Starr Goode
I love this book. I admire and respect the years of passionate effort put into bringing this mythic history to the page. Many, many congratulations on the publication of Sheela na gig. The book is beautiful. Every time I open it, I am mesmerized by the photos and by your wonderful writing.
HOLLY PRADO, author of eleven books of poetry including Esperanza: Poems for Orpheus and Specific Mysteries, teaches both privately and in the Master of Professional Writing Program at USC.
Starr Goode has written a masterful work on the Sheela na gigs. She gives a solid historic and prehistoric foundation for the iconography of the Sheelas, beginning with the Aurignacian period of the Upper Palaeolithic. Goode shares her wealth of knowledge, and she beautifully balances the scholarly with a deep sense of the spirituality which the Sheelas represent.
MIRIAM ROBBINS DEXTER, author of Whence the Goddesses: A Source Book and Sacred Display: Divine and Magical Female Figures of Eurasia.
A ground-breaking, comprehensive and fascinating exploration of an image that once held the greatest meaning for the cultures that created it. No study of the Feminine Archetype is complete without the insight, knowledge and extensive imagery presented in this book.
ANNE BARING, international artist and author of Habitations of the Great Goddess and editor of The Rule of Mars: Readings on the Origins, History, and Impact of Patriarchy.
Is the meaning of the Sheelas a mystery? Readers of Starr Goode's well-researched new book will enjoy following her journey of discovery and will find an answer hidden deep in prehistory.
CAROL P. CHRIST, author of Rebirth of the Goddess and Goddess and God in the World.
Starr Goode's astute scholarly eye combines with her longtime feminism to bring out this exciting book on Sheela na gig, an iconic image she has called "the perfect antidote to the war on women." History, travelogue, and an artist's insightful "gaze" make this a must-read and very accessible text.
VICKI NOBLE, co-creator of Motherpeace, author of numerous books, including Shakti Woman and The Double Goddess.
This is a delicious book like a five course dinner in the best five star restaurant. It is an all encompassing layered work where all the parts harmonize with the whole. It is a poetic paean to the Great Mother. The writing is clear and exquisite. I strongly recommend it not only to students and researchers on Women Spirituality but to the public at large. I learned a tremendous amount from this book.
CRISTINA BIAGGI, author of Habitations of the Goddess, The Rule of Mars, and Activism into Art into Activism into Art.
You did a wonderful job on your book considering the research is so vast and problematical. But you rose to the occasion and produced something worthy of your peers and scholars in this rich vineyard of research. You had to visit many far flung places, and you did well to get it all together.
ALBERT SIGGINS, Curator of the County Roscommon Historical and Archaeological Society
I am finding your book absolutely compelling. I read it at night before bed and I can hardly stop myself, until my eyes are closing. You have done such a great job, so much thorough research, and the narrative of you slogging through nettles and tall grasses rings so true—it’s visually alive! The Sheelas are amazing, I had no idea there were so many and that they were so varied. I’m just thrilled, it’s the kind of smart and personal scholarship I just love—and there are never enough books like this to read. Your reverent tone is wonderfully broken up by your cheeky comments, leaving a very fresh, original impression with the reader. Congratulations on a masterpiece!
More praise from VICKI NOBLE, co-creator of Motherpeace, author of numerous books, including Shakti Woman and The Double Goddess.
Wow, what a book. It is just what our sacred Sheela-na-gigs needed. It is a wonderful production, primarily because of your work but, as a publisher, I must also commend the willingness of Inner Traditions to produce such a beautiful volume.
Your book will elevate the Sheela-na-gigs to the position they deserve and will hopefully begin to encourage people to embrace them as you and I do. Myself and others (women friends) who have seen the book..feel that your book will be another timeless classic.
I will, of course, be recommending your book as essential reading on the subject. Many congratulations on your book.
SLÁN AGUS BEANNACHT.
JACK ROBERTS, coauthor of The Sheela-na-Gigs of Ireland and Britain: the Divine Hag of the Christian Celts—An Illustrated Guide and author of An Illustrated Map of the Sheela-na-gigs of Britain and Ireland.
I am most impressed by this book on the Sheelas...richly informative, well organized, generously illustrated. I've read it with great pleasure.
TIM ROBINSON, author of Stones of Aran: Pilgrimage, Stones of Aran: Labyrinth and Listening to the Wind, A Little Gaelic Kingdom, and The Last Pool of Darkness
The Crone, Fiona Marron