Katie Gaddini, Esther's Army: the Christian women who power the American right. New York: W.W. Norton, 2026.
"How and why right-wing Christian women have risen to the forefront of American politics."
I read this book in part because I am a believer in knowing my enemy, and right wingers who seek take away my rights and those of others in my circle certainly are an enemy. Within that bunch, right wing conservative women are seriously dangerous. It is not because they are loud, boisterous, and carry guns-- though some do carry guns. It is because very often they use a wholesome motherhood image to manipulate others and get their way. I am getting ahead of myself, so let's look at the book.
This book looks at the rise and powerful prominence of right wing Christian women in conservative politics in the United States. The book is arranged as follows:
- An introduction.
- Six chapters. Each chapter covers one type of right wing conservative women: college women (mainly educated at Liberty University), Black conservative women, the "Mama Bears," the anti-feminist political powerhouses (who often, ironically perhaps, use feminist methods to get ahead without calling it that), the social media influencers, and the white suburbanites.
- An epilogue, notes, and an index.
The author has an "in" into these women's world because she was a right wing Christian conservative woman. This was her world, so she knows their ways and language. She also still has contacts in that sphere, which facilitated her research. Unlike other "guided safari" books seeking to explain American conservatives, this author as a guide once was one of the natives so to speak. She knows her way around and how to speak to the current folks in that sphere.
A strength in the book is how well the author embeds herself in these women's world. She does interviews. She connects and networks. She attends rallies and events. She observes, and she listens. She also let's the women talk and tell their stories. The author may comment or make some observations, but for the most part she allows the women to speak for themselves and show you who they really are. If you are a liberal, here's your warning that a lot of what these women say and do may cause you to cringe: a lot of it may confirm the concern that often the female is really the most dangerous of the species.
Many Americans think right wing Christian women are brainwashed, submissive, and silent in relation to their husbands. There may be one or two women like that, but overall this book should disavow readers of that idea. These women, each in their own way, can and do wield a lot of power and influence while wrapping themselves in domesticity, motherhood, often using feminine charms (for example, Fox News blondes, read the book for details), and wrapping themselves in the American flag. These are complex women who use various tools and abilities, within a very misogynistic political realm, to rise in power and continue their right wing religious conservative agenda. Does it sound contradictory at times or paradoxical? That is part of the deal.
The book if anything reveals that while some women may be conservative due to family raising, for others it is a more active choice, often to preserve or gain some power and/or privilege. Thing is they do so while making the men believe they are going along in the submission, but in reality they got the control in their realms.
Another strength of the book is that the author blends in history with current events. These women and their power politics did not just suddenly appear. These women are the successors of conservative Christian women who came before them. Some of those names, like Anita Bryant, you might recognize or recall, but others may be new to you.
Another thing the book does, from the view of conservatives, is point out constant mistakes Democrats make and why Democrats often low key certain votes like the women vote. Now, Democrats can gripe all they want, but the observations are not wrong. Republicans wooing this women vote know women care for issues other than abortion and feminist theory, and they calibrate their message accordingly. To be honest, a lot of Democrat damage is self-inflicted, and they refuse to listen.
The book is a relatively easy read. It is accessible and well documented. It pretty much read it a chapter at a time, and the narrative just moved along.
Overall, I think this is a good solid read. We often hear of conservative men and Christian right wing men. The women are not just at the side of those men. As this book shows, they are often ahead of the men, even if the men don't quite realize it. Liberals and the Left really need to read this book and heed its lessons. One reason is that very often these women cannot find a place in the American Left, and the Right is more than happy to fill the void for them.
In the end, for some this may not be an easy read, but it is a necessary read. Recommended for public and academic libraries. Academic programs in political science, U.S. history and politics, religion, and women and gender studies may want this book. I'd order it for our library.
4 out of 5 stars.
Additional reading notes:
On the women who got Trump his second presidential term:
"They pulled it off, I thought. From the Mama Bears who prayed at state capitals for the past year, in driving rain, swirling snow, and blistering heat; the social media influencers who gathered millions of followers and praised Trump's commitment to make America healthy again; the White suburbanites, who warned their Bible study friends that immigrants were flooding the southern border and assaulting women and girls; the Black activists who traveled door-to-door in Alabama, explaining to other African Americans that Trump understood them, that he too faced an unfair, biased criminal justice system; the college women who convinced other students that Trump would recognize only two genders; and the powerhouses, who ran for office so they could carry out Trump's mandate on the local level, to ensure his second administration wouldn't be hindered by any obstacles" (2)
As I often say, give the devil their due: they sure can organize and play the serious long game. This is an area where Democrats fail miserably, especially in recent times. Also note that when critics say Trump has a "woman problem," it mostly means left leaning liberal woman. As the above shows, he certainly did not have a "woman problem" with women in his base. As the author goes on to write,
"...he made gains with almost every group of women, including those who are Black, White, Latina, and Gen Z" (2).
To be honest, in my humble opinion, if he had not done stupid stuff like starting an unnecessary war, he'd likely have kept the GOP in full lockstep instead of the party's current fragmentation.
On the contradictions of right-wing women. I would add that those women suffer from some serious cognitive dissonance:
"These results are even more puzzling when you consider that some of these voters disavow feminism yet borrow from feminist rhetoric and strategy to make their political claims. They praise intensive, stay-at-home motherhood, yet frequently prioritize their political careers over their kids. Many work to reform the country's public education system, yet send their own kids to private Christian schools (or homeschool them). They are simultaneously disadvantaged by womanhood within their religious communities and deeply committed to advancing them" (3).
By the way, the word "reform" above is doing a lot of charitable work given what these women really do regarding public education. While the author does not demonize these women, she certainly can be very sympathetic and charitable to them and their agendas. This is likely a reflection that she used to be one of them.
How these women perceive themselves:
"They perceive themselves to be maligned and misunderstood by the Left, like a minority faction under siege; they feel that their place in the country's social order is being dismantled" (7).
Translation: their privilege is not what it used to be, and they're pissed about it. Plus the usual Christian persecution complex among right wingers.
Christian conservative women over history:
"Christian conservative moms campaigned against American intervention in World War II in the late thirties, protested busing policies in the fifties and sixties, fought against abortion in the seventies, porn in the eighties, and sex education in the nineties. Often these conservative women explicitly cited their role as mothers to claim a moral authority over their political concerns. Other times, it was just insinuated" (45).
So basically they've been historically on the wrong side of just about every issue for decades. They justified it themselves by embracing the Christian mom label, and everyone else be damned.
Book qualifies for 2026 Netgalley/Edelweiss Reading Challenge.
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