In Reading Ruth, thirty contemporary Jewish novelists, essayists, poets, rabbis, psychologists, and scholars - including Cynthia Ozick, Marge Piercy, Francine Klagsbrun, and Nessa Rapoport - explore this biblical work and reclaim it for women on their own terms. In lively essays, poetry, fiction, and personal narrative, a breathtaking gamut of women's experience in the modern world has been brought to bear to illuminate women's connection to the ancient sources. Whether they explore the relationships between sisters, the complex bond between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, the place of the "other" in society, the heartache of loss, the limitations of loyalty, or the elaborate connections of family, these extraordinary intellects give voice to the exciting array of thought and interpretation that endows this sacred tale with new life. For Jewish women and all readers who want to probe the deeper levels of an ancient text, and feminists who crave a connection to our spiritual foremothers, Reading Ruth is a fascinating exploration - representing an exciting, innovative, and dynamic encounter between women and the Bible.