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Warrior Mothers: Stories to Awaken the Flames of the Heart
by Thais Mazur Rising Star Press
Santa Cruz, CA, 2004.
Bursting with impassioned stories and detailed information on a wide variety of vital issues, Warrior Mothers will have you jumping on the internet to research how you can get involved in changing the world. Whether you are interested in environmental issues, indigenous rights, empowering those without a voice, or organizing your own farmer’s market, the stories of the women in Warrior Mothers will fan the flames of your own pet interest and incite you to action. Culled from interviews and rewritten into first person narratives, Thais Mazur, an investigative journalist and choreographer, offers stories from artists, writers, therapists, and activist women from across the country who are effectively changing the future of the planet in positive ways, both large and small. Diane Wilson faced the terror of having her fishing boat sunk beneath her, and the heartbreak of her own husband locking her out of her house as she successfully fought for zero discharge from chemical companies. Jodie Evans endurance through hardship and abuse formed her into the activist and founding member of CODEPINK that she is today. Demonstrating that the new paradigm required for positive change is rooted in the blending of the mythological female warrior and the nurturing mother, the warrior mothers profiled in this text demonstrate that not only is it possible to change the world while holding a small child in your arms, but indeed it is the compassion and wisdom learned in the caring for this child that both makes the activist work vital and creates the source of strength and endurance required for success. For those whose vision of the world is based on the importance of human life and dignity, these stories will truly awaken the flames of your heart.
Alec Franklor owns and operates RetreatFinder.com, an online directory of spiritual and healing retreats. She is also an arts administrator and photographer. She can be reached at books@retreatfinder.com.
REVIEW
Warrior Mothers: Stories to Awaken the Flames of the Heart
Now is the time for this much needed and well thought out book. If you are tired of the state of the world, feeling paralyzed by fear, not knowing how to contribute to healing the planet, Thaïs Mazur's new book, Warrior Mothers: Stories to Awaken the Flames of the Heart, points the way to anyone’s ability to make a difference.
Twenty-four women, from all walks of life, offer their personal stories to “inspire and awaken us from apathy and despair to a call to action.”
Mazur’s style of gathering the stories and editing them so they are accessible and powerful to read, keeps the book alive and fascinating. Mazur writes, “Armed with passion, a fierce protective nature and the undeniable wisdom of the ages, these women change the world one person, one block, one cause, one city at a time. Each woman's story affirms a belief in humanity's capacity to make changes and supports the dream that a better future is possible.”
The stories in this book encompass many lifestyles and situations of women who have taken stands against all odds. Environmental issues, human rights issues, and many others are covered. These stories show us that making a difference in the world doesn't take a rich, famous or highly educated person. Sometimes, out of simple and ordinary lives, events occur that light the spark and we have no choice but to right the wrong.
LaDonna Redmond tells the story about her infant son who was faced with a life-threatening illness from the food he was eating. She decided to organize the first Black farmers' market and is now organizing the first organic food cooperative in her Illinois community. Terri Swearingen heard about a toxic incinerator being built 400 yards from a West Virginia elementary school and became a full-time activist to shut it down. Marsha Green fell in love with whales on a vacation in Hawaii and is now spearheading the battle against low frequency active sonar testing, which has killed hundreds of marine mammals.
Mazur says it all in her Epilogue writing “These women show us that it doesn't take a super heroine to create change. Most took their first step unknowingly, guided by a calling they could not ignore. It either launched them onto a path of harmony with their life or created a major turning point full of challenges and unknowns. Like throwing a pebble into a still pond, a simple thought became an act rippling outward, gathering energy like a wave rolling across the ocean. Whether it involved their family, their community or the world, each woman was moved by a deep inner wisdom--an undeniable call--that transformed their lives and those around them ... a call awakening the flames of the heart.”
This book couldn’t have come out at a better time. These stories really do inspire and give us role models to get up off the couch and take action in our own way. Get it,
read it and pass it on! - Deborah Roth
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