Category Archives: American Literature

Spiritual Mothering: The Titus 2 Model for Women Mentoring Women by Susan Hunt

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Synopsis:
A study on how to cultivate mentoring relationships among women.

Review:
We read through Spiritual Mothering in my Friday morning moms’ Bible Study, and we all really got a lot out of it. The basic idea is that women grow spiritually both by looking up to women who are older than them, either in age or in spiritual maturity, and that women also grow spiritually by becoming mentors themselves. The book offers insights from the Bible and from the author’s own spiritual journey and those of women she has known, starting from Mary’s visit to Elizabeth back when she was pregnant with Jesus. I especially liked the sections on how to develop good listening skills, because I feel like I can’t ever learn too much about how to know when to shut up!

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I Can’t Hear God Anymore: Life in a Dallas Cult by Wendy J. Duncan

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Synopsis:
A woman reflects on her time with Ole Anthony’s Trinity Foundation, which left after realizing that she was in a cult.

Review:
I Can’t Hear God Anymore was interesting for its insight into how someone becomes involved in a cult, though it was a little on the rambly side. I wanted a bit more theology, though I did appreciate the depth of her psychological self-awareness.

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Triumph: Life After the Cult–A Survivor’s Lessons by Carolyn Jessop

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Synopsis:
After fleeing the FLDS with her 8 children, Carolyn Jessop becomes involved in the events following the raid on the FLDS compound where 400 children were taken by CPS because underage girls were being forced into plural marriages with old men.

Review:
I am fascinated by closed communities, and Triumph taught me so much about the inner workings of the FLDS, a radical sect of Mormonism that puts plural marriage at the forefront of their theology. Even better, I learned so much about what really went on when the FBI raided that compound in Texas. The psychological complexity of the women and men who make up this powerful cult was just fascinating beyond belief. It was a good companion piece to Daughters of Zion, with much better writing.

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Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

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Synopsis:
Girl falls in love with vampire.

Review:
I know, I know, I’m a total latecomer to Twilight. And honestly I never would have picked it up if it weren’t for my dear friend’s commentary at Reads4Tweens. I also never would have read it if I hadn’t been able to get it for free for my Kindle from the library. I’ve never been that into vampires or romances. It wasn’t written as badly as I thought it was, but there were still some chunks that I glossed over because it was just enough already. I have put the second book on hold from the library, because I’m a completist, albeit one who knows when to quit.

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The Games by Ted Kosmatka

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Synopsis:
A geneticist prepares a computer-designed monster for competition in an Olympic gladiatorial competition between genetically engineered creatures, only the codes may have engineered the creature for more than just a game.

Review:
The Games is a fast-paced, scary thriller that harkened back to Michael Crichton’s down-and-dirty days. I have to say I regretted finishing it so late at night! Creepy monster + creepy computer + gladiatorial spectacle = quite the riveting read. Plus the prose was better-than-average and I actually enjoyed the author’s style. I don’t like plot for plot’s sake–though I do love plot in general–so the good writing is really what kept me going.

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Grace by T. Greenwood

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Synopsis:
A father takes his son out to the woods–and takes aim, calling him a monster, and only the events of the previous year can explain how things went this far.

Review:
In Grace, T. Greenwood returns to Two Rivers for this intimate, gut-wrenching tale of a family gone so wrong that their troubles spiral out and affect everyone around them. Elsbeth is unhappy, her only pleasure in life her six-year-old daughter Gracy. Her husband Kurt is breaking his back in fear of a looming balloon payment, while trying to rescue his hoarder father from the garbage that’s destroying his house. Their son, Trevor, is in agony at school, victimized by both school bullies and the school administration for reacting in anger. They all make seemingly harmless choices in order to keep the peace and find some relief from their pain, but every action has a reaction.

The resulting story is so exquisitely harrowing to read that I couldn’t put it down. Greenwood is at the top of her game with this story, which reminded me a bit of We Need to Talk About Kevin, only written by someone with genuine love for her characters. Greenwood made me ache for her characters and she earned every minute of my attention.

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Hapenny Magick by Jennifer Carson

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Synopsis:
A tiny Hapenny named Mae finds herself fighting against a disguised troll who wants to turn Mae and the other Hapennies into food for her troll friends.

Review:
Hapenny Magick is an adorable little fantasy tale, perfect for middle grade readers who enjoy fantasy stories. The world is charming, the characters imaginative, and the illustrations captured my four-year-old’s attention in a positive way. I think she’ll enjoy this one when she’s old enough to read it.

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Daughters of Zion: My Family’s Conversions to Polygamy by Kim Taylor

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Synopsis:
A memoir by a girl who grew up in a Mormon sect practicing polygamy that spawned a feud between brothers that became a massacre.

Review:
In Daughters of Zion, Kim Taylor really made me understand the inner life of a girl who would accept polygamy. I really appreciated her honesty and candor in portraying the spiritual abuse she suffered and how she never questioned what was going on around her. She also showed the positive side of growing up in a tight knit community, where she grew up with dozens of friends just like her.

The most powerful scenes in the book involved Kim’s coming to terms with polygamy. For example, she’d been courted for years by one of the leading men in the community–and didn’t quite know how to handle it when one of his sons came courting as well. She came close to becoming the new wife of yet another older man, only to decide that polygamy could never be right for her. In all of this, Kim managed never to slander any of the men, even as she criticized the way they led their flock astray. She seems genuinely grieved that the men she trusted and the boys and girls she grew up with could make such deadly choices. Perhaps this is why the story doesn’t seem to come together completely–there were a lot of blanks that I had trouble filling in–but I don’t think she set out to write a history per se. I would’ve appreciated a timeline and a family tree to help keep everything straight, but the emotional content was solidly done.

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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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Synopsis:
Against the backdrop of a dreamlike traveling circus, two magicians pit their powers against each other in a battle royale complicated by the transcendent love growing in spite of the rigid constraints of the game.

Review:
I had low-ish expectations for The Night Circus. I couldn’t wrap my brain around the weird plot description, and the glowing reviews had me suspicious that the book was all superficial charm.

I could not put the book down. I was utterly transported into the world of the circus, where every tent holds ethereal, poetic, supernatural wonders, like a labyrinth that keeps growing new rooms, or a chamber filled with vials that hold scents evoking specific times and places and memories.

The core of the book is a love story between Marco and Celia, two magicians bound in childhood in a mystical competition, trained to hide their powers in plain sight in a world that doesn’t know that magic is real. I totally fell for it, completely and utterly and heartbreakingly. I loved every detail, believed every nuance, and wished the book weren’t over quite so soon. I was reminded of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (and I don’t think I’m the only one), but this book had so much more heart and soul that I know I won’t soon forget it, the way I did with Jonathan Strange.

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I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can by Barbara Gordon

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Synopsis:
The classic autobiography of a TV producer recovering from a Valium addiction.

Review:
I read I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can because it was only 99 cents for Kindle. It has not aged well at all but I couldn’t put it down. It’s so dated but I found her earnestness kind of refreshing. However, the therapy she got was pretty horrifying, especially all the doctors who justified and even defended the behavior of her abusive boyfriend. I never quite understood exactly what was happening to her until the end when it was explained that she had a psychotic break. So maybe her boyfriend didn’t really abuse her? It didn’t quite make sense.

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