In recent works, such as She Who Is, Liberating Conscience, and Noming Grace, Christian feminist theologians have expanded our notions of God, of conscience, and of preaching by incorporating into Christian consciousness the hitherto unacknowledged experiences of women. In Embracing Travail, Cynthia Crysdale explores, in a similar way, the mystery of redemption through the central Christian symbol of the cross. Traditionally, the cross has been understood by male theologians as redeeming humankind from sin as arrogant ambition. Yet the difficulties of understanding sin primarily in this way, especially for women and those on the "underside" of history, has been recognized for several decades. Rather, argues Crysdale, by virtue of life experience, people-women as well as men-enter the drama of the cross and resurrection at different points: some through repentance, seeking forgiveness, and others through a courageous claiming of self-identity, seeking healing. In an approach that is both anecdotal and analytical, personal and theological, Crysdale provides a renewed understanding of Christian redemption for preachers and Christian educators as well as the general public.