The Harlot by the Side of the Road: Forbidden Tales of the Bible (Abridged) Audiobook

" Really helps explain how and why women are treated the way they are from the Biblical times to modern time. "

" I really enjoyed this book. It discusses many stories that are not emphasized in everyday church lessons - and provides some alternative reasons for why these stories may have been written as they were. A good read for anyone but particularly someone interested in Bible stories and their origins. "

" There were definitely some disturbing things in this book. But there were inspiring things as well, along with a number of references on the construction and authorship of the Hebrew Bible that I'd like to go check out now. "

" very good reading keeps you saying wow "

" Utterly fascinating book through and through. I could never look at Onanism the same way again. "

" Fascinating - six really wicked tales from the old testament - quoted and retold in modern language and then explained what the authors of the Bible were trying to get at. Stories that we missed in Sunday School. "

" Entertaining & informative. The author (whose parents we knew, members of our synagogue in Los Angeles) goes through some of the racier stories in the Hebrew Bible (Tamar & Judah; Jephthah & his daughter; &c.), retells them, & describes some interpretations over the centuries. "

" Brings out interesting stories in the Bible about sexuality and the randiness of the people in the Bible. "

" Here are the bible stories you never heard from the pulpit or in Sunday school. a truly fun read. "

" Jonathan Kirsch is a great writer and researcher. This is a great book to read and discuss...I appreciate his exploration of women in the Torah - he handles the topic very well. This book is a good read for men and women alike. "

" I love reading about theology. I really liked this book and it's insight into women in the bible. "

" The Bible the religious right does not want you to know about. In other words, the real Bible. "

" There were some very interesting and shocking stories in this book. "

" Interesting book. Good bookclub book. "

" The smut of the bible, done in historical context to relect on culture and take a new look at the lessons in biblical stories from the stories that sunday school avoids- heroine prostitutes, lecherous prophets, desperate woman doing what they must, duped men, incest... "

" The seven disturbing stories certainly had me protesting, "Why on earth is >that< in the Bible?!" Kirsch fills in many cultural and historical details from the ancient Near East to begin making sense of them. "

" Provides explanations to Bible stories that are often ignored. "

" The seven disturbing stories certainly had me protesting, "Why on earth is >that< in the Bible?!" Kirsch fills in many cultural and historical details from the ancient Near East to begin making sense of them. "

" Fascinating read. Great author. Incredible researcher. I learned a lot from this book. "

" There were definitely some disturbing things in this book. But there were inspiring things as well, along with a number of references on the construction and authorship of the Hebrew Bible that I'd like to go check out now. "

" very good reading keeps you saying wow "

" Utterly fascinating book through and through. I could never look at Onanism the same way again. "

" Interesting book. Good bookclub book. "

" Really helps explain how and why women are treated the way they are from the Biblical times to modern time. "

" Kirsch reexamines, basically, the "dirty" stories of the Bible, long misinterpreted and whitewashed. You'll never think of the word "foot" quite the same way again. "

" I love reading about theology. I really liked this book and it's insight into women in the bible. "

" Here are the bible stories you never heard from the pulpit or in Sunday school. a truly fun read. "