The best books that have changed my way of viewing the world

By Brenda Ricotta

Who am I?

I love to read. A life-changing event in 1997, started my journey into writing and eventually into my conversion to Judaism. Many years later, I’ve come to realize that there are grains of truth in every faith tradition and I search for those truths in my own life. Currently, I have four books in print, writing under the pen names of Brenda Ray (The Hebrew Midwives Trilogy) and B. K. Ricotta (Two of a Kind and A Love So Sweet). Two other novels (Book 1 and 2 of the Econfina Creek Series) are in the works.

I wrote...

The Midwife's Heart: Hebrew Midwives Trilogy Book 2

By Brenda Ray

The Midwife's Heart: Hebrew Midwives Trilogy Book 2

What is my book about?

As Abraham's descendants prepare to cross into the Promised Land, led by Moses, Hannah, a disillusioned midwife will be tested in more ways than she can imagine. She wants love, a home, and children but she gave up on that dream years ago. One heartbreak and humiliation was enough.

Ze-ev is God’s warrior, protecting his people. Busy doing what must be done, finding a wife is not his priority. Besides, since his childhood sweetheart married another, he lost interest in seeking a wife.When he meets Hannah, they are both tested in ways they never imagined. Will either of them let down their guard long enough to trust again?

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The Books I Picked & Why

Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

By Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

Why this book?

Dr. Estes’ book is seminal. Using her knowledge of symbols, this Jungian psychologist and cantadora, teaches women lessons about how we live our lives via fables from around the world. A deeply spiritual book, Women Who Run with the Wolves, is not a quick read. It is one that must be savored, chewed upon, digested, and internalized. After decades, I still pull this guide to life from my bookshelf and find something new each time. I recommend this book to every woman, young and old. Decades after discovering it, it is still my “go-to” book for lessons in living in a woman’s world.

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Exodus: A Novel of Israel

By Leon Uris

Exodus: A Novel of Israel

Why this book?

Leon Uris is an accomplished researcher and expert in the history of the Holocaust and the Jewish people. Woven into a fictional story, this book explains clearly how the people of Israel came to inhabit the land of their forefathers after World War II. Anyone wanting a better understanding of the Middle East should read this story of present-day Israel’s birth.

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Women's Ways of Knowing: The Development of Self, Voice, and Mind

By Mary Field Belenky, Blythe McVicker Clinchy, Nancy Rule Goldberger, Jill Mattuck Tarule

Women's Ways of Knowing: The Development of Self, Voice, and Mind

Why this book?

This book was part of my women’s studies in nurse-midwifery school at the University of Florida. It affirmed what I already knew on a soul level about how women’s senses hold unique sub-strata. We “know” but have been unable to define the “why” over the centuries. As an empath, this book resonated with me and helped me understand how my gift brought to the bedside when caring for women at the most primal moments of their lives, was innate. It taught me how to trust my instincts.

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A Heart of Stillness: A Complete Guide to Learning the Art of Meditation

By Rabbi David A. Cooper

A Heart of Stillness: A Complete Guide to Learning the Art of Meditation

Why this book?

Rabbi Cooper, through easy-to-follow and deeply human instruction, guides you through a soul-changing journey in this book. His own journey leads the way for anyone who wants to understand how meditation can change your life and the world. He taught me so much about how to express my faith in daily living. A must-read.

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I and Thou

By Martin Buber

I and Thou

Why this book?

Bold in its simplicity, Buber communicates the importance of being in the present, recognizing the Divine in each and every human interaction. Rather than a “me and you” conversation, he explains how human communication should be “I and thou.”