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Girl At The End Of The World: My Escape From Fundamentalism In Search Of Faith With A Future (2014)

by Elizabeth Esther(Favorite Author)

4.15 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0307731871 (ISBN13: 9780307731876)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Convergent Books

review 1: This isn't an easy book to read. In fact, it's downright hard for several reasons, including severe but platonic punishment of the variety that makes me want to knock people's heads into walls (there's also a chapter that talks about how she started "punishing" her cat that made me, as a children AND pet lover, cringe and skim it) and religion taken to its absolute worst: cultism.I ran across the author's blog on a random search the other day, was intrigued by her posts, and decided to borrow her book from the library to read it. I cracked it open late one night after a full and exhausting day at work thinking it would put me to sleep. Nope. I was up past midnight because I couldn't stop reading, caught between absolute wonder at this person's strength and horror at the ab... moreysmal childhood she had. It gets inside the cult mindset, frankly and brutally talks about the abuses that went on inside this fundamentalist "church" (... the sort of church Jesus would have turned tables over in and taken a strap to its leaders, I might add), and her journey to recovery, which led to needing to find a totally opposite church environment where she felt safe (in her case, Catholicism).I can't say it's a book I'll fall over myself to recommend to others, simply because it IS so anger-inducing and hard to read, but I'm glad I read it, if for nothing else, for an insight into her story, the ability to understand what life looks like from inside a fundamentalist cult, and the chance to admire her as a strong woman. She may not think so, and she earnestly admits to all her fears and returning to that abusive environment several times, but I respect her for many reasons:+ the ability to see the truth, and act on it+ the strength to walk away from everything she knew and her family (for awhile)+ the fact that she is recovering from her abuseGod bless you, Elizabeth Esther.
review 2: A very thought provoking and heart tugging memoir about a girl lost in a fundamentalist upbringing. Elizabeth Esther brings light to a secret world and illuminates what happens to the children of cult-like groups. I understood more about the dangers of a no grace religion and how hard it is to let go of a traumatizing past. I applaud Elizabeth Esther for her transparency and authenticity while writing such a difficult book.The end of the book felt rushed and didn't have the rich storytelling of the first half. What I enjoyed about the author's style was the conversational tone, which seemed to be left out towards the end. The inner processing that was natural in the first part of the book was lacking towards the end. But, as soon as I was finished, I found her blog online. The memoir is captivating and frightening at the same time. Well worth the read. Especially the author interview at the end. less

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