"This is a book I will return to again and again. What a fabulous resource! ‘Well of course the Bible is sexist,’ I thought, as I sat down to read Clearly Written by Boys. But Burkowski and Fitzgerald quickly transcend the obvious to provide a comprehensive guide to the patriarchal perspective that shapes the story of each female character (from Eve to Judith to Mary) and biblical views on topics like menstruation, property rights, and sexual purity. At times bemused, at times outraged, their commentary is always deeply informed, carefully sourced, and (crucially) entertaining. Clearly Written by Boys is both an indispensable resource and a stirring invitation to examine the roots of today’s male-oriented institutions and even to imagine a different world.”
—Kate Cohen, Author of We of Little Faith: Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (And Maybe You Should Too) and the Substack column Scratch.
"Clearly Written by Boys had me laughing, crying, and shaking my head in recognition of the harmful religious indoctrination that was part of my life for decades. The writing is rich and often beautiful, and the content helps balance out the patriarchal nonsense that underlies the Bible. I found this book refreshing and liberating.”
—Janice Selbie, Clinical Counsellor and bestselling author of Divorcing Religion: A Memoir and Survival Handbook.
"This cheeky, easy read lays out serious evidence that many Bible stories about women are made of ‘obvious tropes, literary devices, word play, plot holes and similar telltale signs of fiction.’ What’s not fiction is this: a throughline of Iron Age scripts in which women function as economic assets belonging to men—useful for producing offspring, performing traditional gender-scripted domestic tasks, and being swapped to cement inter-clan alliances. Why do so many Bible-believing Christians treat misogyny as a sacred obligation? Why are they so determined to push women out of the workplace and back into the maternity ward? It’s all here.”
—Valerie Tarico, Psychologist and author of Trusting Doubt: A Former Evangelical Looks at Old Beliefs in a New Light, and Deas and Other Imaginings.
"What happens when you actually read the Bible, from cover to cover, without the sanitized Sunday-school version or selective quoting? In Clearly Written by Boys, Karis Burkowski and David Fitzgerald invite us to do exactly that, and the results are as eye-opening as they are disturbing. At once a cultural critique and darkly funny reckoning, this book peels back the curtain on one of the most influential texts in Western history and exposes its sexist foundations.
"Whose voices are we really hearing? Spoiler alert: it’s not those of women. From silenced daughters to sidelined prophets, from moral double standards to outright brutality, the Bible’s treatment of women is laid bare, revealing patterns of misogyny that have echoed through centuries. Sharp wit, accessible storytelling, and a welcome dose of skepticism make these insights both compelling and impossible to ignore.
"Blending personal experience, historical context, and irreverent humor, Burkowski and Fitzgerald don’t just revisit familiar stories, they totally reframe them. The result is a provocative guide for any one who’s curious about how ancient texts continue to influence modern attitudes toward gender, power, and control.
Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.”
—Dr. Karen Stollznow, linguist and author of Women Versus Women: How We Learn Internalized Misogyny—and How to Unlearn It; Bitch: The Journey of a Word; and God Bless America: Strange and Unusual Religious Beliefs and Practices in the United States.
"Many people claim the Bible as a moral compass, yet surprisingly few have truly read it from beginning to end—and fewer still have paused to consider who wrote it, and why. In this sharp and necessary book, David Fitzgerald and Karis Burkowski take readers on an unflinching tour through the pages of the Bible, while David Hayward’s illustrations provide a poignant, visual challenge to the status quo. Together, they reveal how often these words have functioned less as divine wisdom and more as an instruction manual written by men to control how women should live.
What emerges is not just a literary or historical critique, but a sobering look at how these passages have shaped attitudes and institutions that have harmed women for centuries—damage that persists when ancient texts are treated as unquestionable authority. This book invites readers to do something both simple and radical… actually read the Bible, carefully and honestly, and ask whether the values within it reflect the kind of compassionate world we want to build today.”
—Steve Ghikadis, author of Humanism from the Heart.
"The Bible is no place for a woman. In the ultimate power grab, male biblical authors severed women from their 100,000+ year legacy of wisdom and creation. This self-serving propaganda machine subverted Nature by silencing, abusing and demoting women to property. Even today, negative effects continue as women lose their hard won rights.
With meticulous research, Burkowski and Fitzgerald take readers on a cultural and historical journey, revisiting famous women of the Bible, and examining laws that biblical authors made to govern their existence. Clearly Written by Boys is a must read for anyone curious about why we see women the way we do. It is a monumental blending of both ancient and modern experiences of women walking through this man-made world.”
—Dr. Brooke Armstrong, Artist, Neuroscientist, and Filmmaker.
"What a fantastic book! I have so enjoyed reading it, and it was refreshing after having spent years viewing these women through the lens of religion. In my religious days, I recall book after book about Women in the Bible, entire Bible studies centered on studying these characters, specifically on those qualities that promoted behavior conforming to the religious version of femininity. Those studies had a very intentional purpose, and we all knew what it was. Girl, what a difference perspective makes. Bring on the matriarchy.”
—Gayle Jordan, Executive Director of Recovering from Religion.
"This book takes familiar Bible stories and turns them around to look at them from the women’s side, then keeps going, asking what those stories have actually done in the real world. It moves between retellings, commentary, and modern parallels, connecting ancient ideas about women, power, and control to things that are still playing out today. It’s not trying to be neutral. It’s curious, skeptical, sometimes sharp, sometimes darkly funny, but always focused on one question: what happens when the stories a culture builds itself on were written from only one point of view? Whether you agree with it or not, it’s the kind of book that makes you stop, rethink what you thought you knew, and notice things that are hard to unsee afterward.”
—Tracie Harris, former host of The Atheist Experience.
"Burkowski and Fitzgerald take us beyond common examples of ‘woman be silent’ Iron Age sexism into satisfying character studies of many of the Bible’s most famous females. As they so often described women as submissives or sirens, Abrahamic authors inadvertently exposed their own tissue-thin skins. While Clearly Written by Boys necessarily plumbs the depths of biblical sexual oppression, it also flips the scriptures to celebrate Old and New Testament women who dared to think – and act – for themselves. This is a remarkable book with a critical, egalitarian message.”
—Seth Andrews, Podcaster/Author/Activist, host of The Thinking Atheist.
"I truly loved the book! I actually was so profoundly affected by the book that I had to sit with my thoughts for a day. It is extremely timely in this age of Christian Nationalism.
I was a fourth-generation female Assemblies of God member in my family, and so I spent many hours, in church and in Sunday School, engrossed in the adventures of the women of the Bible: Eve, Esther, Deborah, Miriam, Mary, Salome and so many others; yet, looking back now, I see those women always seemed a bit weakened, watered down somehow, and, usually, in service to a male protagonist. This book is a restoration of feminine understanding and discernment which have been lost to years of patriarchal obfuscation, and I believe it will be treasured by women everywhere!”
—Kristyn Whitaker Hood, founder of the Heresium online community, creator of the Jesus and Jewish Mysticism FB page.
"Incredibly innovative; I’m envious of anyone this creative. An engaging concept that will prompt fascinating discussions. And it is brilliantly good writing.”
—Gretta Vosper, Bestselling author, Convicted Heretic
"Did you know the name Jezebel means ‘woman of dung’? Or that ‘Jezebel’ isn’t even her real name? Or that in Leviticus, God gave Moses a detailed list of rules forbidding men from sleeping with their mother, sister, aunt, neighbor’s wife, etc.—but not their daughter? And Jesus, don’t even get me started when it comes to how the gospels and the Lord Savior treated Mary. Clearly Written by Boys is an unflinching yet clear-headed testament showcasing just how petty and misguided the patriarchy can be. Well documented and cited, it reveals stories from the bible from multi-faceted perspectives. Shining a light on the relatively few female characters mentioned throughout the fallible texts, it ultimately and justifiably leaves the reader with more questions than answers.”
—Kendra Holliday, Creator of The Beautiful Kind, Feminist, Atheist.
"Raised as a good Catholic girl, and thus having never read the bible, the authors do a fabulous job of showing just how the book I never read shaped my experience as a child, an adolescent, and a woman. I now better understand why I was taught that I didn’t really want to be a lawyer, but a paralegal, certainly not a doctor but perhaps I would make a great nurse and how I need to be desirable, but not too desirable. And as a bonus, how marriage offers the chance to gain security through subservience at least while my uterus is still in play. Lucky me! The authors hit the humorous release valve just as the Botox in my frown lines began to feel the strain of my indignation and rage. This book clearly illustrates the biblical roots of sexist and misogynistic views today and how to grab them with both hands and tear them out!”
—Erin Louis, author of Expose Yourself: How to Take Risks, Question Everything and Find Yourself.
"This book is a deliciously satisfying read about the awful subject of misogyny and one source of that misogyny—the Bible. Those who have been influenced by the Biblical idea that ‘men own women’ better be prepared for a masterful takedown by those who have read this book. Both Atheist and Theist will be glad they read this beautifully written book.”
—Ellen Johnson, former President of American Atheists.
"It’s about damn time we saw a book like this! Karis Burkowski and David Fitzgerald don’t just talk about the Bible; they teach you how to actually read it by drawing attention to perspectives we’ve long ignored and pairing them with smart, accessible commentary.
Clearly Written by Boys is witty, thorough, and provocative in ways that invite reflection. Even religious readers will be able to find something valuable here, because this book urges us to think more deeply about what the text says, how it’s been used, and whose voices shaped it in the first place. Even if you don’t agree with every conclusion, you’ll come away seeing things you can’t quite unsee—and asking questions you didn’t know you needed to ask."
—Hemant Mehta, editor of FriendlyAtheist.com
