218 ratings | 13 reviews | avg rating:4.64

more photos (2)

Jeri’s Year In Books

Jeri’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Jeri’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Jeri’s 2025 Year in Books

Jeri Studebaker’s Followers (32)

Jeri’s Bookshelves

to-read (14)
currently-reading (21)
read (219)

Jeri’s Friends (150)

Francesca

691 books | 58 friends

Annie

129 books | 919 friends

Bernadette

3,326 books | 47 friends

Jesse Lynn Smart

1,268 books | 149 friends

Peggy Petersen

1,375 books | 992 friends

Peggy Reiff

93 books | 2 friends

Colin McCain

288 books | 35 friends

Danielle Sales

2,154 books | 363 friends

More friends…

Jeri Studebaker

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

May 10, 1948

Website

http://studebaker11.wix.com/jeristudebakerauthor

Genre

Nonfiction, History, Spirituality

Member Since

March 2014

edit data

At age 18 I left home hoping to become an archaeologist. Although that didn't happen I did acquire a degree in archaeology and a bit of excavating experience - at a medieval castle in Ludgerhsall, Wiltshire, England, which King John had turned into a hunting castle in 1210 AD, and at Seip Mound, a Hopewell Indian sacred site in Ross County, Ohio.
I also took an archaeology course at Oxford University (Merton College), about Britain when the Romans ran it, and got to work in Oxford's famous Bodleian Library as well as tour some of the more magnificent of Britain's archaeological ruins (Stonehenge, for starters, and Silbury Hill).
Although during my thirties I was a "professional student," I eventually settled down, in Maine, into a career work At age 18 I left home hoping to become an archaeologist. Although that didn't happen I did acquire a degree in archaeology and a bit of excavating experience - at a medieval castle in Ludgerhsall, Wiltshire, England, which King John had turned into a hunting castle in 1210 AD, and at Seip Mound, a Hopewell Indian sacred site in Ross County, Ohio.
I also took an archaeology course at Oxford University (Merton College), about Britain when the Romans ran it, and got to work in Oxford's famous Bodleian Library as well as tour some of the more magnificent of Britain's archaeological ruins (Stonehenge, for starters, and Silbury Hill).
Although during my thirties I was a "professional student," I eventually settled down, in Maine, into a career working with refugees. After spending most of my working career helping resettle political refugees from Poland, Russia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sudan, Ethiopia and other countries, I took an early retirement in 1999 and began writing and traveling a bit.
The highlight of my travels was a month-long trip to the Mediterranean islands of Crete and Santorini to study ancient Minoan art (and to nearly expire from delight after a month's diet of Mediterranean food, culture, wine and other exotic spirits). Santorini, which is actually the burnt-out shell of a volcano, stuns the senses: stacks of dazzling white buildings under burnt-orange roofs cling to the inside walls of the old volcano against a sky of midnight blue - and all the while the sun is shining! I haven't written my book on Minoan art yet, but I did finish the first draft of a fantasy-mystery novel set on Crete and Santorini: *Murder in a Minoan Museum*.
In 2012 I temporarily put aside the Minoan novel to write the book *Breaking the Mother Goose Code: How a Fairy-Tale Character Fooled the World for 300 Years*. If you love Mother Goose, fairy tales and goddesses, I promise you: you'll want to pick up a copy of this book. Look for it February 27, 2015, on most online bookstores. Publisher: the UK's Moon Books, an imprint of John Hunt Publishing.
~
My credentials for writing include a B.A. in anthropology, an M.A. in archaeology, and completion of the coursework for a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology (after which I decided college/university teaching wasn't for me and so moved on to other things).
...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Jeri Studebaker questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Jeri Studebaker’s books

Average rating: 3.92 · 59 ratings · 16 reviews · 7 distinct works

	Breaking the Mother Goose Code: How a Fairy Tale Character Fooled the World for 300 Years 3.81 avg rating — 42 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Switching to Goddess: Humanity's Ticket to the Future 4.07 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2008 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Land That Worshiped Women: Minoan Time Traveler 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2015	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Still Starving After All These Years: The Hidden Origins of War, Oppression and Inequality it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Love Inside the Ruins (The Land That Worshiped Women Book 2) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Breaking the Mother Goose Code: How a Fairy-Tale Character Fooled the World for 300 Years 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Still Starving After All These Years: The Hidden Origins of War, Oppression and Inequality 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Jeri Studebaker…

1 post
Jeri Studebaker's Blog: Fairy Tales and Goddesses

You Can Help Save the World

My book *Switching to Goddess* is all about how utopia vanished when Mother Goddesses did. Here’s the story:

It’s 4000 BC. Worldwide, Mother Goddess is the central archetype. But suddenly, She turns deadly: the Sahara and the gigundo central-Asian deserts form.

Great masses of people starve. Salvation (rain) now comes from the sky, so people turn away from dry-as-a-bone Mother Earth, and toward mo Read more of this blog post »

1 like · Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on April 15, 2014 10:22 • Tags: mother-goddesses, saharasia, starvation-culture, switching-to-goddess

Jeri is Currently Reading

Jeri Studebaker is currently reading

Life, Loss, and Puffins

by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

13 hours, 28 min ago

Jeri Studebaker is currently reading

Michael Without Apology

by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Dec 26, 2025 05:34PM

Jeri Studebaker is currently reading

The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland

by Michelle Young (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Dec 22, 2025 04:10PM

rss
Jeri’s Recent Updates

Jeri Studebaker is currently reading Life, Loss, and Puffins by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13 hours, 28 min ago · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Life, Loss, and Puffins by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Life, Loss, and Puffins by Catherine Ryan Hyde <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jeri Studebaker is currently reading Michael Without Apology by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 26, 2025 05:34PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Michael Without Apology by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Michael Without Apology by Catherine Ryan Hyde <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jeri Studebaker is currently reading The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland by Michelle Young (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 22, 2025 04:10PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Art Spy by Michelle Young. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Art Spy by Michelle Young <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jeri Studebaker rated a book it was amazing Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 21, 2025 05:11PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jeri Studebaker is currently reading Summer by Edith Wharton	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 08, 2025 01:20PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Summer by Edith Wharton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Summer by Edith Wharton <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jeri Studebaker is currently reading The Children by Edith Wharton	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 29, 2025 06:20PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Children by Edith Wharton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Children by Edith Wharton <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jeri Studebaker is currently reading Falling Apart and Other Gifts from the Universe by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 27, 2025 04:29PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Falling Apart and Other Gifts from the Universe by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Falling Apart and Other Gifts from the Universe by Catherine Ryan Hyde <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jeri Studebaker rated a book really liked it The Dark Library by Mary Anna Evans (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 26, 2025 05:51PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Dark Library by Mary Anna Evans. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Dark Library by Mary Anna Evans <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jeri Studebaker rated a book really liked it The Man From St. Petersburg by Ken Follett (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 21, 2025 02:44PM · like
Jeri Studebaker is currently reading The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 27, 2025 03:05PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Jeri's books…

Quotes by Jeri Studebaker (?)

“The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood A mother bears a beautiful daughter who is cursed by an old fairy: the daughter will grow up, prick her hand on a spindle, and die. A young fairy modifies the curse: Beauty will not die, but only sleep until a prince kisses her. They marry, but the prince’s mother, an ogre, tries to kill Sleeping Beauty and her children; the ogress fails and the prince kills his mother.”
― Jeri Studebaker, Breaking the Mother Goose Code: How a Fairy-Tale Character Fooled the World for 300 Years

3 likes

Jeri’s Quotes

3 likes

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”
― Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion

tags: bible, christianity, god, organized-religion, religion, yahweh

1909 likes