Once in awhile we are confronted with a person's life and insight so remarkable, we pause to reflect upon our own beliefs, meaning, maturing, theory and theology. This memoir of Pauline Thompson encompasses the astonishing life and career of a twentieth-century woman, a life that variously embraced religious symbolism, Jungian analysis, protests and arrests, careers in education and medicine, as well as relationships ranging from bigamous to bisexual. Writing Pauline: Wisdom From A Long Life explores how Thompson's reflections pose challenges to our common and academic notions of feminist theory, ethical development, Christian theology, Jungian psychology, and ethnographic research.

"[Stearns] writes with authority when theorizing in the introduction and conclusion, helping simplify the crisscrossing themes of feminist theory, theology, and Jungian psychology...By sharing life stories Stearns illuminates one woman's path from 'foolishness to wisdom.'" - Washington State Magazine