Historical Fiction Favorite
POPE JOAN
Donna Woolfolk Cross
13th Century Italy, 425 pages
No, that is not a typo. I didn’t mean to write Pope John. 2017 marked a year of women-focused empowerment. From marches across the country to the installation of “Fearless Girl” on Wall Street to the launch of the #metoo movement, women are speaking up and speaking out after decades and centuries of silence. Pope Joan posits a revolutionary idea. Could there have been a female Pope in the 13th century? It was a fascinating read steeped in rich detail and history that I believed the myth could be true. Perhaps it was only the silence of those times and the powerful men that ruled the Catholic Church that quelled any speculation that there could be a female Pope.
