AS A WOMAN What I Learned about Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned

The gentle rasp in author Paula Stone Williams's voice speaks of how much she has used it as a minister, church leader, counselor, and singer. Her vocal control, specifically her alterations in pacing, intonation, and emphasis, reveals her remarkable intellectual curiosity and allegiance to honesty as she shares skillful observations of social relations in American culture. At one time, Williams was a white, male entrepreneurial evangelical minister who had access to all the privileges of the patriarchy. Having transitioned to female late in life, she now compellingly deconstructs those patriarchal privileges--ranging from male-centric biases to fashion chauvinism. In telling her personal story of transition, her attention to psychological and religious dynamics, as well as to gender realities and politics, leavens her excellent storytelling with wit and empathy. F.M.R.G. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2021]