BOOKS IN BRIEF
Wicca's Charm: Understanding the Spiritual Hunger Behind the Rise of Modern Witchcraft and Pagan Spirituality by Catherine Edwards Sanders (Shaw, 223 pp., $13.99) Evidence abounds of a growing interest among women in modern witchcraft, also known as Wicca. About 5 million self-proclaimed witches live in America and their presence has steadily crept into the mainstream.
For Wicca's Charm, Weekly Standard alumna Catherine Edwards Sanders spent a year interviewing dozens of witches, young and old, to find out what Wiccans believe and what draws women to Wicca. She discovers that, while there's no formal consensus on Wicca's doctrine, there are a few central tenets. All Wiccans have a deep respect for the earth. Some cross the line into monism and pantheism. As neopagans, they don't believe humans were created in God's image, so a human holds the same dignity and value as an insect or a tree. For these Wiccans, recognizing the divinity of females and female power is paramount. Wiccans perform rituals honoring femininity and most worship both themselves and a Mother Goddess. "Whatever works to make women stronger is the goal," Sanders writes.
The groundwork for Wicca was laid during the American Romantic era, when ideas about the exaltation of nature, emotion, and the individual thrived. But, not surprisingly, Wicca came to real prominence around the same time as modern feminism. As Edwards explains, most female Wiccans yearn to find meaning in life but feel marginalized by a patriarchal society and rejected by a male-dominated Christian church. Political feminism couldn't satisfy their spiritual needs so they embraced a practice that celebrates women.
Sanders's book has many virtues. First is the juxtaposition of Wiccan beliefs with those of Christianity so the reader sees how one is a reaction to the other. Additionally, Sanders's style is calm, respectful, and nonjudgmental. Wicca's Charm will be of interest to anyone who wants to understand a culture and mentality that has led so many women to neo-paganism and self-worship.
--Rachel DiCarlo
White House Nannies: True Tales From the Other Department of Homeland Security by Barbara Kline (Tarcher/Penguin, 238 pp., $23.95) Barbara Kline has been staffing the nurseries of the city's kingmakers and empire-builders for more than 20 years, and, boy, does she have some stories to tell.
The book follows the story of broadcast journalist Janette Huntington and international lawyer David Wilder, who are rarely in the same time zone. As they careen from one childcare/career/in-law crisis to the next, Kline is called in at strategic points for triage.
At times, it reads like an advertorial; the cover touts Kline as "President of D.C.'s Premier Nanny Placement Agency" and page two promises that "No matter how many hours you spend away from your home and family, when you finally get back there, life will be harmonious--because you have a White House Nanny."
What saves it are the real-life stories. The sticky-fingered nanny who invited her employers to dinner at her home--and served them on their own Irish linen tablecloth. The parents who never noticed that their nanny was pregnant--with twins. The passive-aggressive grandma who invited her son, the kids, and their nanny--but not their mother--to Disney World. The applicant looking for a nanny for her one-year-old so she could spend more time with her spaniels. What, if anything, were these people thinking?
When Janette finds herself alone with her son for several unscheduled hours, she very nearly panics. Kline writes that few of her clients ever experience this much downtime with their children. Huh? If you envision yourself ordering up child care 24/7/365, as some of her clients do, you should consider skipping the whole gestation thing and just get an ant farm. Really, who would know? After all, Kline writes, "even the most visible Washingtonians keep their offspring behind closed doors. Hidden from the media." And, sometimes, from themselves.
-Susie Currie