Stolen Innocence, by Elissa Wall

Elissa Wall was raised in the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, an ultra-conservative offshoot from the Mormon Church.  In this sect, polygamy is still alive and well, and is considered the only way to get to heaven.  Children were raised in large families with multiple mothers, girls in their teens were married off to old men, and the bulk of the followers lived together on one of several compounds.  As a child bride, Elissa was routinely raped by her husband, under the command of The Prophet, Warren Jeffs.  Eventually, Elissa escapes, and begins to seek justice for the crimes perpetrated against her and so many others.

Oh my goodness, did this book make my heart hurt for the author, and for so many others who have suffered at the hands of the FLDS.  I am positively fascinated by this particular religious sect, and the lifestyle they live.  I think when any group shuns the modern, widely approved ways of life, it draws attention and curiosity.  With their huge poofy hairdos, long dresses, and sisterwives, the FLDS is their own form of counter-culture, and can be somewhat of a spectacle.  So I guess it makes sense that we are curious and fascinated.

I cannot imagine the hell that the young girls go through when living in these communities.  I remember when the Warren Jeffs case broke, but I knew very little about it.  This book chronicles the very instances that broke the case.  I was sickened to read much of this book, but I do believe that stories like this are so important.  Stories like this give voice to other survivors.  While the writing may not be overly polished or grammatically perfect, the courage and strength of Elissa Wall and her story more than make up for those small matters.  

God Bless Elissa Wall for telling the truth of the crimes perpetrated by Warren Jeffs.

This book is from my personal library, and I reviewed it of my own volition.

 

Papal Bull, by Joe Wenke

In this book, the author makes clear his opinions on particular aspects of Catholic doctrine.  A cutting, satirical look at Catholic beliefs regarding saints, Mary, birth control, the treatment of women, and of course the huge scandalous cover-up of molestation.

This is a book with little gray area.  Currently practicing Catholics are going to hate it.  Former Catholics and those who morally oppose everything about the Catholic Church will love it.  I am attempting to review it from an objective perspective, favoring neither of those two extremes.

On the one hand, I think the author raises a lot of valid points regarding doctrinal contradiction and hypocrisy.  He clearly is well educated in catechetical topics.  However, I do get the impression that some of the statements and language used in the book are for shock value.  And, I suppose that is ok; if the author feels the need to shock us, that purpose is clearly served in the book.  However, I think that a book would be more likely to convince someone were it based more of fact and research, instead of using shock tactics and some of the same old anti-Catholic sentiments that have been around for years.

I suppose, though, that the book's main purpose is not to convince anyone, but instead to amuse people who already share these same beliefs.  That is ok by we, know your target audience and give them what you want I guess.  Regardless of whether or not I agree with any portion of the message of this book, I think it does what it sets out to do, and it does it pretty well.  

Again, this book is probably most appropriate for those who are at odds with the Catholic church in some way, or those Catholics who are not easily offended.

I received a review copy courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

 

The Chalice, by Nancy Bilyeau

It is the height of the Reformation.  Monasteries and priories are being closed, churches being stripped, and heretics being condemned.  Former novice Joanna Stafford and the other sisters from the Dartford priory are trying to make sense of their new lives.  The struggle for power between church and state has put many Catholics in danger.  Prophecy has stated that this grim situation can be rectified, and it may turn out that Joanna is the only one who can rectify it.

Life during the reign of Henry the VIII seems to have been unsettling, at best.  Particularly for a Catholic.  As a sometimes fan of historical fiction, and somewhat of an Anglophile, I really expected this book to knock my socks off, as the previous book by this author did.  And while I found this book to be good, and enjoyed reading it, it fell a bit short of my expectations.  While there was not a ton of character development of main characters, much of that was done in the previous book, so that did not bother me too much.  I still felt like I had a good handle on who the characters were and their motivations.  For me, the plot seemed a bit muddled and meandering.  For some reason, I just was not as hooked as I was by the prior book.

The historical nature of the book is really interesting, and I think the book was really well researched.  I liked the perspective of life during the Reformation from a Catholic perspective.  I imagine it felt very much as if the world was ending.  We often talk about how terrible the world is now, violent and angry, but really I think the world was just as violent and angry in the 16th century, as this book illustrates.  

All in all, the book was a good read.  Solid writing, interesting plot, fresh perspective.  I just expected a tiny bit more is all.

I received a review copy courtesy of TLC Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  See the rest of the tour here.

 

I Am Not Esther, by Fleur Beale

Kirby is more of a parent to her mother than the other way around, despite the fact that she is just a child.  So when her mother decides to send Kirby away to live with her religious extended family, Kirby is mystified   She knows nothing of this family, other than her mother's estrangement.  When Kirby arrives at the fundamentalist family's home, they rename her Esther, and send her into a spiraling identity crisis.  Attempting to make her conform to their strict rules and ways, Kirby fights them, and attempts to open their eyes to the larger world out there.

While this book is aimed at young adult readers, as an adult reader I still found the book to be pretty engaging.  Kirby/Esther is an incredibly complex character.  Her identity struggle is not limited to her time with her religious family; on the contrary, her identity is the parental figure in her relationship with her mother has stunted her development from the start.  When her uncle forces the persona of Esther upon her, that merely intensifies her struggle.

The book reminded me of fundamentalist cult-like sects who have gained notoriety in the past few years.  It makes one wonder what it is like to be born and raised with an environment like that as their reality.  I like the fact that the story focuses on Kirby rebelling against it because she knows there is more to life than this one religion.  I also like the fact that she turns out to not be the only rebel.  While the story takes some sad turns, I am glad the end of the book takes time to further explore Kirby's relationship with her mother.

The book is certainly appropriate for young adult readers, but makes for an interesting, albeit fast, read for adults as well.

This book is from my personal library, all opinions are honest and original.