The Girl Who Baptized Herself tells a fascinating and lesser-known story that I was completely unfamiliar with prior to reading. The central figure and her bold acts of defiance are compelling, and the premise alone was enough to pull me in.

I had high hopes for an in-depth exploration of the historical and cultural forces surrounding the story, expecting rich commentary and contextual insight. Instead, the book leans heavily into the author’s personal reflections and interpretations, often blurring the line between memoir and biography.

That said, the writing is engaging, and the author’s passion for the subject is clear throughout. For readers open to a more personal, meditative approach to history, this book offers a thoughtful narrative.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I am grateful that this book has blessed the scene for such a time as this. Every human can benefit from reading it. I’m a fan of Meggan’s previous works and this one will surely become a new favorite. One of the things I most enjoy about Meggan’s books is how she applies the teachings from these sacred texts to things she’s experienced and in so doing, has provided us with an example of how, we too, can apply these teachings to our lives. Meggan presents the events of Thecla’s journey in stages: 1) the jolt, 2) a new way of seeing what might be possible, 3) the door opens and we dare to walk through, 4) pilgrimage/adventure, 5) death, 6) learn how to be our own and 7) the return to the place where the call first came, and she divides the book accordingly to show not only Thecla’s journey through these stages but her own. Meggan’s writing has always been revelatory for me, someone who loves the scholarly deep dive into these texts while also loving to see how the author has experienced these texts. We are instructed on how to reclaim the power we have forgotten we hold, and I was witnessed simply through reading Meggan's words. If you are looking for how the teachings of the Acts of Paul and Thecla can be applied in your life, this is the book for you.

I am affirmed, justified and assured. For years, I wanted to yell during a sermons that the stories that clearly show authority and self-agency for women (not the continued denial of the spirit within.) It is funny (in a depressing way because otherwise we would cry) that the church will engage with some of these stories "outside the canon" and make them their own, clearly missing the whole, deliciously dangerous story that chops off their power as they scramble around trying to affirm it. Meggan (always) puts this is in a way that clarifies the scripture(s) and applies it to every day life of those struggling within a faith they love that denies them their own authority and autonomy. This book is proof that women have always taken charge, having no choice and paying the ultimate price that we still pay today, denouncement, silencing and death. Still it is affirming and supportive to keep being honest with oneself over playing into the hands of the "churches" that man has created.

If you picked up this book, as I did, seeking an in depth analysis of the first century saint, Thecla and her subsequent veneration, prepare to be disappointed. The analysis present mostly consists of the author's thoughts and feelings about the Acts of Paul and Thecla, there is no discussion of current or historical commentaries on the work or how opinions on Thecla might have evolved over time. Indeed in reading this, one might get the impression that no one spoke about Thecla, a saint in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches, between the 4th and 21st centuries.

I would not have found this so annoying had it not been for the fact that the parts of the book not about Thecla are a sort of memoir for the author, Meggan Watterson, and I think I don't particularly like her very much. Watterson likes to bring up that she went to Harvard and all of the very important people she runs in the same circles as. She engages in a sort of "I'm not like other girls" behavior about being a Christian theologian, where she repeatedly states unlike other seminarians, she wasn't seeking ordination and didn't belong to any denomination because her beliefs are too radical and feminist. But her beliefs are basically left wing politics, female ordination, and congregationalism, she would fit in easily at most UU or UCC churches or honestly Quaker meetings. She behaves as though she were the only Feminist Theologian, an effect made worse by her reticence to bring up any other commentaries on the Acts of Paul and Thecla.

I found this narrative choice somewhat bizzare until I got to the end of the book, where she plugs joining her church, sorry online community of classes. You see Watterson is a guru and if she mentioned other denominations or theologians, you the reader might choose to seek them out instead of her. It's clear that Watterson's target audience are lapsed and ex-Christians who've never encountered any kind of left wing or feminist Christianity and upon reading the book will decide they want to hear more from her "radical" stance. I think anyone else who reads this book will feel as I did, disappointed and slightly annoyed.

I do have to give her credit where credit is due, I had no idea someone could write a feminist version of Christian Devotional Literature, but Watterson has done just that.