Kelsey Osgood's second book, Godstruck, is a thoughtful group biography of seven women who have taken the "wildly countercultural" step of embracing organized religion, after growing up outside of or minimally connected to it.
Osgood (How to Disappear Completely) augments her profiles with philosophical context and social commentary that illuminate facets of the women's relationships to religion. For instance, Angela, a science journalist who wrote a book about asexuality, converted to Quakerism and provides Osgood with an opportunity to discuss faith-led social justice movements and the trade-off between rationality and belief. Evangelicalism helped Sara cope with the trauma of experiencing the Boston Marathon bombing. Referencing prominent early psychologist William James's theories, Osgood compares religion's effects with those of psychotherapy, mindfulness meditation, and other wellness initiatives.
Some of the women--such as Kate, who converted to Mormonism--focus on what the LDS church might call a "personal revelation." Kate and Hana, who espoused Islam, began their spiritual journeys by reading Scriptures. Others, like Christina, who joined a small Amish community in Maryland, first satisfied their curiosity by attending sacred gatherings.
Osgood's own story of anorexia and conversion to Orthodox Judaism appears throughout. She doesn't shirk difficult questions about cultural appropriation and patriarchal expectations that arise. However, she affirms unfashionable values such as retreat, vocation, silence, modesty, and sacrifice. Religious women are happier, less lonely, and more connected to their communities, she insists; the "interplay of belief and behavior" enriches their lives.
These absorbing biographies offer a deep dive into particular faith groups as well as a growing cultural trend. --Rebecca Foster, freelance reviewer, proofreader and blogger at Bookish Beck