When I first heard of this book, I muttered, "Do we really need another Paganism 101 book?"
After reading it, I have to say, "Hell, yes, we needed another one."
The concept behind the book is to have a 101 different pagans get together and write about paganism. Think of it as a big circle where various voices of the paganism came together to give a newcomer a broad overview of how varied the community really is. You may not agree with all the voices, but you have to remember that they are out there in the community.
The book is divided into three sections with multiple topics in each one. Twenty topics all together. Each topic has five writers committing on it. Plus there is an introduction...which is how the 101st pagan comes into the picture.
The first section is Who we are--Druid, Heathen, Witch, Wiccan, Shaman, Christo-Pagan, Goddess Follower, Eclectic Witch.
The second section is What we believe--Deities, Nature, Ethics, Afterlife, Ancestors, Past & Present.
The third section is What we do--Ritual, Magic, Prayer & Meditation, Healing, Herbalism, Celebrant Work.
No, I do not agree with everything said, but I do find it marvelous that we have such diverse set of voices in the community.
I highly recommend this book to both newcomers and to those who have been around the pagan block countless times. This is a wonderful book that I am going to end up re-reading several times, if only to remind myself how interesting our community actually is.
Five stars out of five.
[Disclosure: I received a pre-publication electronic copy of this book for review purposes.]
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