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With All Her Mind: A Call to the Intellectual Life
“The feminine genius,” a term coined by Pope St. John Paul II, has become something of a buzzword in the Catholic world. But has the fullness of femininity been exhausted?
This collection of essays, written by Catholic women of diverse backgrounds and vocations, is a call to pursue what is too often excluded from our picture of femininity: the intellectual life. Following Mary, the “Seat of Wisdom,” who “treasured” the words of the shepherds and “pondered them in her heart,” With All Her Mind shows how the feminine genius involves both affectivity and active intellectual engagement.
Full of practical advice and personal testimonies and featuring a foreword by celebrated scholar Tracey Rowland, this collection opens readers to the endlessly unique ways for a woman to follow the first and greatest commandment: to love the Lord with all her soul, with all her heart, and with all her mind.
This collection of essays, written by Catholic women of diverse backgrounds and vocations, is a call to pursue what is too often excluded from our picture of femininity: the intellectual life. Following Mary, the “Seat of Wisdom,” who “treasured” the words of the shepherds and “pondered them in her heart,” With All Her Mind shows how the feminine genius involves both affectivity and active intellectual engagement.
Full of practical advice and personal testimonies and featuring a foreword by celebrated scholar Tracey Rowland, this collection opens readers to the endlessly unique ways for a woman to follow the first and greatest commandment: to love the Lord with all her soul, with all her heart, and with all her mind.
152 pages, Hardcover
Published September 21, 2022
67 people are currently reading
419 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 13, 2023
This was already a topic I would have enjoyed exploring. But the fact that it included plenty of women I'd long respected/enjoyed/learned from (Leah Libresco, Jennifer Frey, Tsh Oxenreider, Haley Stewart) made it that much more enjoyable. I loved being introduced to the thoughts of other Catholic women, as well!
It's as though the Lord knew what I needed to hear through my slow reading of these essays. There were times that specific lines or trains of thought were exactly what I had been wrestling with or needed to consider that day, that week, that month. It's hard to describe how unexpectedly personal and life-giving this book became to me, nearly bringing me to tears more than once.
A true gem.
I'm thankful for the shared wisdom of these women's vocations, lives, and holy pursuit of the Lord in it all.
It's as though the Lord knew what I needed to hear through my slow reading of these essays. There were times that specific lines or trains of thought were exactly what I had been wrestling with or needed to consider that day, that week, that month. It's hard to describe how unexpectedly personal and life-giving this book became to me, nearly bringing me to tears more than once.
A true gem.
I'm thankful for the shared wisdom of these women's vocations, lives, and holy pursuit of the Lord in it all.
June 14, 2023
“When we know truth, we know God, and when we know who God truly is, we cannot help but love him and have happiness.”
this was a great collection of essays by Catholic intellectual women!! plenty of shoutouts to St Teresa of Avila, so love that, and all in all was a really compelling call to all women— single, married, working mothers, etc— to explore how we might be invited to the joy of the intellectual life in our own way. “What does pursuing the intellectual life look like for you? I think there are as many ways to answer this question as there are women in the world.”
this was a great collection of essays by Catholic intellectual women!! plenty of shoutouts to St Teresa of Avila, so love that, and all in all was a really compelling call to all women— single, married, working mothers, etc— to explore how we might be invited to the joy of the intellectual life in our own way. “What does pursuing the intellectual life look like for you? I think there are as many ways to answer this question as there are women in the world.”
November 8, 2023
This was SO edifying. I found this to be the perfect companion while nursing a baby to sleep— one essay at a time gave me plenty to chew on for the day. Furthermore, this encouraged me to continue reading, writing, and listening in the few marginal moments I have throughout mundane days with kids in tow. What a gift for women to behold the mixing of the extraordinary and ordinary by way of their intellectual pursuits.
I also love that I could easily recommend this to women of all walks of life, as its contributors are varied!
Love love love!!!
I also love that I could easily recommend this to women of all walks of life, as its contributors are varied!
Love love love!!!
June 2, 2023
I really enjoyed this collection of essays especially Leah Libresco Sargeant's "Pursuit in the Drudgery" and Jennifer Frey's "The School of Leisure." The work of the home often feels neverending and as much as I'm drawn to the productivity genre and want to believe that with the right planner and right systems, peace will be less elusive, we have to examine the orientation of our hearts. We have to prioritize genuine leisure and cultivate our attention. I loved these quotes from Jennifer Frey:
"....tradition understands and reveres Mary not as a domestic manager but as a model of the contemplative life, a woman for whom study and contemplation are essential pursuits."
"Workism forgets that our highest goal and purpose is nothing more or less than rest in the divine life. If we spend our free time well, we spend it resting in the good, finding joy in the truth, celebrating existence itself. This earthly leisure is a foretaste of our perfect and eternal rest in God's glory that is our true calling and fulfillment. When we see God face to face, when we behold him with the eyes of our heart, we rest in an inexhaustible goodness, and this delight is the fulfillment of our deepest desire and longing, the perfect fruit of charity. There is, in the beatified life, no work. A true civilization of love will never lose sight of this."
"....tradition understands and reveres Mary not as a domestic manager but as a model of the contemplative life, a woman for whom study and contemplation are essential pursuits."
"Workism forgets that our highest goal and purpose is nothing more or less than rest in the divine life. If we spend our free time well, we spend it resting in the good, finding joy in the truth, celebrating existence itself. This earthly leisure is a foretaste of our perfect and eternal rest in God's glory that is our true calling and fulfillment. When we see God face to face, when we behold him with the eyes of our heart, we rest in an inexhaustible goodness, and this delight is the fulfillment of our deepest desire and longing, the perfect fruit of charity. There is, in the beatified life, no work. A true civilization of love will never lose sight of this."
January 4, 2023
A really lovely, bite-sized essay collection without the usual frills of a book targeted towards Catholic women. I loved the many examples of holy women throughout and references to other texts within the Church for extended study on any given topic. The absolute necessity of silence for connection with God and the ability to study as God intends is the biggest conviction I came away. I was reminded ad nauseam that our incessantly noisy culture blocks us from the intellectual attainment needed to bring the feminine genius back to the world. How are we meant to share receptivity, sensitivity, life-bearing creativity with the world if we are too distracted to recognize it in ourselves and learn from the greatest? Reading this mantra of silence really convicted and affirmed that a growing desire for simplicity is a holy desire, one that brings me closer to my inner room. Furthermore, a desire for more knowledge and to share this in community is a holy desire. I am happily impressed by any collection presented by WOF.
TL;DR: Any book that leads me to delete the Instagram app from my phone and provides multiple new book recommendations is worthy of 5 stars.
TL;DR: Any book that leads me to delete the Instagram app from my phone and provides multiple new book recommendations is worthy of 5 stars.
May 19, 2024
Wow this was a disappointing book. Poorly written, self-focused essays in which the writers failed entirely to call anyone to the intellectual life - possibly because they've never approached it themselves. Quoting Disney movies, referencing the same small cluster of childhood fiction books, and heaping up giant helpings of self-praise make up most of the book. The rest seeks to discourage women from actually attempting any serious intellectual work.
If this is an example of women intellectuals at work, then why are we pretending to have anything of value to contribute? Pick up The Intellectual Life, by Fr. Sertillanges instead. He is writing for men and women, and he has high expectations for intellectuals of both sexes. Don't sell yourself, or your intellect short with this book.
If this is an example of women intellectuals at work, then why are we pretending to have anything of value to contribute? Pick up The Intellectual Life, by Fr. Sertillanges instead. He is writing for men and women, and he has high expectations for intellectuals of both sexes. Don't sell yourself, or your intellect short with this book.
March 25, 2025
Read this one per a students recommendation and really loved it! Short and sweet essay format, instilled in me a greater love for ongoing formation and continued learning and I was just delighted by the stories of great women who embraced the intellectual life in their vocation and ministry! Onward with curiosity!
May 2, 2024
Nice collection of inspirational essays by women for women.
September 29, 2022
A wonderful treat
This groundbreaking work was an absolute delight to read and savor. Each contributor is a gifted writer in her own right. A wonderful treat for the soul and the mind, this book would make a terrific gift for the special woman in your life.
This groundbreaking work was an absolute delight to read and savor. Each contributor is a gifted writer in her own right. A wonderful treat for the soul and the mind, this book would make a terrific gift for the special woman in your life.
November 15, 2023
I was delighted by the range of bright, A-list "feminine genius" contributors in With All Her Mind. What a joy to have them assume the intelligence of the reader. After years of mundane media madness, these 17 essays from brilliant minds refreshed and stimulated me.
The title comes from Matthew 22:37-38: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
"The intellectual life is a continuing conversation. In conversation with God in prayer, he speaks truth to our hearts. In conversation with his creations, we cultivate our minds by reflecting on the beauty around us. And in conversation with others, we learn from their insights what we had not yet discovered ourselves. Human beings are relational, and the intellectual life is relational too," writes Haley Stewart.
"It's important to stretch ourselves to read for more than entertainment. To really cultivate the intellectual life, we have to dig a little bit deeper. We will have to befriend books that push us out of our comfort zone. Reading books that challenge our minds and force us to wrestle with difficult ideas, slow down to absorb beautiful imagery, or re-read before mastering isn't for the faint of heart!"
Haley Stewart, in her essay "Becoming a Bibliophile" recommends reaching "for books in different genres to grow your intellect" and adds a note on reading mothers. "The reading life is something alive and growing like a garden, not sterile and efficient like a factory. The goal of devoting time to books isn't that we can be more productive but that we can become more human! Reading, the,, should be a habit of joy and wonder... if there is nothing fun about reading, we're doing it wrong."
Sr. Theresa Alethia Noble in her essay "An Integrated Mind and Heart," addresses the undervaluation of the intellectual life of women. "Women are only now (and only in some parts of the world) just emerging from centuries of having our intellectual abilities questioned and intellectual growth discouraged. The continuing impact of this historical reality on our current efforts in the intellectual-creative sphere cannot be underestimated . . . The world needs women's minds and hearts joined in Christ, to be like two rivers that purify one another in a unity that can only come from the One who is both Logos and Love."
Emily Stimpson Chapman writes about "The Joy of Thinking." She offers three "secrets to finding joy in the intellectual life and finding the specific branch of knowledge whose pursuit brings you the most joy.
"First, don't try to seek knowledge apart from faith." She quotes A. G. Sertillanges, "everything holds treasures . . . Every road opened is a corridor to God."
"Second, don't set out on this path for anyone but you and God. Read what brings you pleasure. Study what captures your imagination. Dive deeper and deeper into what holds your attention.
"Finally, focus. Give whatever you are reading, writing, or thinking about your full attention."
I highlighted most of Dr. Jennifer Frey's essay, "The School of Leisure." She hosts the podcast Sacred and Profane Love, which focuses on literature, philosophy, and theology. Each of the contributors to this book has fascinating bios in the back of the book.
This is another excellent book by Word on Fire. You may or may not agree with Catholicism, but two quotes in the forward and introduction stood out for me. Pope St. John Paul II coined the phrase "feminine genius." And this comment by editor Rachel Bulman: "Fulton Sheen once said, 'To a great extent the level of any civilization is the level of its womanhood.'" She hopes young mothers, young career women, college students, and even high school students read this book.
The title comes from Matthew 22:37-38: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
"The intellectual life is a continuing conversation. In conversation with God in prayer, he speaks truth to our hearts. In conversation with his creations, we cultivate our minds by reflecting on the beauty around us. And in conversation with others, we learn from their insights what we had not yet discovered ourselves. Human beings are relational, and the intellectual life is relational too," writes Haley Stewart.
"It's important to stretch ourselves to read for more than entertainment. To really cultivate the intellectual life, we have to dig a little bit deeper. We will have to befriend books that push us out of our comfort zone. Reading books that challenge our minds and force us to wrestle with difficult ideas, slow down to absorb beautiful imagery, or re-read before mastering isn't for the faint of heart!"
Haley Stewart, in her essay "Becoming a Bibliophile" recommends reaching "for books in different genres to grow your intellect" and adds a note on reading mothers. "The reading life is something alive and growing like a garden, not sterile and efficient like a factory. The goal of devoting time to books isn't that we can be more productive but that we can become more human! Reading, the,, should be a habit of joy and wonder... if there is nothing fun about reading, we're doing it wrong."
Sr. Theresa Alethia Noble in her essay "An Integrated Mind and Heart," addresses the undervaluation of the intellectual life of women. "Women are only now (and only in some parts of the world) just emerging from centuries of having our intellectual abilities questioned and intellectual growth discouraged. The continuing impact of this historical reality on our current efforts in the intellectual-creative sphere cannot be underestimated . . . The world needs women's minds and hearts joined in Christ, to be like two rivers that purify one another in a unity that can only come from the One who is both Logos and Love."
Emily Stimpson Chapman writes about "The Joy of Thinking." She offers three "secrets to finding joy in the intellectual life and finding the specific branch of knowledge whose pursuit brings you the most joy.
"First, don't try to seek knowledge apart from faith." She quotes A. G. Sertillanges, "everything holds treasures . . . Every road opened is a corridor to God."
"Second, don't set out on this path for anyone but you and God. Read what brings you pleasure. Study what captures your imagination. Dive deeper and deeper into what holds your attention.
"Finally, focus. Give whatever you are reading, writing, or thinking about your full attention."
I highlighted most of Dr. Jennifer Frey's essay, "The School of Leisure." She hosts the podcast Sacred and Profane Love, which focuses on literature, philosophy, and theology. Each of the contributors to this book has fascinating bios in the back of the book.
This is another excellent book by Word on Fire. You may or may not agree with Catholicism, but two quotes in the forward and introduction stood out for me. Pope St. John Paul II coined the phrase "feminine genius." And this comment by editor Rachel Bulman: "Fulton Sheen once said, 'To a great extent the level of any civilization is the level of its womanhood.'" She hopes young mothers, young career women, college students, and even high school students read this book.
July 4, 2023
Book 40 of 2023 — With All Her Mind edited by Rachel Bulman
This was a gift from one of my “sharpest” friends. I refer to iron sharpening iron as in Proverbs 27:17. She never lets me get away with anything!
I thoroughly enjoyed these essays written by women discussing the need for women in the intellectual life. This can be in the home, the workplace, and beyond.
One chapter in particular stuck out to me for good reason, Pursuit in the Drudgery by Leah Libresco Sargeant. I found myself highlighting and tabbing on nearly every page. In summation, “When the work is done well, it is unremarkable and often unremarked upon, making the labor feel lonely” (101). The number of times I have felt this in my very bones in just the past ten years is astounding. To hear it spoken so succinctly and boldly made me feel a little less alone!
There was one chapter that I found completely unnecessary, the only chapter I didn’t highlight anything in. I prefer not to mention it by name, but I think it is a good reminder that not everything has to speak to everyone (and that’s ok!).
A wonderful read. Bite-sized and easy to get through in the many broken sessions it took for me to read!
5⭐️/5
This was a gift from one of my “sharpest” friends. I refer to iron sharpening iron as in Proverbs 27:17. She never lets me get away with anything!
I thoroughly enjoyed these essays written by women discussing the need for women in the intellectual life. This can be in the home, the workplace, and beyond.
One chapter in particular stuck out to me for good reason, Pursuit in the Drudgery by Leah Libresco Sargeant. I found myself highlighting and tabbing on nearly every page. In summation, “When the work is done well, it is unremarkable and often unremarked upon, making the labor feel lonely” (101). The number of times I have felt this in my very bones in just the past ten years is astounding. To hear it spoken so succinctly and boldly made me feel a little less alone!
There was one chapter that I found completely unnecessary, the only chapter I didn’t highlight anything in. I prefer not to mention it by name, but I think it is a good reminder that not everything has to speak to everyone (and that’s ok!).
A wonderful read. Bite-sized and easy to get through in the many broken sessions it took for me to read!
5⭐️/5
March 13, 2025
Something really hit home with this but I read some other criticism on the book and I can see where there is disconnect especially if someone reads this and isn't a Christian. I would love to see the opinion of a Christian who reads this and is in a Master's or PHD program. A majority of the book is rooted in the fact that women should be called to an academic life of pursuing knowledge every single day and you don't have to be in school to do that. But there was one essay in here that pretty much just grilled the idea that going to pursue a PHD or a Masters is not for the weak which can be discouraging. But I think the idea of the whole book is that women are always going to desire and be called to chase after an academic life. Its in our nature. Whether you are a mom, post-grad, high-school, GED educated.. you can and should still find the means to incorporate an intellectual life in your day to day life. The world can only grow so much unless women are in the academic space. Not just in higher education, but on platforms and general conversation. Especially in a political and social justice environment, WE NEED a women's perspective!!
March 2, 2023
My word 🥹 I was so convicted and inspired and EMPOWERED (in the true, deep sense of the word) after reading these wonderful essays. I felt seen, encouraged, and challenged. The fact that the introduction opened with a comment on Belle, my favourite Disney heroine, sealed the deal before I had even read the main body. And once I delved into each of the 17 vividly specific and heartfelt essays, the Lord opened up my own mind and dreams for the future in new ways.
Standouts for me:
- foundations of the intellectual life
- the virtues and the intellectual life
- an integrated mind and heart
- Benedictine spirituality and the mysteries of God
- the school of leisure (unexpectedly my favourite of them all)
Closeness to Our Lady characterised this whole collection. I learnt that 'The monks in Christian antiquity called Our Lady "the table at which faith sits in thought"' (p. xviii). I hope to sit in thought with her all my days.
Standouts for me:
- foundations of the intellectual life
- the virtues and the intellectual life
- an integrated mind and heart
- Benedictine spirituality and the mysteries of God
- the school of leisure (unexpectedly my favourite of them all)
Closeness to Our Lady characterised this whole collection. I learnt that 'The monks in Christian antiquity called Our Lady "the table at which faith sits in thought"' (p. xviii). I hope to sit in thought with her all my days.
February 1, 2025
Totally recommend to any woman, especially those who take faith seriously and love to read! So glad I bought a copy of this book as I know I will return to it many times in the future. Reading this collection of essays was the next best thing to going on a retreat with some very inspiring women. My list of authors to check out grew considerably.
The slim book is filled with thoughtful, intelligent, inspiring essays by very relatable women that just make me smile and think “ah! Kindred spirits!”
It’s uplifting and heartwarming to see feminism displayed in a way that makes me proud to be a woman.
The slim book is filled with thoughtful, intelligent, inspiring essays by very relatable women that just make me smile and think “ah! Kindred spirits!”
It’s uplifting and heartwarming to see feminism displayed in a way that makes me proud to be a woman.
Read
February 1, 2025Excellent collection of essays about women and the intellect. This was an insightful and inspirational read.
Few key points to remember:
Virtues for the intellectual life: prudence, temperance, studiousness, recollection
Healing is becoming whole and in communion with God.
Know God with whole self: emotions, will, intellect
Silence is full of God's voice. To seek intellectual life without being at home with silence is to seek a gift from God apart from God.
Goal of reading: to be more human
Few key points to remember:
Virtues for the intellectual life: prudence, temperance, studiousness, recollection
Healing is becoming whole and in communion with God.
Know God with whole self: emotions, will, intellect
Silence is full of God's voice. To seek intellectual life without being at home with silence is to seek a gift from God apart from God.
Goal of reading: to be more human
October 28, 2022
I really enjoyed this essay collection. The theme is how women are called to pursue God intellectually, and it's from a Catholic press. The selection choices were incredible. Normally in anthology books, there are two or three strong stories and then a lot of filler. I genuinely found all of these contributions helpful. The editor did a really good job making sure nothing was duplicated and I feel like the subject was tackled from all sides.
October 26, 2023
I enjoyed the essays included in the book as they covered many different aspects of femininity and the importance of its presence in today's society. As many separate authors are included, I found some chapters to be more compelling than others, and did skip a couple of articles I found unappealing.
March 25, 2023
Great thoughts are in this book!!
This book is composed of many essays regarding women and the many manifestations of the intellectual life. Very interesting, every woman should read this.
This book is composed of many essays regarding women and the many manifestations of the intellectual life. Very interesting, every woman should read this.
January 10, 2024
The variety in these essays was more than I anticipated. I was initially conflicted with the difference in opinion I seemed to stumble upon throughout the variety but by then end I really appreciated it. The last essay was my absolute favorite
February 24, 2024
An absolutely brilliant read - inspiring not just for Catholic women who aspire to be intellectuals, but all women, whether you are married, a mother, single, religious or any combination of the above.
July 21, 2025
Great book and great essays from many of my favorite Catholic women. There are stories for women of all walks of life in the book, most I connected with and others I did not because I am not living that lifestyle. I loved the essay on the female Catholic Doctors of the church.
February 4, 2023
A great collection of essays on the importance of the female call to the intellectual life. It was part inspiration and part how-to manual and addressed women in all walks of life. Loved it!
February 7, 2023
I gave it two stars because it is hard to read. Understand some and some not. Hope her next book will be little better.
April 23, 2023
A beautiful and thought-provoking collection of encouragement for the life of the mind - specifically for women.
May 14, 2023
This book was a great addition to my morning prayer sessions. Every essay planted a new idea in my mind. I’m encouraged to keep reading and to start writing!
December 6, 2023
Excellent collection of essays by Catholic women probing different aspects of their intellectual lives.
December 27, 2023
I adored this book and will read it over and over again.
I'm so grateful to the authors who shared their ideas and the many ways to live out a feminine intellectual life.
I'm so grateful to the authors who shared their ideas and the many ways to live out a feminine intellectual life.
Want to read
January 22, 2024Given to me by the amazing Rachel Bulman
July 25, 2024
I just read the essays that interested me.
March 9, 2025
There are parts of this that I loved and others that I didn’t. Overall, I recommend it, but some of these writers need a reminder that not all women get married at 22 and start popping out babies.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews