The  Essential  Woman presents short excerpts from Edith Stein’s Essays on Woman, alongside reflections on feminine virtue by Kristen West McGuire. It is an easy-to read introduction to the life and work of Edith Stein, (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross), a Jewish convert and Carmelite who died in Auschwitz in 1942. The book includes an Edith Stein bibliography, and discussion questions.

A veteran Catholic writer, McGuire holds a Master of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary and a B.S. in Psychology from Georgetown University. She was a columnist on spirituality and art history for Catholic Faith and Family in 2000-2001. Her work has also been published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Our Sunday Visitor, and Envoy.  Alexandra Burghardt is a teaching assistant in the English department at Southeastern Louisiana State University. She spent nine years in formation in a monastery.

The book is only $5.95, and bulk discounts are available for parish groups and retailers. The book is also available as a free gift for paid subscribers to Secretum Meum Mihi newsletter. (Download PDF subscriptions are $12.95/year, and print subscriptions are $24.95/year.)