About this item
Part memoir, part cultural exploration, this book covers the authors journey as she grows up in an evangelical Christian home, leaves religion behind as a young adult, and goes on to raise children in a family outside of religious belief. Maria Polonchek weaves a personal story with up-to-date studies and philosophic exploration of what it means to raise secular children in an otherwise religious world. Offering careful and respectful advice for other parents who are raising their children outside of a particular religious belief system, she explores the many other ways of instilling identity, belonging, and meaning into our lives and the lives of children. Honest and irreverent, the author admits to her religious "baggage" and searches for better understanding of such topics as religious education, morality, awe, death, purpose, and meaning and tradition from secular perspectives. She interviews experts, looks at various studies, and turns to a variety of sources for answers while maintaining a casual and personal tone. While she ultimately argues for parents to let their children shape their own beliefs, she encourages families to tend to existential and social needs that sometimes go unnoticed or unconsidered in life outside religion.
About the Author
Maria Polonchek is a writer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally from the Midwest, she holds an MFA in English and Creative Writing from the University of Kansas. She has published award-winning poetry, short stories, and essays in a variety of national publications.Maria is a Leo, a young Gen-Xer, and an ENFP. She is passionate about wellness, minimalism, and mindfulness. She likes to have a finger on the pulse of pop-culture but doesn't want to jump right into the vein. She's a Highly Sensitive Person, but can also be irreverent and outspoken. This combination often gets her into trouble.Facebook analytics will tell you her main audience is made up of women in their 30's-40's, though she tends to think of her writing as being more universally accessible. Statistics indicate you'll appreciate her work even more if you are one of her aunts.
