The next book for the Women of Trinity Book Blog is Martha Beck's, Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith. For those familiar with Beck's writing, they know she is a talented writer who openly shares her experiences. In this book, she chronicles her return to teach at Brigham Young University after the birth of her son, Adam, who was born with Down syndrome. (Her book, Expecting Adam, tells about her pregnancy and the faith she found despite the challenge of having a Down syndrome child.)
We will "live" blog at 7 p.m. on the following Thursdays, covering the noted chapters:
* Thursday, February 17 - Chapters 1-15 (pages 1-107)
* Thursday, March 17 - Chapters 16-18 (pages 108-218)
* Thursday, April 28 - Chapters 29-Epilogue (pages 219-336).
5 comments:
I will not be available to comment during the "live" blog on Thursday so will do so now and later. It amazed me that Martha was usually such a high-functioning individual but was plagued during her childhood and adult life with significant psychological and health problems resulting from repressed memories of abuse. I also found more than surprising the basis, customs, attitudes, and social structure of the Mormon religion and communities. In a Marriott motel room a few years back I started to read the pearl of great price part of Joseph Smith's Book of Mormon and found it so strange that I stopped after a few paragraphs. I can understand why Martha loved and respected her Mormon family, friends and neighbors but had difficulty functioning in that society.
Something has come up for later this evening, so I am doing the same as Connie. Thought the book started like a "thriller" with Martha and her father in the hotel room.
The natives are so nice they make the vonTrapps look like Hells Angels. Ha ha! Loved that!
The wedding - too weird for words. I think I told you all in an e-mail that a friend of a friend converted and married in the LDS. She wears the undergarments.
It's kind of hard to discuss "only" the first 15 chapters, now having read the whole book. There's somewhat of a sense of something bad (and there's the dust jacket and the Amazon reviews, of course), but I found the beginning of the book ... beautiful. Although the author admits that she "spent her early years oblivious to her own psychological state." Not good.
I'll come back tomorrow - maybe late tonight.
We did find your comments here but Kim posted a new start so we're posting comments after that post.
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