Mad Mary: A Bad Girl from Magdala, Transformed at His Appearing

by Liz Curtis Higgs

“Here’s the truth, Mary Magdalene has been knocking at the door of my heart for three years.
“She got squeezed out of Bad Girls of the Bible when I realized I needed more time to research her complex story. Then she was dropped from the roster for Really Bad Girls of the Bible because Tamar and Bathsheba took up more than their allotted pages. (Pushy, huh?) Now I know the real reason why Mary M waited so patiently in the She deserves a book all her own!
“Come meet the genuine Mary Magdalene of the Bible–not the scarlet-draped legend–and follow her one-of-a-kind story of deliverance and dedication, despair and declaration. Like my previous Bad Girls books, Mad Mary begins with the fictional journey of Mary Margaret Delaney, a bad woman–or was it madwoman?–adrift in contemporary Chicago, desperate for someone to save her from herself.

“Once Mary Delaney’s story has prepared our hearts for learning, we’ll leave the Windy City and go verse by verse through Mary of Magdala’s ancient biblical tale, tossing aside modern misconceptions as we embrace the real Mary M.
“Prepare to be amazed by this eye-opening sister who was transformed twice when You-Know-Who showed up and spoke her name. Oh, Mary!”
– Liz Curtis Higgs


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Religion, History, Christianity, Christian Non Fiction, Biblical

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Former Bad Girl, grateful for the grace God offers. Happy wife of Bill, one of the Good Guys. Proud mom of two grown-up kids with tender hearts. Lame housekeeper. Marginal cook. Pitiful gardener. Stuff I love? Encouraging my sisters in Christ—across the page, from the platform, online, in person. Unpacking Scripture. Traveling wherever God leads. Listening to His heart. Leaning into His embrace.

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Groaner... This modern day Mary Magdalene idea might have been workable in some writers pen, but not in this one.

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liz Curtis Higgs has always been an author I have enjoyed, but this book was absolutely fascinating. Divided into two parts, the first part is a modern fictional retelling of Jesus' ministry years particularly those in which Mary Magdalene played a role; while the second part is a very focused bible study of the character, Mary Magdalene. I have to admit I am one of those who even though I have read through the New Testament had some misconceptions about Mary Magdalene. Using direct Bible Quotes, Higgs does a great job of explaining who Mary Magdalene really was. To quote another author, "With her unique style of "girlfriend theology," Liz touches the hearts of her readers with honest self-disclosure, real-life humor, and grace-filled encouragement."

If you liked Bad Girls of the Bible: And What We Can Learn from Them and Really Bad Girls of the Bible Workbook, I would highly recommend this book.

FAVORITE QUOTES: "Tears aren't a sign of weakness. They signify a strength so might it can withstand sorrow and a love so powerful it stretches beyond the grave."

"When it's too big for me, it's the perfect size for God."

"Are grace and mercy the same thing?......think of it like this: Mercy is the motive. Grace is the gift."

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mad Mary is confronted by Pastor Jake who is determined to help her re-enter society. Not knowing what has caused her to become so anti-social, he begins a slow process of getting her to come to his church. The story of Mary Delaney is compared to the biblical Mary Magdalene who became a follower of Jesus. I would call the first section of this story a "sweet story" as it shows how Mary Delaney overcame her fears and accepted and was accepted into Pastor Jakes church with open arms. However a tragedy occurred in her life and she had to find the ability through her faith to overcome it.
The second part of the story dwells on the life of Mary Magdalene by Liz Curtis Higgs. Having been to 2 of her appearances I just knew I would not be disappointed. She tells her stories with such devotion and humor. First of all I did not realize that Mary Magdalene was a person with some wealth who came from Magdala. Liz gives her views of Mary Magdalene that I had never heard before and dispelled some of the erroneous myths surrounding this beautiful follower of Christ. She follows Mary through the death and resurrection with so much intensity I could not put this book down. If you are looking for a good devotional book with humor and serenity I urge you to read this book or any other book written by this author. You won't be disappointed.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I struggle with how to review this book. I appreciated it immensely, yet Higgs "unique style of girlfriend theology" puts me off. The "woulda"'s and "sis" got to be a bit much and there were times when there was a flippancy about scripture that I did not like.

(Early on she talks about Eve and the Devil in the Garden, and any good scholar knows the devil never makes an appearance, so Higgs is connecting to the 'belief' that the snake represented Satan - however, the concept of Satan as an individual comes late, much later than the Garden story of Adam and Eve.)

However! There are many moments when it is clear that Higgs knows her stuff, inside and out, so I think she knows this, but seeks to not muddy the waters with the point she is trying to deliver.

So, what is the point? From my point of view, Higgs does a great job of capturing her reader with a re-telling os Mary Magdalene's life, first in fiction and then by breaking apart every element of scripture she can find connected to Mary Magdalene, or demoniacs, or women, etc. in the time of Jesus. And through her work we come to know Mary Magdalene, the plight of women and outcasts in the time of Christ.

But more than that... this might be the first book I have ever read that helps me to better personally know Jesus himself, albeit through another's experience. So much of my studies bring me to know Jesus and/or Christ academically and theologically, keeping in mind historical-criticism, redaction and textual criticism, through exegesis. But that does not help in building a personal knowledge of Jesus. This book does exactly that.

Higgs style of giving even just a portion of a verse from scripture gets the reader thinking deep on each character's actions, responses and feelings.

It is a great style and very engaging. I can recognize that even though I bristled at a few points myself, or when she speaks to the reader 'directly'.

So, now I debate is I will pick up another of her books...

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know why but this story really moved me. The first part of the book is about ‘Mad Mary’ (Mary Margaret Delaney) who is avoided by people in the street because she had matted untidy hair and wanders around in all weathers talking to herself. She is unapproachable and people really don’t want to have anything to do with this weird woman. Then Mary encounters a young pastor who has set up a small parish in the somewhat rundown area in inner city Chicago, he notices her and he will not give up on her, he knows she is in need of his help. As this story developed I started to notice the many connections with the Easter story, the characters were like shadows of the people around Jesus during that week and I started to think when we were introduced to someone new ‘which one will you turn out to be’? The story was one of sadness turned to hope and joy and having read it during lent I found it hit the spot extremely well.
Part two of the book is a study of the life of Mary Magdalene and is full of biblical quotations and great explanations and information about Magdalene and also the other ‘Marys’ in the bible. All the information is gathered together for us and Mary Magdalene takes on a far more serious role than just ‘the woman taken in adultery’ who turns over a new leaf.
I thoroughly enjoyed both halves of the book and I feel that I know a lot more about seven people called Mary!

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! I had no idea of Mary's real character. Hers is a story of true acceptance and redemption.
When I was a young woman, I nearly rejected God because I thought the only use He had for women was having babies and keeping house for men. It looked like God's plan for women was to be a permanent and uncomplaining doormat. Yuck! I knew I was a smart woman with talent using technology, and I wasn't at all a timid wallflower.
To me, that meant either I was messed up, or God was. It didn't occur to me that I was taking the behavior of a few women from one church as the sum total of what God has in store for women.
I wish I'd had this book when I was 18 and lost as a woman could get. I was angry at God for only having need for men, and I was angry that He had made me a woman but had given me "masculine" talents. Wow! I had that backward! :)
This book and the story it tells are part of the reason why. God had and still has much more respect and real use for women than meets the eye. Mary, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Lydia, Phoebe, and Priscilla make that clear. The books this author writes have helped me discover the real gift of Godly femininity.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not quite what I was expecting. The first half is a fiction tale of a modern-day Mary Magdelene, suffering from the demons of depression, grief due to a lost child and marriage, and constant thought of suicide who is rescued by a minister planting a church in inner-city Chicago. The second half focuses on who Mary Magdelene was (and wasn't) and what meaning her story has for Christian women in the modern church. There is a good deal of humor, and both parts of the book are very down to earth.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great book.

The first part is the story of what could of been a current day Mary Magdalene and how she changed.

The second part of the book is about the Biblical Mary and what the bible has to say about her. The lessons we can learn from Mary and her demons, her dedication, her despair, her discovery, her declaration.

And we have a bonus recipe in the back for the current day Mary.

Well done Liz.

[Marloes D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit boek is een bijbelstudie bij Maria Magdalena. Eerst komt een verzonnen verhaal over een moderne vrouw met psychische problemen die een bijzondere dominee ontmoet. Dan volgen er een paar hoofdstukken over Maria Magdalena die bijbels zijn onderbouwd. We weten maar weinig over haar maar kunnen wel het een en ander over haar afleiden! Dit deel is echter minder goed dan de andere delen uit de serie. Vooral het eigentijdse verhaal is soms erg ver gezocht. De stijl is spontaan en de taal soepel leesbaar.

Wat mij vooral trof is
***spoiler*** op een gegeven moment wil de moderne vrouw de dominee laten zien hoe de maatschappij 'gekken' behandelt. Ze neemt daarom voor even weer haar verwaarloosde uiterlijk aan om de dominee te laten zien hoe de mensen reageren op iemand die anders is...

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Possibly 3.5 ⭐ stars. The first part of the book, about modern day Mary Margaret Delaney, was good. I loved the redemption story, although it was a bit rushed. The last part, the research section about Mary Magdalene, I didn't enjoy as much. The "humor" was way overdone.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the style of Bad Girls of the Bible, we get Unveiling Mary Magdalene. If you haven't read the first book, that Higgs does is to provide a modern fictionalized account of the woman and then goes into a deeper Bible study of the actual historical woman.

Mary Magdalene has gotten a bad rap for some reason. She's always portrayed as a harlot, a bad girl and wanting something more than friendship from Jesus (as seen in Jesus Christ Superstar,. Even in Passion of the Christ, she is seen as the woman caught in adultery. In reality, all the Bible says before her appearance is that Jesus had cast 7 demons from her. So Higgs strives to give us a picture of what the real Mary Magdalene might have been like based on the descriptions of demon possession from the Bible. She does a very good job with it. Very enlightening.

The fictionalized account isn't bad. It's longer but it makes you kind of think of Mary as some old ragged bag lady with a bunch of cats rather than a young prostitute on the streets.

[Becky Yanak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liz titles this book unveiling Mary Magdalene, because she unveils the misconceptions about this beautiful follower of Christ. She begins the book by telling a story of a fictional character that walks the same path that Mary Magdalene did thousands of years prior so we are sensitized to Mary Magdalene’s story. She then devotes the second half of the book to the actual story, which she laces with historical context, scripture, and her Liz Curtis sense of humor. I ended the book falling more in love with who Jesus is and the beauty of his message. His trust in Mary to be a witness of his life and his resurrected self and for her to be the carrier of these stories is empowering and encouraging. We should all be inspired by Mary Magdalene’s life and story.

[Jean Moulder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book blew me away. Mad Mary transformed by her relationship with Jesus Christ. I can relate. This replaces Redeeming Love as my all time favorite.

[Jess M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me.

I had a hard time getting through this book. It had some great info at times, which earned it some stars.

Cons:
The first half of Unveiling Mary Magdalene was a modern retelling of Mary Magdalene's story. To me the story fell flat and I just wanted to get through it and move into the study of the Biblical Mary. I felt like the story could have been shortened greatly.

The author frequently addresses the reader as "girlfriend,"sis," or "sister." Unfortunate that she doesn't expect any men to read this book. I found it distracting against the Biblical content.

Pros:
This was a great book to read during Lent

The second half disects every mention of Mary Magdalene, gives historical context and dives into the misinformation that has been spread around this Bible character.

[Cinderella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read!

I really enjoyed Unveiling Mary Magdalene. I had the assumption she was a very “bad girl” even though I have read the passages in my Bible about her. I now realize that was erroneous teachings (and listening on my part). I have read the other Bad Girl books in this series by Liz Curtis Higgs and have laughed, cried, and learned about them as well as myself. In comparing Mary Delaney with Mary Magdalene it has helped me to see and understand to a deeper level the grace and love our Savior JESUS CHRIST has for us, regardless of our past, present or future. Overall an excellent book and I highly recommend! Five stars!⭐️

[Lisa Beckelhimer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a really hard time finishing this book. I read it for a church book club but was then unable to attend the discussion. But I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of this author’s books. I found the opening story to be simplistic, bordering on written for children. It was completely unnecessary. I found the study difficult to take seriously with all of the references to readers as “girlfriends” and that sort of thing. Just not my style at all.

[Jennifer Bleakley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liz does it again! She flawlessly weaves a modern day story based on the life of Mary Magdalene with sound Biblical teaching. The result is a book that reads like a novel and teaches like a Bible study. This powerful and haunting story stayed with me long after I finished reading it, and caused me to take a second look at those I may have otherwise dismissed.

[Liz Sergent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Magdalene first person to see Jesus after His resurrection was the woman later known as the "apostle to the apostles." Mary serves as a basis for the Bible study to follow. You will not want to put down this story.
The modern version of the Bible story is very useful in applying the lessons to our own lives. Liz employs lots of sarcasm and personal experience to get her points across.

[Elizabeth "Betsy" Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book juxtaposes the story of Mary Magdalene as is known historically with a modern take on her story. It is an literary construction, but I found the description of the "bad section of town" to be a little offensive and ignorant. I feel like author might not have a lot of experience with this. It felt naive.

[Michele Bartholomew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully written book. Using a fictional story to parallel the life of Mary Magdalene before launching into a study about Mary Magdalene was a great way to draw the reader in. This book helps negate the myth that Mary was a Bad Girl of the Bible. She was on of the most devoted disciples of Jesus and the very first Christian!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book held my interest until the writer switched the story to a conversation among girlfriends. I was relieved when she returned to the story closer to the end of the book. I purchased this book because I wanted to know more about this Biblical woman. It was the change to conversation that I found distracting.

[Shelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy the first half of the book which is a fictionalized modern day re-telling of Mary Magdalene's story but the second half totally made up for it. I loved all the detail and I feel like I learned as much as can be gleaned from the actual verses that are in the bible.

[Linda Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed. I felt the "story" at the beginning of the book was too simplistic. I disagreed with the author appearing to dismiss mental illness as "depression and headaches". I found myself simply not on the same wavelength as the author was. Hoping for a more in depth study.

[Dawn Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the format - allegory and then review with Biblical resources. Very effective! I learned a lot about Mary Magdalene!

[Kathy B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book very much.

[Meagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little lengthy, but I really did love learning all the things about Mary Magdalene.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the way the author made the point that MM is a person that we should admire and respect; a model of faith.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

In office back wall right side bottom shelf

[Brian Alvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, makes me think about Jakes character and his calling. maybe some of us have more still to be done