Reading Guide for “(A)typical Woman”
Our hope is that each of our podcast episodes will encourage you to read and discuss the books we cover in your communities and circles of influence. We will come up with a reading guide for each book we talk about in order to foster discussions amongst you and your friends. So, we encourage you to read the book in the episode and to use the questions below to talk about it with another friend or a group of friends! You can listen to Episode 6: “Biblical Womanhood and ‘(A)typical Woman’ with Guest Author Abigail Dodds” here.
What did you think about the book?
What was the thesis of the book?
What have been the greatest influences on your thoughts about womanhood and identity? What did you think about Abigail’s thoughts in her book?
Abigail Dodds writes about not compartmentalizing our womanhood, and how that can cause us to swing into unhealthy extremes. What does it look like to compartmentalize being a woman? How have you seen that manifest itself in the culture at large and in Christian sub-cultures?
In chapter three Dodds talks about how we are wholly women, everything we do is done as a woman, and there is no changing the essence of our womanhood. Our choices don’t determine if we’re real women or real men. But the real distinction is whether we are being godly women and men versus disobedient women and men. How do you think we live in that truth and teach it to the children in our lives who are just beginning to understand these things? How do we encourage good femininity and masculinity, without burdening them with stereotypes?
Shame is a very popular topic in culture right now, especially among women. What are some ways we let shame dictate our actions? What should we do with shame when we feel it?
In Chapter 11 Dodds addresses women and work. She writes: “Am I faithfully obeying God as his child by meeting the genuine needs of others, or am I pursuing self-actualization, self-fulfillment, or selfish ambition apart from him?” How would you encourage women to proceed after asking themselves this question about their unique situation?
Dodds speaks about inequalities of gifts, and guarding ourselves from envying women who are gifted differently than us. How can we learn to not only not envy but also to rejoice in the different giftings of a fellow sister?
How do you think we can foster friendships among fellow sisters that are built on these truths of what it means to be women so that we can encourage one another in them?
Was there anything else that stood out to you in your reading of (A)typical Woman?