A new review of Quiverfull from Milton Gaither, author of Homeschool: An American History:
Joyce, a freelance journalist based in New York City, here pens an important book on one of the most dynamic subcultures within the homeschooling world: “quiverfull” families where father is patriarchal lord, mother is submissive breeder of as many children as God provides, sons are trained to be arrows used in battle against secularism, and daughters are given a sex-specific home education to prepare them to be obedient wives and dutiful mothers. …When I began the book I was expecting a hatchet job not unlike some of the anti-Theocracy books that came out a few years ago. But to my surprise and delight Joyce provides a remarkably sensitive and nuanced depiction of the movement, drawing not only on published works by movement leaders but on extensive interviews with Quiverfull women.
The service provided here is invaluable for those of us not intimately involved with the movement. I wish the book had been available when I was writing my own. It is very difficult to keep up with developments within this subculture–I’ve often felt a bit lost reading the polemics at various blogs because I didn’t understand the backstory. Joyce’s book gives the backstory.
What emerges gradually from Joyce’s in-depth reportage is a rich depiction of the complex and complete alternative culture that Quiverfull families have created for themselves.
