Being A Pagan
Renowned herbalist and druid Ellen Evert Hopman interviews an assortment of artists, prostitutes, militants, scientists, lawyers, writers, and priestesses who all have one thing in common: being a pagan. As a dynamic and growing spiritual movement, paganism offers many diverse voices, as evidenced by this fascinating collection of over 60 interviews. Starhawk (The Spiral Dance) debunks the myth of satanic ritual murders in the U.S.; NPR reporter Margot Adler (Drawing Down the Moon) speaks to being a pagan Jew; Z. Budapest (The Goddess in the Office) offers a primer on “Wind Magic”; and Isaac Bonewits (Real Magic) shares stories of pagan fathering. Other compelling voices include a psychiatric nurse and lay midwife named D’vora who defends t
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(out of 5 reviews)
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Review by Storm Faerywolf for Being A Pagan
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Aside from the weirdness caused by the book’s re-naming which caused some to purchase it twice (it was formerly known as ‘People of the Earth’) this is a great and diverse collection of ideas centered around Pagan spirituality. There are some wonderful interviews with a lot of different people. From Starhawk, to Victor Anderson, to Annie Sprinkle… a wealth of styles and philosophies are presented.
Review by Boudica for Being A Pagan
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Ms. Hopman and Mr. Bond gave us a very memorable view of the pagan world in their book “People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out”. Published in 1995, it was a look at a time in the early 90’s from the point of view of some of the members of that pagan culture. It was a look at those who comprised the pagan community at that time. Draw from interviews done around 1993 and 1994, many of which were done at the Starwood Festival in New York State, they were insightful and gave a picture of what paganism was at that time, at that place.
“Being a Pagan” is the re-release of this book. New title but the same material right down to the graphics and photos.
While some of you may not have had the opportunity to obtain the first book “People of the Earth”, which is now out of print, this is an opportunity to obtain a new copy.
Those of you who already have “People of the Earth” may want to bypass this, as it really does not contain any relevant new material.
While this may be a wonderful look at the world of paganism in the early 90’s, the pagan community has changed so much in the last ten years. This book now serves as a small window of history about an event and a time in the early pagan culture.
It’s a shame that the cover does not mention this is a release of the older book. I’ve noticed many people upset by that fact and I feel it should have been made very clear on the front cover. The book is supposed to be “revised” but I was hard pressed to find any obvious revisions. Otherwise, it is a book worth having for its look at the pagan culture at that time.
Review by Seb Morris for Being A Pagan
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I too was foolish enough to think that “Being a Pagan’ today was a new work. Unfortunately, as stated by the other reviewers, it is simply a republication under a new title of a book that seemed pertinent and timely in 1996 but now seems outdated and a bit tired. Perhaps the authors could have updated the interviews, as is the title should have been “Being a Pagan in 1996”. Many of the interviews are interesting and the book is well put together…
Review by Hearthstone for Being A Pagan
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I ordered this book under the impression that it was a new book by the authors of People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out, a long-time favorite that I have been recommending to people for years. Imagine my surprise and disappointment to find that it is the *same* book under a new title. (This is a pet peeve of mine, particularly since there is another publisher of Pagan books that is very bad about doing this.) It’s still a good book but I feel rather as if I’ve been duped into buying a new copy of a book I already own. So…for those who haven’t read People of the Earth, buy it and enjoy it; for those who have, don’t bother.
Review by Steven Bragg for Being A Pagan
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I ordered this book under the impression that it was either a new work by Hopman and Bond or that is was an updated version of their previous work, “People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out,” 1996, same publisher. I was disappointed to find that it is neither; it is the same book, with a few deletions in content. Nowhere in “Being a Pagan” or…in the listing of “Other Books” by Hopman at the beginning of the book, is there a mention of “People of the Earth,” and one might be inclined to believe that “Being a Pagan” is a new book. The only hint that it is not is in the copyright dates. As an academic and a Pagan who values academic honesty, I am ashamed that Pagan authors would allow such a misleading in their work (or perhaps it was the publishers?). And if it wasn’t for the fact that I enjoyed “People of the Earth,” I would give this (recently-issued) book a lower rating. So, if you’ve bought “People of the Earth,” don’t bother with this one; it actually has less content for your money.