<p>Of all the women in the Bible, Sarah is one of the most fascinating. Too often though, she has been understood only in the light of her marriage to Abraham. Schneider contends that in spite of Abraham's treatment of her, Sarah possessed a strong identity of her own. Although the patriarchal tone of the biblical texts makes it difficult for us to see Sarah in all her strength, Schneider clearly demonstrates that Sarah played a decisive role in the history of Israel, culminating in her becoming mother of all Israel by bearing Isaac. In recent years, however, the image of Sarah has not fared well in scholarship, where she is depicted as petty, indulgent, and self-absorbed, and as the oppressor of Hagar. Schneider examines Sarah and her role in Genesis as a way of understanding women's roles in the biblical text. Using these fresh readings of the Sarah narratives, Sarah: Mother of Nations provides critical insights into the ways the biblical writers constructed women's roles, and offers glimpses into modern methods for reading women's narratives in the Hebrew Bible.</p>