Synopsis:
A true story of a woman who escaped polygamy with her eight children, despite being the plural wife of one of the most powerful men in the FLDS.
Review:
Carolyn Jessop’s story is fascinating and inspiring. As a mom myself, I was moved by her love for her children and her tenacity at making the system work for her. In Escape,
she takes readers through her harrowing journey from true believing sister wife to crusader for justice.
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!
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.
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.
Synopsis:
A young woman grows up in the extremely conservative Satmar group of Hasidic Jews, and the failure of her arranged marriage leads her to yearn for freedom.
Review:
I was very impressed by Deborah Feldman when I heard her on the Leonard Lopate show, and I was inspired to read her memoir Unorthodox. I am fascinated by strict religious groups, particularly when their practices elevate men and demean women. I loved Deborah’s honesty and insight into the way her identity was shaped by her upbringing, but also how she had a spark inside her that couldn’t be stifled. For example, she would sneak out to the library and hide contraband copies of classic works by Austen and Dickens under her mattress because her grandfather wouldn’t allow English to be spoken or read in his home. Feldman has worked so hard to carve out a life for herself as a single mom with no high school diploma, and I truly wish her all the best.
Synopsis:
A homeschooling widow with six kids finds her life thrown into chaos when her pastor announces the whole church is moving to another town–and she doesn’t want to go.
Review:
I just loved When Sparrows Fall. It’s the rare book about Christians that manages to portray a life of faith while still remembering that the characters are people, too. It was critical of things that are wrong in certain sectors of Christianity without condemning the faith as a whole. And the details brought to Miranda’s life were just spot on–I really felt like I knew her and came to really love her and wish that we could be friends.
I’m a Christian homeschooling mom myself, albeit an urban one who isn’t involved in a patriarchal church or marriage. We don’t use corporal punishment and we wear regular clothes. We’ll probably stop at just 2 kids–no quiver-filling here. Yet I’m oddly protective of the women who get laughed at for their old-fashioned ways. Their earnestness and sincerity appeals to me. I loved seeing how Miranda was able to wake up to the things that were holding her and her family back from following God while still remaining fundamentally the same.
Her pastor was clearly a guy to be wary of, yet Meg Moseley held back from making him a full-on wicked villain. He was just a man, with flaws and sins and errors. Sure, he’s dangerous–very much so–but he’s not a cartoon character. I appreciated that, too. And there were some great surprises hidden in that storyline.
Love love love this book.
Synopsis:
After the suicide of their friend, an underground home birth midwife, best friends Tara and Emerson discover a mare’s nest of secrets that threaten the happiness they’ve worked so hard to create.
Review:
I found no surprises in The Midwife’s Confession, which is a decent but not great read. I found the whole thing a little frustrating, waiting for the characters to catch up with me. But it was nice to see home birth portrayed as a safe and reasonable option, rather than an excuse for drama.
Synopsis:
Tina Fey’s memoir of her rise from nerdy little Philly girl to comedy superstar and member of the showbiz power elite.
Review:
Naturally, I opted for the audiobook version of Bossypants since Tina Fey was doing the reading herself. Yay! Bonus: it included the full version of the Katie Couric/Sarah Palin interview sketch that she and Amy Poehler did for SNL. Unbonus: it does not include the worldbeatingly awesome rap that Amy Poehler did when Sarah Palin actually visited SNL (what Fey labels a “sneaker-upper”). I know Fey didn’t write it or perform in it but it would have put the audiobook into “best audiobook ever” territory if it had.
Fey manages to convey a winsome, underdog demeanor even when she’s describing her own successes, and I ended the book with a true admiration of her tenacity and intelligence. She’s more than just a wit, she’s got ambition, drive, and the ability to make the most of her opportunities.
I will offer one small criticism–surely Tina Fey, comedy genius extraordinaire, can come up with a better way to take down moms who are smug about breastfeeding than the phrase “Teat Nazi”? People have been hurling that invective ever since a group of moms started La Leche League 50 years ago, so (a) it’s not a new joke. And (b), the word Nazi really needs to be reserved for racially motivated genocide. Last I checked, even the most pompous sanctimommy out of Park Slope doesn’t want to kill any body, even if she thinks you’re a crap parent for not hitting your Mothering Magazine-approved checklist of crunch points. You can find a lot more awesome schtick on Trolls with Wooden Spoons.
Synopsis:
The autobiography of a homebirth midwife in New York City.
Review:
Labor of Love is a book that really meant a lot to me. I had both of my daughters at home with midwives and worked quite hard this spring lobbying Albany to pass the Midwifery Modernization Act. My first midwife is featured heavily in the book as she is a good friend to Muhlhahn, and it was nice to encountar her in a different way.
Muhlhahn became a divisive figure after an unflattering profile in New York Magazine followed by her very public role at the center of Ricki Lake’s documentary The Business of Being Born. When I became pregnant with my second daughter, my original midwife was unavailable for my due month, and she recommended I contact Muhlhahn. Honestly I was hesitant to do so because her persona in the film seemed like one that would not jive with my personality. I have been assured by a few close friends who worked with her that she’s much more of a calm presence than the movie made her out to be. I did make an appointment to meet her but before that happened I met with another midwife and made an instant connection. (She ended up missing the birth because my second daughter also has superfast powers, but I would work with her again in a heartbeat.)
The honesty of the book really appealed to me and I was fascinated by her journey from working as a lay midwife to going to nursing school. I wish she had more stories of her years as a lay midwife, since they are unlicensed and often work underground, but the book was too short. Maybe she can be convinced to write a follow-up. I’d love to read that.
Synopsis:
A murder mystery set in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, featuring a veiled police officer, an American woman whose husband has gone missing, and the secret history of the Koran.
Review:
Not impressed by City of Veils, which aims to be a Da Vinci Code for Islam. Conspiracies, coincidences, and religious stereotyping combined with a lackluster plot just didn’t work for me at all.
Many thanks to Little, Brown for the review copy.
