joy of Being Catholic.

"How refreshing to find the stories of women from Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions. They are like water in the desert offering new voices and new hope to our generation."

-- Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, author of Cain & Abel: Finding the Fruits of Peace
and But God Remembered: Stories of Women f rom Creation to the Promised Land.

"These engaging stories of women, some of whom are important to all three religions, and some known only to one, help build bridges of understanding between religions and demonstrate the importance of religion in our lives."

-- Dr. Freda Crane, member, Islamic Society of North America.

"Some stories speak powerful narratives. Others point to new understandings of our world. Still others ask questions of justice, mercy, and devotion within communities. Daughters of the Desert speaks and points and questions in all three ways, with stories about women from three spiritual traditions. Their ancient journeys Jewish, Christian, and Muslim startlingly and wonderfully like our own, call us to and encourage us in our own paths to God."

--Gary Schmidt, author of Winter: The Spiritual Biography of the Season
and William Bradford: Plymouth's Faithful Pilgrim.

The images on this page are woven rugs found in the Tehran Carpet Bazaar celebrating the Abrahamic traditions.