Snake Oil, Reverend Becca Stevens
Snake Oil, Reverend Becca Stevens
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Snake Oil
The Art of Healing and Truth-Telling

Author: Reverend Becca Stevens

Narrator: Reverend Becca Stevens

Unabridged: 4 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Jericho Books

Published: 03/12/2013


Synopsis

"In the world of snake oils, you have to see the world a little differently. Where others see poverty, you see riches; where others see weeds, you see flowers; where others see sickness, you see openness."

Becca Stevens calls herself a "snake oil seller": She takes natural oils, mixes them with a good story, sells them in an open market and believes they help to heal the world. Becca is the founder of Thistle Farms, one of the most successful examples in the US of a social enterprise whose mission is the work force. She is also the founder of its residential program, Magdalene. The women of Magdalene/Thistle Farms have survived prostitution, trafficking and addiction, and the natural body care products they manufacture-balms, soaps, and lotions-aid in their own healing as well as that of the people who buy them. The book weaves together the beginnings of the enterprise with individual stories from Becca's own journey as well as 20 women in the community.

In Snake Oil, Becca tells how the women she began helping fifteen years ago have been the biggest source of her own healing from sexual abuse and her father's death as a child. Wise and reflective, Snake Oil offers an empowering narrative as well as a selection of recipes for healing remedies that readers can make themselves.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jodene on January 30, 2022

I loved this book and will listen again. Tender, gritty, inspiring, truth-telling.......more

Goodreads review by Rain on April 25, 2021

I really loved this book. I'm not religious but Beccas faith was real, deep-rooted, and inspirational nonetheless. Regardless of being Christian or not. The core value in this book is something everyone should heed - Love heals all. And we should love each other and ourselves as we would love the di......more

Goodreads review by Alex on October 07, 2018

Mesmerizing. I’ve been one of those people in the past who think essential oils are the tools of people who keep their head in some kind of goofy cloud, and this book certainly shows a far more human side of that industry than I ever imagined. I won’t be abandoning Excedrin totally, but one thing Be......more

Goodreads review by David on November 01, 2019

I adored this book. Becca Stevens’ writing is honest and insightful and it is so warm in its presentation. I would love to hear her speak in person or even meet her, if I am ever presented with the opportunity. I am a member of the Jewish clergy, and could often relate to her perspective, and other......more

Goodreads review by MARY JANE CLARK on April 02, 2018

Uplifting! The honesty, the painful truths and the hopes for the future are all to be found here. Becca Stevens must surely be on the road to sainthood . The good works this woman managed, with God's grace and help, are an inspiration to me. Not only will I buy Thistle Farms products, but I will shar......more


Quotes

"SNAKE OIL is one of the best reads I have had in a very long time. Stevens is a consummate storyteller...poignant, persuasive, witty, wise and, ultimately, a passionate lover of God."

Phyllis Tickle, lecturer on religion in America and author of Emergence Christianity: What it Is, Where it is Going, and Why it Matters

"A simple, comforting reflection on one woman's crusade to make a difference in the world."—Kirkus Reviews

"Rich and insightful."—Booklist

"SNAKE OIL, Becca Stevens' profound and sensual autobiography, carries a weight of joy in every syllable. Stevens' greatest gift--as a writer and as an Episcopal priest--is an ability to make falling in love with God an inevitable, sacred, and necessary reality."

Alice Randall, author of The Wind Done Gone and Ada's Rules

"In her new book,Becca Stevens does more than reclaim the term Snake Oil, she tells a personal story of reclaiming life, hope, and grace. A truly inspiring read of painful hardships, enduring faith and seizing hope."—Senator Bill Frist, M.D.

"With her signature poetic simplicity, Becca Stevens leads us bravely through her healing journey and along the path she has forged for so many wounded women-so that we can find our own way as both healed and healer. Reading this book is like being anointed with the very oils she writes about."—Nancy Rue, Christy Award-winning author of The Reluctant Prophet trilogy, inspired by Magdalene and Thistle Farms

"I always think of Becca Stevens as a sort of extraordinary, down-to-earth angel--conscience, guide, inspiration and girlfriend all rolled into one. I will treasure this book."—Lee Smith, author of Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger

"Only Becca Stevens can write a book extolling the virtues of being a snake oil salesman, and have us believe it. After reading this, I'm ready to be anointed!"—Marshall Chapman, author of They Came to Nashville and Goodbye, Little Rock and Roller

"This book is a fascinating life story of a woman who took the evil done to her and used it for the motivation to do good for abused women around the world. She has been God's instrument for healing and hope for countless numbers of broken women across America."—Tony Campolo, PhD, Eastern University

"Some old-timey snake-oil salesmen offered the Gospel and then sold their products. Becca Stevens does it the other way around. This book helps explain why her way works better."—Don Schlitz, Grammy Award-winning songwriter