Author Description

Mythology, interpreted by Joseph Campbell and others, has excited a generation of readers. But from Greek and Hebrew legends to Hollywood movies, women have mostly lived in the shadow of male adventure. Now, for the first time, a psychologist unearths the female face of heroism and asks: What is the female hero's journey? How do women undertake the twin quests of healing and empowerment? And how can heroic women help reshape our chaotic world? Dr. Kathleen Noble charts the contemporary woman's hero-path through the poignant, dynamic stories of women she has studied over the past ten years. From their rich histories, she has fashioned a new framework for understanding life's events, and shows women how to devise new archetypes of heroism out of their own experiences. Each woman begins her heroic journey with the call to an Awakening, a summons to realize her unique potential. Each one battles with the dragons of Initiation - self-deception, depression, sexism, passivity and trauma - that guard the path to transcendence. And at crucial moments she encounters Allies, from without and within, who strengthen her heroic self and prepare her for the Transformation. The women whose quests are described here are young and old, rich and poor, of all races and faiths. They set forth on their heroic journeys in circumstances as different as a stifling marriage, single parenthood, and an alcoholic family, and from places as diverse as a conventional African-American household, a Catholic convent, and a lesbian community. The Sound of a Silver Horn highlights the heroic dimensions in every woman's life. It shows how the call to adventure, to a leap across the chasm of personal and social change, can lead us to new creativity, spirituality, and achievement.