Daughters of the Desert

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 Womenfrom 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.

"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

• Timeline of the StoriesIntroductionJewish StoriesA Thousand WrinklesA story of SarahRiver JourneyA story of ShiphrahA Dance in the DesertA story of MiriamThe Pool of SiloamA story of HuldahO Come My BelovedA story of ShoshanaReturn to HadassahA story of EstherChristian StoriesWoman to WomanA story of Mary of NazarethCrumbs from the TableA story of EleniWill I Drink of His Cup?A story of SalomeServant to TruthA story of BinahLove Casts Out FearA story of Mary MagdaleneWeaving a ChurchA story of LydiaMuslim StoriesThe Night WindA story of EveThe Waters of ZamzamA story of HagarA Faith BlossomsA story of KhadijaPrayers in the DarknessA story of FatimaThe Merchant Boys' PrankA story of ZarahThe Dogs of al-Haw’abA story of AishaFurther ReadingAuthors’ NoteAcknowledgmentsReader’s Discussion Guide