Title: The Goddess in America: The Divine Feminine in Context

Publisher: Moon Books

Editor: Trevor Greenfield

Contributors: Hearth Moon Rising, Michele Sauter Warch, Laurie Martin Gardner, Heather Lee Marano, Jhenah Telyndru, Morgan Daimler, Sherrie Almes, Laura Perry, Elisheva Nesher, Susan Harper, Dorothy Abrams, Byron Ballard, Tiffany Lazic, Phoenix Love, Salem Margot Pierce, Irisanya, Kate Brunner, and Vivienne Moss

Pages: 204 pp

Price: $16.95 (paperback) / $2.99 (ebook)

The Hook: The Goddess in America serves as a primer on the Divine Feminine in the religious history and larger culture of the United States, from colonial times through the present. Divided into four sections -- The Native Goddess, The Migrant Goddess, The Relational Goddess, and The Contemporary Goddess -- each essay tackles the subject from a different perspective, culture, or academic discipline. For example, in The Migrant Goddess, Jhenah Telyndru tackles the subject of cultural appropriation in "The American Dilemma," while Sherrie Almes looks at "African Goddesses and Creole Voodoo." In the section on The Relational Goddess, Susan Harper looks at "The Goddess and the Feminist," while Laurie Martin Gardner deals with "The Goddess and the Witch." While each essay is complete unto itself, many of the authors acknowledge that they have only touched at a much larger topic, and invite readers to continue research on their own. 

The Analysis: The Goddess in America has been on my wish list for quite a while, so I was thrilled when it temporarily went on sale and I was able to download it. I was both surprised and delighted by the wide-range of subjects which were covered; it is difficult to find good information on some of these subjects, such as the influence of indigenous religious practices and beliefs on Goddess Spirituality. It was those essays -- about subjects that I know very little -- which I found to be the most compelling: Almes' and Gardner's essays, as well as Elisheva Nesher's "The Hebrew Goddess in America" and Kate Brunner's "A Dream of the Wise Woman's Comeback" were particular stand-outs for me. Additionally, Telyndru's introduction and her own essay on how American Pagans and polytheists can respectfully work with both European and indigenous traditions was both hopeful and important.

I encountered only a few problems with the anthology. First, a number of the essays contained typographical errors or just straight up incorrect information (e.g. in Phoenix Love's essay on the Goddess in pop culture, Rene Russo's name is misspelled and her character in the Thor films is misidentified as Freya, when she actually plays Frigga [p.130-132]).

Secondly, none of the essays contain footnotes, endnotes, or works cited. Nor is there a bibliography or recommended reading appendix. These would have been immensely helpful, especially for those readers whose interest was piqued in a particular topic and who would like to continue their research.  

The Verdict: Overall, this is an excellent collection. It is broad-ranging and respectful of its source material. The reader will not be overwhelmed with information, but will have to continue looking for further information on their own. Recommended to anyone interested in Goddess Spirituality, Goddesses, the religious history of the United States, or fans of these particular authors. Teachers will likely find the collection especially useful for introductory Goddess Spirituality courses.