Women have been among the most dynamic and successful ministers in all Protestant denominations; but in divinity school, Sarah Sentilles discovered that some of the best and brightest were having trouble and even leaving the church altogether. What was happening? To find out, she entered the lives of female ministers -- women of various ages, races, and denominations -- and emerged with the first real portrait of what it's like to lead as a woman of faith today.
Filled with humor, heartbreak, and triumph, the women's stories take us from calls to the pulpit through ordinations and service. Despite many churches' resistance -- conscious or not -- to re-imagining what it means to be a minister, many of these women are achieving remarkable transformations in their congregations. In their inspiring determination to perform the creative, life-giving work to which they are called, these women illuminate a way that the church can revitalize itself. What's at stake is nothing less than the future of the church itself.

After graduating from Yale University, Sarah Sentilles joined Teach for America and was assigned to a rundown elementary school in Compton, California. Through moving portraits of inspiring children, Sentilles relates a heartbreaking journey, as she learns about a failing school system, the true meaning of poverty in America, and the strength children exhibit when they're just struggling to survive. Beautifully written, charged with love and indignation, Taught by America is a powerful tribute to the young lives Sentilles witnessed.
"This is a poignant, touching memoir from a natural-born teacher. The education of Sarah Sentilles is something we can all learn from." --Geoffrey Canada, author of Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun and president of Harlem Children's Zone, Inc.
"Sentilles gives a stirring description of working in one of our poorest school systems . . . [A] profoundly moving book." --Library Journal (starred review)
"Hauntingly eloquent, this memoir raises chilling questions about race, social privilege, failing schools, and the loss of innocence. Sentilles's reflections on her students, their families, and the education they (don't) receive stays with you long after her story ends. This is a wakeup call that we as a nation cannot afford to ignore." --Janie Victoria Ward, author of The Skin We're In
Sarah Sentilles graduated from Yale University in 1995 and earned her master's in 2001 from Harvard Divinity School. She is currently working on her doctorate in theology. Sentilles lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This is her first book.