How would the most cherished stories of Christianity, Judaism and Islam be different if women were the active central figures? This ground-breaking collection of short stories brings to life the women―daring, brave, thoughtful and wise―who played important and exciting roles in the early days of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Join Esther as she stands against injustice and her king to save her people, Aisha as she leads hundreds of men into terrifying battle and Mary as she and Elizabeth dream of the new lives growing inside them. How must Sarah have felt, turning Hagar out into the desert? And how must Hagar have felt, traveling from the safety and security of Abraham's land toward an uncertain future? These stories invite us to come to know and appreciate the struggles and triumphs of these women―mothers, daughters, believers and seekers. "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." ― Mitch Finley , author of Prayer for People Who Think Too Much and The Joy of Being Catholic "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 "How refreshing to find the stories of 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 from Creation to the Promised Land "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 Eighteen intriguing stories that give voice to often-overlooked figures from the holy writings of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Women though seldom educated played key roles in the development of these three great faiths, but their lives and contributions are rarely honored. The men who recorded and copied the sacred Scriptures and other important texts included very little about how women passed on their experiences of God through storytelling, song, and ritual. With the help of imagination and careful research, Daughters of the Desert introduces us to the lives and loves, personalities and dreams of women who are only hinted at in the Scriptures, but whose faith and strength were vital to the growth of their beliefs. Taking as starting points passages from the Hebrew and Christian Bibles and the Qur an, this diverse collection of short stories allows us to hear the voices of our common female ancestors loud and clear. Ideal for anyone who has ever wondered what life was like for our spiritual foremothers, these stories bring life and breath to the past. What the Scriptures have often only outlined in passing is here fully imagined from thrilling events that decided the fate of thousands to everyday moments of friendship and love. Claire Rudolf Murphy is the award-winning author of several books for children and young adults, including Children of the Gold Rush (winner of the 2000 Willa Cather Award), Gold Rush Women and Free Radical. She is coauthored of Daughters of the Desert: Stories of Remarkable Women from Christian, Jewish and Muslim Traditions (SkyLight Paths). Meghan Nuttall Sayres is atapestry weaver and the author of The Shape of Betts Meadow: A Wetlands Story and Anahita's Woven Riddle and coauthor of Daughters of the Desert: Tales of Remarkable Women from Christian, Jewish and Muslim Traditions (SkyLight Paths). Mary Cronk Farrell, formerly an award-winning television journalist, is now a children's author and syndicated columnist on family spirituality. Sarah Conover is the author of Kindness: Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents , winner of the Skipping Stones Multicultural Award , and is currently writing a children's reader on Islam. She is also coauthor of Daughters of the Desert: Stories of Remarkable Women from Christian, Jewish and Muslim Traditions (SkyLight Paths). Betsy Wharton is a writer and nurse whose work has taken her to a Navajo Indian reservation, an AIDS hospice, and a refugee camp on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.