Let's give Ms. Higgs her due. As she tells us in her introduction, she researched all these women—you can name them yourself and not miss a one—in over fifty commentaries and used 10 translations of the Bible. She did work at it. But it seems to me that she is more an entertainer than a teacher. Each chapter begins with a fictional account that is supposed to be a modern day equivalent of that particular woman in the Bible. Immediately following, is her commentary on the Biblical narrative, often interspersed with humor or sarcasm. She does keep your interest even when, as I did not one fourth of the way through it, you wish you didn't have to finish it.
Here is my problem with her fictional introductions: absolutely none of them is applicable to me or anyone I know. These made-up situations are hardly commonplace. A couple are downright ridiculous. And they are too long. The first one takes up 12 pages when the Biblical narrative itself only takes 17. A few more run 8 and 12, or thereabouts. At least one is actually longer than the Biblical portion. I would far prefer her to use those pages giving me several different modern, everyday applications in the same amount of pages, situations that people are a whole lot more likely to face. That way she would have come much closer to touching everyone's life. She does offer discussion questions at the end of each chapter, some good, some so-so.
Another plus for her: she got a few of the trivial things correct that many do not. On the other hand, all those commentaries have led her to make some speculations that she then treats as fact. I make speculations all the time when I teach, carefully labelling them as such and always saying, "We just don't know for sure." I do this to make the characters real people with real reactions and real emotions, not some spiritual super-hero(ines) about whom I can then excuse myself by saying, "I could never do that." When you speculate, you must be very, very careful, and I do not feel she was careful enough.
My bottom line is: if you are interested in real Bible study, do not buy this book.
Bad Girls of the Bible is published by Waterbrook Press.
Dene Ward