5 comments about Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession.

1. I have just finished Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession by Anne Rice and I found it to be a quite powerful conversion to Christ beautifully written. As someone who was a fan of so many of her books and was quite pleased with her two books on Jesus I was looking forward to reading this book.
   
   A large section of the book starts with her experiences growing up Catholic in New Orleans where the local culture was decidedly Catholic and centered around parish life. She writes about her fascination with the church as a child and her interest in architecture, statues, stained glass windows, and all that made up most Catholic churches of that period. It reminded me of what Pope Benedict said about biblia pauperum . "The bible of the poor",comprised of non-literary works, such as icons, images, hymns, windows, etc. Before she could read she was able to learn about the Church and the lives of the saints to some extent. This interest in sacred architecture and statues was also something she was interested with throughout her life, ever her 38 years as an atheist. It was also something that was a possible anchor that later helped her back into the Church, though certainly not the deciding one. I have read many conversions stories of how these images and the sacramental nature of the Church later had an effect on bringing people back to the Church. She speaks of this time with much love about growing up in this time period where pretty much every person she came in contact with was Catholic. She gives her reflections on the traditional Mass and the Latin hymns she learned to love and gives us an insight into this particular time and place of Catholics in America and her desires at one time to become a nun.
   
   Though all is not idyllic as she enters school which she hates, though she does not hate the nuns who taught her and holds them in very high esteem. Ironically it was reading that made school the most difficult for her and it would take her quite a while to really become a reader. She really pours herself in her writing as she describes her experiences and her family and the good and the bad situations that occurred within her family. Two of her aunts were nuns and her father had gone to seminary and so the Catholic view of life permeated most of her childhood. The Catholic schools she went to were quite good, but like man schools of the time a real introduction to scripture was lacking with much memorization of the Baltimore Catechism. While this type of memorization is a great first step it must be followed up with a greater understanding of theology, scripture and Church teaching.
   
   I must say though that I was quite surprised by what her real first name is and can easily understand why she told the nuns her name was Anne and got her sisters to call her that also. Regardless of the Catholic culture she grew up with, like so many when she left to go to college it was not long until she no longer practiced her faith and then moved onto atheism. The transition from a childhood faith to ownership of that faith is often a difficult transition and a surface understanding of the faith is usually not enough. The intellectual vastness of the faith is something that unfortunately few seem to grasp and the Church gets reduced down to laws and rules.
   
   The thirty eight years of her atheism is not really covered in depth. She takes great care to make this book a spiritual biography and only deals with events that would make her once more think of God and the route along the way that brought her back to the Church. She does deal with her vampire novels to some extent and the worldview they came out of that was directly related to her loss of spiritual life. But this book is not about her and her triumphs as an author, but of her journey. The last section of the book deals with the events that brought her back to the Church and I must say there were often tears in my eyes as I read what she had to write. Her conversion was a real act of humility as she put aside her doubts and to truly put her trust in Christ. At one point she writes "And why should I remain apart from Him just because I couldn't grasp all this? He could grasp it. Of course! It was love that brought me to this awareness, love that brought me into a complete trust in him ..." She also discusses what she felt was her call to write of Christ which have resulted into two novels so far and the intense reading of the Gospels and other books. The famous poem of Francis Thompson the Hound of Heaven plays a part and she describes herself as Christ haunted and felt that she was being pursued by God. Her insights into much of the skeptical biblical scholarship lead her to a quite orthodox Christology that you can see in those two books.
   
   There is much in this book to recommend it and oddly for a conversion story I found it to be a real page turner. As a conversion story it is quite moving and her efforts to follow Christ and her recognition of herself as a baby Christian shows a surprising humility. There were many things she wrote that I as an ex-atheist could readily relate to. Also interesting was an awakening to the world of faith around her that she had really not seen and how Hollywood and others manage to not see it either. That being said I had a few quibbles here and there in what she wrote. It is quite obvious that throughout the book she favors women's ordination. She once wanted to be a priest and when told she couldn't she figured that this would change at some point. A priest told her at some point that at one time theologians debated whether women have souls (which is pretty much mythical). Her son has same-sex attraction and it is evident that she does not understand the Church's teaching since she seems to confuse condemnation of homosexual acts as condemnation of those who have the cross of same-sex attraction. The same goes for her understanding of sexual morality to some extent. She has an excellent understanding of Christology and hopefully she will come to a greater understanding of ecclesiology Though even when touching on these issues there was not a "me against the Church" attitude, but an evident willingness to come to a greater understanding and that following Christ was of the greatest importance.
   
   So despite my quibbles I highly recommend this book because it is also a book on Christian discipleship, on living the faith and letting Christ lead you even into the unknown.



2. This book is for Anne Rice fans first and then memoir-lovers and Catholic/Christian apologists. The first few chapters share her experiences growing up in a devoutly Catholic neighborhood. The Archbishop's name was as often heard as the mayor's. She eloquently describes her Catholic childhood with its' many scents, images and disciplines. The non-Catholic reader will SEE why many Catholics can hear, live, breath, eat and drink the gospels notoriously without having read them.
   
   Anne shares insight into her own visual/audio methods of learning. Her faith was formed largely before she appreciated the written word and thus we EXPERIENCE her Catholic childhood in the first few chapters. She is a right-brained artist. She writes like she hears and sees -scents, images and textures- and thus can write 5 times as fast as she reads.
   
   One poignant lesson was her realization that the key Christian tenant is to love everyone, one's enemy, family, etc., and she later explains how she fell in love with reading the gospels.
   
   Anne openly admits that her return to Catholicism is easier in her post-child-bearing years. She struggles with the "conservative church's" "obsession" with sexuality and gender. (Though Sunday homilies and the Vatican's administration doesn't reflect on or deal with sexuality even 1/10 of what does pop-culture, must-see t.v., our culture, etc. Maybe it seems the church is obsessed with sexuality because the church offers a stark alternative to what our cutlure's obsession with sexuality offers. The culture is clearly obsessed while the church is hardly obsessed.)
   
   BUT! Her daily devotional life is in no way compromised by intellectual struggles. And her point that we must love one another, and ultimately God and the Eucharist amidst disagreements is much more prominent than her struggles with returning to an ancient faith. It is clear in her memoir why she MIGHT find Theology of the Body "heartbreaking." (How can an eccentric artist who values the unique in life, whose passions transend gender, accept what looks like the expectation that we either be a suzy-homemaker or the Marlboro man? = Fair nuff, however misunderstood.)
   
   Anne makes it abundantly clear that although she thinks the church may change its' views on gender roles the same way it dealt with an Earth-centric universe, what is most important is that she still turns to God in the Eucharist at mass and in her daily life. God is everywhere.
   
   I raced through this book in two sittings. The book offers profound insight into decades spent as an atheist and a thoroughly drawn-out conversion experience, but the cognitive functions of an artistic romantic genius and her outlook on Christianity are what interested me most. Anne, thank you for writing this book.



3. After having read Anne Rice's "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt" and "Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana" TWICE, I was, needless to say, first in line October 7th to pick up her new memoir,"Called Out of Darkness: a spiritual confession." I was not disappointed -- and am now anticipating a second read.
   
   As a professional writer for more than 30 years, and an avid reader since childhood, it is rare that I take the time to reread novels or non-fiction books. Reading and research have always been one of my most treasured activities -- and I do not make my choices lightly.
   
   Brought up as a Lutheran, I, too, separated from the church during college -- primarily when I discovered that the minister I had grown up with, who taught me the Catechism, performed my confirmation and presented me with my first communion -- had been sexually abusing both young girls and boys in my own confirmation class and had continued to do so for years. When the abuse was discovered in my freshman year, the church simply sent him (and his wife and three children) on to another church in another state. I was appalled! Although my parents tried to explain to me that the pastor was only human and that it should not affect my faith in Christ -- I literally "threw the baby out with the bath water."
   
   But I was also quite miserable -- I had lost something very precious and felt myself floundering, trying to figure out what, if anything, I had to hold on to. I spent many years trying to find answers in many places. Finally, I decided that I did believe -- but could never find a church I could adhere to. And the doubts persisted.
   
   Now in my mid-fifties, I have spent the last few years fascinated with the life of Christ -- and my library reflects that fact. In May, 2005, I had what I would call a "spiritual awakening" (when words in the gospels suddenly jumped out at me and produced a significant transformation within me) and since then have been avidly pursuing the subject.
   
   I must say that none of the many books I have read about Christ (both fiction and non-fiction) have captured me, mesmerized me, inspired me . . . as much as Anne Rice's portrayal of the young seven-year-old Jesus in the first of the series, and that of the 30-year-old Yeshua in the second. I actually remember closing my eyes after finishing "The Road to Cana," and praying that Anne Rice would write quickly so that I might live to read the last of the series! (No pressure there, Anne!) That is how entranced I was.
   
   Now, in reading her memoir, so many pieces have fallen into place for me. This is the woman I wanted to get to know, to understand. I wanted to follow in her footsteps as she sought, suffered, questioned . . . to reach the point where she could portray and bring to life (in first person -- an incredible feat) both the Son of God and the Son of Man.
   
   5 stars for all three books mentioned -- for Anne's courage, authenticity, the willingness to address tough issues of this time, her impeccable research and her magnificent gift of writing to encourage, inspire and enlighten.
   
   (On a personal note to Anne, I wish to add my sadness at the passing of your young daughter at an earlier time and the more recent passing of your beloved husband, Stan. I send blessings to you, your loved ones -- and especially your beautiful son, Christopher.)
   
   I am anxiously awaiting number three in this incredible series!



4. In Called Out Of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession," her first ever biography, Anne Rice recounts for us her life's journey with her personal faith. And what a journey~~and life~~it's been. This book is not so much a straight autobiography as a memoir, the "spiritual confession" of the title, a focus on her devout Catholic childhood, her subsequent break with faith in late adolescence, and her eventual, momentous return to faith and the church after thirty eight years as an athiest. With loving attention to detail she brings to life for us the world of her New Orleans girlhood, an upbringing largely consumed with a rigorous belief in God and a passionate love for Jesus and the rituals of worship. (As a girl Rice even had her father convert a room of their house into a shrine.) Along the way she shares with us her growing frustrations with the traditional, limiting notions and expectations of gender and the inequality of women in society and the church. Telling a priest that she wants to be a priest herself, a shocked Rice is told that not only is this impossible, but that there was a time when the church actually debated if women had souls. Later she entertains the notion of being a nun. After she leaves New Orleans and moves to Texas after her mother's death, a growing and fierce desire to know more of the (church forbidden) greater world through books, existentialsim, philosophy and films contributes to her increasing disillusionment and total break with faith and the church. In the subsequent decades Rice marries the poet Stan Rice, has and loses a daughter to leukemia, becomes an alchoholic, then abandons drink forever after the birth of her son Christopher. And, oh yes--writes a book called Interview With The Vampire and becomes a world famous author, the greatest writer of her time. All the while she maintains her athiesism, but after her return to New Orleans in 1988 she gradually begins to question and have doubts about her own disbelief. A number of things conspire to inspire this rebirth of faith: a more relaxed, less confining and judgmental church, the acceptance of her by religious family, friends and community, a fascination with the fervor of interest in Jesus during the 1990s, her intense study of the survival of the Jewish people throughout history, her realization that she doesn't have to have all the answers to her inner conflicts since "God knows the answers," among other phenomena. Finally she professes her renewed faith in 1998 and returns to the fold of the church she had loved so much and left decades before. In 2002 she vows to "give her writing over to the Lord," writing only for Him and abandoning~~but never disowning~~her earlier "light seeking" work.
   With "Called Out Of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession" Rice has given us a fascinating memoir that is richly evocative and moving. Some of my favorite passages involve her childhood with her family in the New Orleans of the 1940s and '50s. She was a child in love with sensuality and spirituality who lost her faith eventually, though I suspect her belief was never totally gone. The single most eloquent quote for me was her admonition that it is imperative that those like the doubting, troubled adolescent Rice to "never stop talking to God--that was my biggest mistake. Through it all keep talking to God." Amen.



5. Of all genres of books, memoirs may be the toughest to review. After all, how is a reviewer to evaluate the life experiences of another person? What is the measure of a good memoir and what is the measure of a poor one? Ultimately, as a reviewer, I can judge only the power and effectiveness of the writing, the truthfulness of what the author claims as fact, and, more subjectively, the personal impact of the person's life-story. And with these criteria in mind, I turn to Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession by novelist Anne Rice.
   
   The fact that Rice has rediscovered the faith of her childhood is well-documented; it is seen most clearly in the transition of the subject matter of her novels. Gone are the stories of vampires and in their place is her multi-volume account of the life of Christ (click to read my review of the most recent entry in the series, Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana). In this book, a confession of sorts, she explains why she walked away from her faith to begin with and how, decades later, she recovered it. She says in the first chapter, "I want to tell, as simply as I can--and nothing with me as a writer has ever really been simple--the story of how I made my decision of the heart. So here is the story of one path to God. The story has a happy ending because I have found the Transcendent God both intellectually and emotionally. And complete belief in Him and devotion to Him, no matter how interwoven with occasional fear and constant personal failure and imperfection, has become the true story of my life."
   
   Called Out of Darkness gets off to quite a slow start, buried in the details of Rice's earliest days growing up in ultra-Catholic New Orleans. She was raised in an extremely devout Roman Catholic family and she expends a great deal of effort in describing this period of her life. Though I found the first few chapters burdensome, I understand their importance; Rice wishes to set the stage, really clearly set the stage, for the return of her faith later in life. Despite the Church playing a crucial role in her early life, she soon pushed it aside. It was as a young adult that Rice walked away from her faith, not because of scandal or deep-rooted doubts, but because she wanted to know more of the modern world than her church would allow her to see and to experience. Like so many young people, she found that her faith could not survive her college years. It was not until she was fifty-seven that she would find it again.
   
   As we'd expect from Anne Rice, Called Out of Darkness is largely well-written though it is perhaps a tad verbose or melodramatic or unnecessarily atmospheric at times, and especially so at the beginning (e.g. "The sky during these trips was often bloodred, or purple, and the trees were so thick that one could only see hundreds of fragments of the sky amid clusters of darkening leaves. The color of the sky seemed to me to be connected with the song of the cicadas, and the drowsy shadows playing everywhere on the margins of what was visible, and the distinct feel of the humid air. Even in winter the air was moist, so that the world itself seemed to be pulsing around us, enfolding us, holding us as we moved through it."). But Rice is a gifted author and she more than compensates for occasional verbosity with prose that is at times good and at times even exceptional.
   
   Some of the most interesting passages in the memoir have Rice describing her own books, explaining and interpreting the characters and the themes. There is much of her and much of her life story in these books and she does a great job of showing how her characters have always been a reflection of herself. In this context we understand that, once she rediscovered the faith of her childhood, she was able to retire her faithful old characters and turn to new subject matter.
   
   In the book's final pages, Rice describes what her faith looks like today and how she lives it out. She bewails the way Christians disagree among themselves about what she considers petty issues. This was of particular interest to me. A few weeks ago I reviewed Crossbearer, a memoir by Joe Eszterhas. One thing I noted in that review was that Eszterhas had discovered Roman Catholic faith, but had done so in a pick-and-choose manner, accepting what resonated with him and rejecting what had not. To some extent the same is true with Anne Rice; she found herself unable to consent to the Church's teaching on several issues. Of great concern to her are the issues of gender, sexuality and homosexuality (though, ironically, she says that Christians ought not to have such an interest in these matters). "Try as I might," she says, "I can find nothing in Holy Scripture that supports this contemporary obsession with sex and gender on the part of our conservative churches." She makes the rather audacious statement that "Jesus Christ Himself cared nothing about gender at all" and that he insisted upon equality for all people. This is true, in a sense, and Jesus did revolutionize the way men and women were to perceive one another. However, while Jesus insisted in equality of worth and value, this does not necessarily mean that men and women are to have identical or interchangeable roles. A look to the New Testament epistles will reveal what Jesus says through His people about how men and women are to serve in the church and it will reveal what Jesus says about sexuality. The emphasis on these subjects in both Catholic and Protestant circles proves their critical importance; the emphases on these subjects in Rice's own book proves their importance.
   
   Called Out of Darkness will undoubtedly appeal to the bona fide card-carrying Anne Rice fans and to those who are interested in spiritual memoirs. Even to me, one who has read her works only sparingly, this was an enjoyable memoir and one I am glad I read. It is an interesting glimpse into an interesting life and, at least to this reader, sounds a warning against what seems to be a natural human tendency. It shows once again a faith that submits to some kind of transcendence and that gives its adherent peace and comfort but that, at one point or another, resists the extrinsic authority that seeks to shape and define it, whether it be the authority of Scripture or Church or, in this instance, both.

5 comments about The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star.

1. Even if you aren't a big fan of Nikki Sixx, I think you will enjoy this book. It is very well put together. It is honest, it seems he didn't hold anything back. Between Nikki's diary entries there is recent written commentary looking back at the time period that the diary was written by Nikki, other members of Motley Crue, their managers and Nikki's friends. Even if you aren't a big reader, you won't want to put this book down. It is INTENSE!



2. VERY INTERESTING BOOK, AMAZING THAT NIKKI IS STILL ALIVE, LOVE THE BOOK & I FEEL IT WILL HELP MANY WHO HAVE AN ADDICTION.



3. This book was amazing.
   I have always been a big Motley Crue fan but after reading this,screw the Crue!
   It's Nikki all the way.
   He is fantastic.



4. When I picked up this book, it was mostly out of curiosity. I'd never heard of a book with a sountrack, and I loved the single "Life is Beautiful." Once I opened it, however, I just had to keep going, if only to find out how Nikki Sixx could possibly have made it out without kicking the bucket for good. Both the diary entries and the commentary from Sixx's friends and associates are very powerful. I have never read anything like it.
   
   Alongside entries that focus on his addiction, the information the book contains about the Crue, the industry, the craziness comes through in a new way. Admittedly, other than the form of presentation, the whole "behind-the-scenes' look a the rock star lifestyle has been done. This aspect of the book is nothing particularly special, but I consider it a decent exaple of the genre.
   
   Personally, I REALLY liked this book, and consider it worth buying.



5. I found that I couldn't put this book down while I was reading it, which wasn't good as I was on vacation with a large group of friends. Upon reading some reviews here I feel as though there was some confusion as to what the book is about. This is one year's entries in the diary of Nikki Sixx at the height of Motley Crue's success. It is a disturbing look into the self involved life of a drug addict, while he is addicted. This is not a biography of his life. He asked the people in his life at that time to contribute their own thoughts and memories to the book as well. There are entries in this book that will make you angry, sad, disgusted, and others that will make you laugh outloud.
   I thoroughly enjoyed readinig this book. So far three of my friends have borrowed and read it, telling me they felt the same way about it. How Nikki is still alive is truly a mystery. I recommend that anyone read this book, but with eyes wide open to the realization that this isn't a biography, but a disturbing year in the life story.

5 comments about The Year of Magical Thinking.

1. Joan Didion is a writer of great talent, and this memoir setting forth her process of grief after the death of her husband, John Gregory Dunne, is powerful. And while it is not sentimental, it envokes strong emotion in the reader. Didion's pain is sharp, her sense of isolation very real, yet she is able to describe it clearly and movingly. It is a rational discussion of an irrational state of mind. She poignantly describes her fear that her husband will not come back, loathe to get rid of his shoes in case he will need them when he does return, even while knowing that this hope is completely irrational. She deals with not only the loss of her husband, but also with her daughter's devastating illness, often moving through life as though in a dream. She needs, but does not want, companionship. She needs normalcy, but her life as she once knew it has suddeny been taken from her.
   Some readers may find this book a bit too clear, too rational. She is indeed as a hospital staff member said, "a cool customer." But this is Didion at her finest. Emotions laid bare. She reveals so well how life can change in a moment, taking from us all the stability we take for granted. She moves between memories of her past life, with her husband and daughter, and her new life alone. This process of remembering and comparing is something that is very painful for her, but it is something she seems to need to experience. She compares her process of attempting to re-run the reel of her life and change it, substituting an alternate reel, to trying to reconstruct a collision, "the collapse of the dead star." A powerful piece of work.



2. This whole book describes events and stories throughout the lives of Joan Didion and her family, and it serves as a way for her to express her grief and try to come to terms with the death of her husband of 40 years, all during a year of what she calls "magical thinking."
   
   It's not an entertaining read. It offers some insight on marriage and family, but overall I felt like I was reading something far too personal, a diary of sorts, something that anyone else might write but never publish. Obviously, since it is Joan Didion, the language, the prose, the style, everything about it flows and stops, flies by and slows down in a pleasing rhythm of words, but nothing about the topic is easy to read.
   
   She studies her grief like a med student studies biology, analyzing the various processes that are happening in her mind, causing the sometimes strange and often random thoughts and ideas with which she is constantly struck.
   
   The immediate comparison that comes to mind is with C.S. Lewis' "A Grief Observed," a comparison that Didion points out herself. The difference, though, is that with Lewis' work, I felt like I suffered through much of the grief with him and finished the book feeling a sense of catharsis and ability to move on. Didion's I felt neither of those things; it simply felt like reading her diary. And perhaps that was the point, but in the end I felt that I should not have read the book, and that's never something I like to feel after finishing a book.



3. This memoir chronicles the year after the death of Didion's husband. It is an interesting treatise on grief and mourning, if a bit too cerebral at times.
   
   Didion's husband, John, dies from a cardiac event right before Christmas. Shortly before his death, the couple's daughter, Quintana, suffered an embolism which led to her hospitalization. So basically, Didion has to deal with the death of her husband of 40 years while caring for her hospitalized daughter, who is still clinging to life.
   
   Didion had, I thought, many interesting things to say about the death of a loved one - how we never expect life to change so drastically, so quickly. How we can never really know what to expect, how we will feel, until it happens to us. How most of us may think of our reactions to death in immediate terms - the funeral, etc. - but we never adequately consider the long years of absence thereafter, and how we will deal with those. How, despite what our rational mind knows (this person is gone forever, etc.), part of us still hopes/thinks they will return to us, miraculously.
   
   My criticism of the book is Didion's tendency to over-intellectualize everything. By turns this habit was both interesting and tiresome. Having read the book, though, my guess is that this is the kind of person she is. I would bet that, were I to read one of her novels, I would find the same penchant for the slightly pretentious.
   
   At any rate, I enjoyed the book. Not a must-read, but worth picking up if you have some time.



4. Didion repeats unnecessary details. That might be fine when reading the book, but I listened to it on CD, so it was maddening.
   
   I thought the book was overrated and the insights were minimal.



5. In "The Year of Magical Thinking," Joan Didion chronicles the death of her husband, author and screenwriter John Gregory Dunne. One evening, Dunne died of a severe heart attack while the couple ate dinner. The day had seemed like any other, aside from the fact that they had just returned from a hospital visit with their grown daughter, Quintana, who was in a coma from an unidentified illness. Didion found herself lost, coping with the trauma of her husband's death at the same time that she faced the uncertainty of her daughter's recovery. This stress manifested itself in numerous ways, including the "magical thinking" from the title. Specifically, Didion talks about wanting her husband back so badly that she tries to trick herself into thinking it possible, such as convincing herself that if she kept his clothes, then he would come back for them. Or vice versa - if she gave away his clothes, this meant that he couldn't come back in the future.
   
   Anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one will likely find something in this superb book that hits them - something that describes their grief perfectly. As is typical, Didion goes through various stages of grief and finds herself wanting answers. She wants to know how her husband died, and she goes about it like an author would - researching the topic. Didion also recounts bits and pieces of their life together as she attempts to piece together a new life. At times, she is a bit of a name-dropper, chronicling her fabulous Hollywood life and her friendships with famous authors. However, in the end, she was a widow grieving a loss, just the same as anyone else; death affects us all, is universal. Didion's beautiful writing and the way she discusses her grief is universal as well.
   
   Overall, "The Year of Magical Thinking" is a sublime work of non-fiction that deservedly won the National Book Award. However, I was slightly annoyed by one aspect of the book - the lack of details about Dunne's age. At the beginning of the book, I assumed, based on how Didion writes about her husband, that Dunne was in his 50s. I haven't read anything else by Didion, so I didn't know much about her life. In actuality, Dunne was 70 years old when he died. Gradually, Didion acknowledges that his death was somewhat expected - Dunne had had heart problems for years. Perhaps her neglecting to tell us that earlier about his heart problems and his advanced age is part of her "magical thinking." If one doesn't acknowledge the heart problem, even when writing about it after his death, then said heart problem does not exist. Of course, the age of a loved one is fairly irrelevant to the person left behind; one is still alone. It's a minor point, perhaps, but one that affected my reaction to this otherwise amazing book.
   
   This review is of the audiobook version, which consists of 4 CDs. The reader is Barbara Caruso, who does an amazing job of embodying the "voice" of Didion. The reading is simple and straight-forward, with very little accompanying music, which really suits the tone of the book.

5 comments about Life with My Sister Madonna.

1. I first saw this tome at Barnes & Nobles and actually resisted getting it. Considering it was written by her "beloved" brother Christopher, it must be one posterior smooching session. When I read the reviews on Amazon about how this book was a hatchet job on the Queen Bitch herself that I have to grab my own copy, and read it all within two days (hey, I've got a job, PEOPLE!).
   
   It seems Chris has a tale to tell. The book itself re-affirmed what we know or suspected about Lady M herself: a tight-waded, egocentric, calculating, publicity-hungry harpy who is one step away from flying around in a broom. Well, to a Madonna fanatic, the fact that she IS one and the sheer spectacle of her being one and getting away with it with impunity is one of the secrets of her success.
   
   On the other hand, one cannot help but sympathized with Christopher on how Madonna used and abused him, and there are several examples of Madonna's behavior that I cannot excuse in anybody...like having her sister Paula pay her own way to her wedding to Guy Ritchie? How tacky is THAT?
   
   As for Christopher himself, as many other reviewers have pointed out, he is no doubt talented, and with friends with Demi, Gwyneth, Kate, Naomi, etc. etc., he can't parlay that into a career of his own? In the business side of thing, Madonna is the one who did all the real hard work: writing songs, photo shoots, video shoots, singing and dancing in tours and promotional appearances, endless sessions in the recording studios. It seems in the end, Chris just expected his sister to keep throwing him a bone.
   
   Also, I agree with other reviewers that Mr. Ciccone downplayed his own drug use. The fact that he bragged about doing a "key line" with Jack Nicholson and lamented flushing into the toilet the "finest" grade of coke (as a non-user I wouldn't know to save my life) he's ever had, and actually showed Courtney Love how to do coke, I'd say Madonna's suspicions have some legitimate basis. And the fact that he is always broke...as in Prince's song "Pop Life", I think Chris' money went up into his nostrils.
   
   Overall, this book is entertaining and fun. In the end, Madonna may be the "bad girl" here, but don' tell me Chris himself isn't totally blameless. It hasn't change my status being a Madonna lunatic. After I watched Truth or Dare, I came to the realization that while I will always enjoy her music, videos and concerts, I wouldn't want to know her personally. My relationship with Mrs. Ritchie is like millions of others...we pay and she entertains. A fair exchange, I'd say. Any dirt on her personal life is just a little bonus to amuse us all.



2. As a professionale crap reviewer (google jackie jones and no, I am not the jazz singer in Chicago but isn't she great!!!), I have this to say...
   
   Christopher Ciccone is a brat. A talented brat. But say, if EYE wrote a bio on my step sisters, Bette, Joan, and Lana, I would be ashamed! Ashamed! But thank GOD my painting's sold.
   
   Probably the best dirt since Mommy Dearest and Cheryl Crane. Totally worth it.
   
   jj



3. This book is "can't put down" is you are a total Madonna fan, many small details behind the big superstar, nothing that you wouldn't imagine but lots of confirmations about the cold blooded diva. Madonna devotes herself to becoming her own brand and makes it at whatever price, over family or friends... yet to know if there is another way of becoming an icon, i personally don't think so. A big price for big stardom. And yes it is so lonely at the top!



4. THANKFULLY I PICKED THIS BOOK UP AT THE LIBRARY, OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE CONSIDERED IT A WASTE OF MONEY.
   THERE WAS NO INFORMATION IN THIS BOOK THAT SURPRISED ME ABOUT MADONNA.SHE IS A SELF-PROCLAIMED CONTROL FREAK AND MISER. AFTER FINISHING THE BOOK I COULDN'T FEEL SORRY FOR CHRISTOPHER AT ALL. HE ALLOWED MADONNA TO WALK ALL OVER HIM DURING THIER ENTIRE RELATIONSHIP. I'M STILL NOT SURE WHY HE NEVER STOOD HIS GROUND. WAS IT HIS LOVE FOR MADONNA, FEAR OF MADONNA, OR HIS LOVE OF THE GLAMOROUS LIFE MADONNA AFFORDED HIM TO LIVE?
   CHRISTOPHER SOUNDS MORE LIKE A DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEE, WHO TOOTS HIS HORN ENTIRELY TOO MUCH.THE NAME DROPPING GETS A LITTLE ANNOYING ALSO.
   MAYBE SHE GOT TIRED OF HIS EXPECTATIONS OF HER AND JUST THREW IN THE TOWEL.



5. This book gets 3 stars simply because he's writing from the point of view of somoene who knows Madonna intimately & you get a better perspective of who she is, unlikle most bios written about Madonna but overall the attemp was lackluster & didnt quite live up to the hype.
   
   His attempt at making Madonna look bad didnt work if you ask me---i didnt feel one bit sorry for him throughout most of this book and found myself taking Madonnas side more often than not. He writes extensively on how often Madonna helped him, opened doors for him & introduced her to her glitterati of celeberity connections. Yet all he wanted to do was party & snort coke. Too bad Chris you werent resourceful like your sister & took those connections and turned them into something big. The part in the book where his interior design biz is taking off and Demi Moore asks him to do her house is perfect example of how quickly he was able to screw up golden oppportunities. he goes & buys a bunch of stuff from IKEA, has it delivered to her house and then sends her the bill. When she isnt amused, he chalks it up to her "not getting the joke". Needsless to say she didnt use him.
   
   Madonna is business minded that is how she conducts her career & why she is on top. Too bad you didnt take notes Chris, you'd still have that interior design business if you had. He writes about not using contracts when he did interior design jobs for Madonna because she was his sister--yet she was all business with him from the jump. Thats your tough luck you didnt take the hint & get professional. Family or no family if youre running a business you draw up contracts. & when he does finally start using one, its more out of immature spite than anything. & yes Chris you do/did have a drug problem despite what the doctors told you. How can you write about snorting coke w/ Naomi Campbell & Kate Moss on one page & claim to not have a drug problem on another? Denial. & Madonna tried to help him kick the habit & he didnt take it. Oh well!
   
   Yes Madonna is insecure. Yes Madonna is a control freak. Yes Madonna is tight with a dollar. Yes Madonna can be a self-serving b****. But arent all bigtime major superstars? Sheesh they dont get to the top blowing all their money, being nice to everyone & letting people get away with sh**. Like someone else here said it is, what it is. If he was smart he wouldve learned something from his sister and made something of his self. He wouldna had to write this damn book.

5 comments about Running with Scissors: A Memoir.

1. The movie got dozens of poor reviews at Amazon, where readers of the book insisted the book was so much better. I happened to like the movie so I figured the book would be great. It was good, but I liked the movie better.
   
   The book, an autobiographical work that describes Augusten Burroughs' bizarre adolescence, features a mother that is so dysfunctional, Joan Crawford seems like June Cleaver. Mom dumps Augusten at the home of her warped therapist whose family brings to mind a barely saner Addams family. Burroughs describes a series of incidents that colored his life, but the book also contains a definite understory of the boredom that comes from a life with no rules or obligations, including no school.
   
   The movie has the extra intensity of an excellent cast, including Annette Benning, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Chenoweth, Jill Clayburgh, and Gwyneth Paltrow and lacks some of the grossness of the book which makes the movie easier to take. Still it's an interesting story, both funny and grim with a writing style that makes it compelling.



2. the book was a rambling and disconnected series of events. I live near where the story took place and was very disappointed with the entire story. The movie was hysterical,but i don't believe that the author meant to write it in that context.



3. Augusten Burroughs showed me pain comes in all forms of lies, truth and laughter. It's all connected and somebody always ends up paying a price.



4. I first read this memoir when it was published in 2002. Now that other memoirists are rapidly adding their voices to Burroughs' amazing "come clean until it hurts" style of tell-all, I wanted to revisit this modern classic. If you have not read the book, but only seen the movie, don't think you can begin to get a taste of what Burroughs is all about from that film adaptation. Burroughs' laugh-out-loud angst can really only be appreciated on the page, and he must be read to be fully appreciated.
   
   This book, about a boy brought up by a silent, angry father and a mad, narcissistic mother until he is abruptly given away to the mother's insane psychiatrist and his whacked-out family, is a jaw-dropping page-turner. That the boy even grows up to write this memoir is a miracle, in light of the sex, drugs and weirdness he is subjected to over the course of his boyhood.
   
   This is a must-read book, and should be a permanent fixture in any well-stocked home library.



5. This is a funny, at times laugh-out-loud hilarious book. It's also really interesting and offbeat. You'll find yourself reading one more chapter than you wanted to, and then another and another before you go to bed. It is at times disturbing and appalling, but that's just life. His funniest book, though is clearly Magical Thinking: True Stories

5 comments about The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale.

1. maus is dated and still very upsetting, to people who really understand it bigoted and hurtful intent.
   
   Don't waste time anymore, and read about what is going on right now - today! If you like the comic book form, then read and order PALESTINE, by JOE SACCO. It is about the present and ongoing -today, right now as you read this review - killing and murders of helpless and homeless Palestinian families. Although in graphic/comic form, there is 'nothing' funny about it. But if that genre motivates you to read, then you will learn a ton in an interesting way, especially the way Sacco has brilliantly portrayed it.
   
   Unlike maus, PALESTINE tells a true and objective story about something horrible happening right NOW, not a horribly bigoted and confused version of what, might of happened 80 years ago!?
   
   PALESTINE by JOE SACCO, is done with superior artistry and writing. It
   makes maus look like, well a maus.
   
   Many a student comes away reading maus and say: "Why would anyone depict the Jews as RATS, as Goebbels did. Spiegelman's bigotry is clear,i.e., he catagorizes people as certain animals, as Goebbels made jews the rats. A RACIST concept in and of itself.
   
   What does maus achieve? The answer is easy: compounded ANTI-SEMITISM. These kinds of hate writings against Poles and Germans always backfire in the face of Jews like spiegleman - ALWAYS! Was Spiegelman expecting 200 million Poles and germans to rave about being mocked - NO. Will maus help healing between future generations - ABSOLUTELY NOT!
   
   Poles deserved none of Spiegelmans mockery and got the most. Polish students today go home sick to their stomachs while being subjected to this torture by cruel and insensitive teachers: WHO-DON'T-GET-IT!. EVERY POLE ON THIS EARTH IS RELATED TO SOMEONE WHO WAS BRUTALIZED AND KILLED BY THE GERMANS - EVERY POLISH CATHOLIC. Five, 5 million Polish Catholics were slaughtered by thr Germans. Auschwitz' first 2 year only murdered Polish Catholic school children, teachers, professors, nuns and priests - NO JEWS. THE POLISH CHILDREN WERE TAKEN FROM SCHOOL, AND THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING ON AN OUTING - SKIPPING ALONG - NOT KNOWING THE GERMAN DEATH AND TORTURE THAT AWAITED THEM.
   
   Fortunately, maus is being banned more than ever and most credible bookstores refuse to sell this hurtful bigotry. I thank them for getting it.
   
   PALESTINE BY JOE SACCO, you'll read it in one sitting. PALESTINE is about TODAY. It is a general overview of truth, about an event that is effecting our image and safety in America. Perhaps spigelman should tell his Jewish spere of influence to stop murdering helpless Palestinians today. READ PALESTINE!



2. The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale collects both volumes of Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel. The complete collection is how the book called the "first masterpiece in comic book history" is meant to be appreciated. A haunting piece of work, this story is part autobiography, part family history, and part personal and historical reflection on the Holocaust. This tale relates the effect the Holocaust had on the persons who survived it as well as their descendants.
   
   Maus tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, the author's father, who survived the Holocaust in Poland and how his son, the cartoonist, comes to terms with his father and his tale. This is a paramount example of how the graphic form can be used more effectively to accessibly capture a horrific story. In Maus, the various persons and groups are drawn as anthropomorphic animals (the Jews are mice, the Nazi's cats, etc.) which gives the story an almost fairy tale quality, but by no means detracts from the story's haunting poignance. In some ways, the fairy tale is more painful in the fact that it all really did happen. Vladek's tale of survival, told slowly over the course of the almost 300 page novel, is layered with the author's own story of father as he knew him and his own personal feelings of guilt. Despite the use of animals as characters, the human qualities of these characters shines through and creates a tale that will linger with you long after you've finished the last page.
   
   If you have never read a graphic novel, dismissing them as "comic book stories for kids," you owe it to yourself to read this book and to see the scope of what graphic fiction is able to accomplish. Likewise, if you are a fan of graphic novels, you owe it to yourself to read this book as it remains one of the greatest graphic novels of all time.



3. I went to a exhibition on the history of comics a couple of years ago. They had all kinds, from Little Nemo to Jack Kirby, and many things in between. One of the things featured was several pages from Art Speigelman's Maus. I was so intrigued by what I saw that I had to buy it off Amazon, and I have not regretted it. Don't be fooled by Speigelman's seemingly simplistic black and white work. His storytelling is powerful stuff, I tell you.



4. The Holocaust hangs over western society in the second half of the twentieth century. One man said that poetry was impossible after Auschwitz, but great artists in numerous mediums have dedicated themselves ot proving this wrong. The great crime has provided a great canvas for stories of humanity in the face of evil, such as Steven Spielberg's film "Schindler's List". "Maus" is the comics world's prime entry in this difficult field of literature. Writer and artist Art Spiegelman brings us the story of his father (and mother, by times), two Polish Jews who narrowly survived the war. Having already chosen to tell his story in the form of a comic, a medium often looked down upon as inherently childish by those who don't know any better, he further chooses to cast his characters as anthropomorphic animal, in the manner of an animal fable.
   
   This choice has attracted some controversy (on display in many of the reviews on this site), in some cases because they believe it trivializes the subject-matter (to which I would say "Animal Farm"), or, more commonly, because they take issue with the seeming racialist use of different animals for different nationalities (Jews are mice, regardless of nationality, other Poles are pigs; Germans cats, the French frogs, Americans dogs, etc.). Spiegelman actually discusses the implications of the latter thing within the narrative, which includes an extensive b-story set in the then-present (from the 70s to the 80s), following Art, his wife Francoise, and his elderly father as Art writes "Maus". Francoise is a French Christian who converted to Judaism, and wonders what animal she should be cast as (he chooses a mouse, for the record). Spiegelman never casts all of one group as behaving the same way.
   
   "Maus" reminds me a bit of Paul Verhoeven's "Black Book" in its depiction of wartime Europe's complexity, including the now-uncomfortable degree of collaboration or prejudice found in the occupied countries. Vladek and Anja encounter everything but solidarity with their fellow Poles on the journey through the war; fellow Jews rat them out to the Nazis, others require payment to help Jews avoid death, something that Art expresses amazement at, but Vladek seems to see as very reasonable. Spiegelman doesn't paint his father as a saint, indeed, expressing concern that his father comes across as a stereotypical miserly Jew; at one point, Vladek is shown to be strongly racist against blacks, again to Art and Francoise's amazement. The animal characterizations are never binding; for all Spiegelman's concern over France's history of anti-Semitism, the one French frog we see is an amiable fellow-inimate of Vladek's; even among the German cats we find a Polish Jew married to a German woman, the product of this union being peculiar cat/mouse hybrids.
   
   "Maus" is ultimately a very affecting, personal work from Art Spiegelman, and does a fantastic job of communicating the life story of his father. it is a shining example of what the graphic novel form is capable of achieving.



5. Not to sound too cliche, but there really is no other way to describe Maus and brilliant. Using the medium of comic strips (often regarded as childish and immature) to tell a real life, adult tragedy impacts the reader in a different way from if it was just in print.
   
   Do not dismiss this book as irrelevant because of the panels with pictures in them. A must read. However, I wouldn't recommend young children to read this very adult themed novel. Wait until they are a little older so they can fully (or even partially) understand the beauty and tragedy presented.

5 comments about After the Fire: A True Story of Friendship and Survival.

1. i could hardly put the book down...such a sad story yet a lot of love also..true friendships are hard to find



2. After the Fire is a beautifully written story of two young men whose friendship helped them survive and thrive after devastating burn injuries. It is one of those books you don't put down until you you turn the last page. It is also one of those books you keep thinking about in the days and weeks after you finish reading it. I highly recommend it for anyone who still likes to learn about life via the written page.



3. As a student at Seton Hall during the fire, I wasn't sure I would be able to read through the book without reliving January 19 all over again. But I must say - the author did a fantastic job of walking the reader through Alvaro and Shawn's recovery, while still providing insight to all of those involved with this day.



4. It is hard to find stories about burn units, and when this one was featured in the People Magazine I couldn't wait to read it. I work in the burn unit and am extremely interested in burn care.
   This book didn't disapoint.I was impressed with the authors ability to be in the unit and to get a first hand look at what we do daily. The story of the friendship as it developed and the emotional impact of the different stages unfolded, was terrific. You will enjoy the relationships that the boys made with women after the fire. They are truly special women!
   I highly recommend this book and for you to look up the story and photos online!



5. In her book "After the Fire," Robin Gaby Fisher tells of the tragic fire that took place at Seton Hall University in January 2000. This fire claimed 3 lives and left 58 injured, the worst off, Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos, are the subjects of this story. Even though Shawn and Alvaro had only met as roommates a few months earlier, the fire clearly defined their relationship--like two war buddies who could not survive on the outside world without each other, each one feeling guilty they had let the other down.
   
   This story is also about the doctors, nurses, and physical therapists in the burn department at St. Barnabas Hospital in New Jersey. It was at this hospital in which Fisher's writing was at its finest. It was clearly demonstrated that the staff in the the burn unit were unlike any other in the entire hospital--they were closer, defined by the constant tragedy and trauma that they witnessed. Nurse Kathe Conlon states, "If you can't become part of the team, you don't last. In the course of a day burn nurses could deal with child abuse, elder abuse, or a whole family wiped out by fire. They saw babies scorched into near skeletons and young mothers who were burned beyond recognition trying to save their children" (p.81). When Fisher describes the procedure known as "debridement"--a method in which the burn patients would have their open wounds srubbed, the raw emotion of the patients and nurses was almost unbearable. After one particularly difficult debridement session with an eight-year-old boy who received burns after playing with matches, Nurse Sue Manzo broke down in tears. Fisher states, "Most nurses took pride in being stoic. Not in the burn unit. There, no one was afraid to show emotion, and when they did, the others always rallied to support them" (84). It became clear how dedicated, compassionate and selfless these doctors and nurses truly are.
   
   But the story ultimately belongs to Shawn and Alvaro--Shawn with the strong, dedicated mother, and Alvaro with the over-bearing, immature, emotionally weak mother. Fisher drew such deep contrasts between these wo women. One can only wonder how Daisy Llanos felt about her portrayal in this book. As a journalist, she had gained "unfettered access" to the burn unit at St. Barnabas and one of the most powerful scenes in the entire book is when Alvaro looks at his face for the first time in the mirror, with Shawn at his side.
   
   It is when Alvaro and Shawn are both out of the hospital that Fisher's writing falls apart. It seems as if she needs to hurry up and end their story once they are out in the real world. But all we readers can do is hope and pray for these two young men who have literally been to hell and back. And while Fisher certainly did not want to present too much information on the boys who started the fire--they were clearly not the focus of the story--she took way too long to describe the extent of the investigation.
   
   Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos have certainly endured a lifetime of pain, but instead of turning their pain inward, they have both decided to persevere. One can draw strength from the powerful words of Shawn Simons, "Sometimes I think I am one of God's angels, sent down to do good. Maybe to help people who are not as strong as I am" (p.226). It is clear that both Shawn and Alvaro truly are angels.

5 comments about Keep the Faith: A Memoir.

1. I've been a fan of Faith since she first appeared on the scene and I've always been curious about the whole Tupac/Biggie situation. Her memoir is a vivid account into her life. She shares very intimate details about growing up with her grandparents, being in abusive relationships as a teenager, and her tumultuous relalationship with BIG. Keep The Faith is a great example of what a tell-all should be, because Faith talks about everything. The beef between her and Lil Kim was comical, because I've always percieved Lil Kim as this tough-talking, street chic who wouldn't hestitate to run up on someone. I couldn't believe that she remained with BIG for so long, because he always kept a chic on the side. She also talks about the so-called beef with her and Mary and the reason she had to cut Missy off. This was a excellent read and I would definitely recommend it.
   
   4.5 stars



2. This is a story about Faith's life not Biggie's! However, you will get a glimpse of what happened with her Pac and Biggie in her words.
   Its a good read I think it could have been better written.



3. This book was a very good read, I view Faith very differently now. She kept it honest and straight to the point, I can't believe the relationship she and Big had. How she wanted off Bad Boy Records because Puffy was showing her no love as an artist, The "Lil' Kim" drama, How her and Mary used to be so close, Sleeping with a married man, etc.- Faith revealed more and more with every turn of the page.
   
   I recommend every Faith Evans fan, non-Faith Evans fan to read this book.



4. This was the best memoir I have ever read!!! I laughed. I cried. I got angry. I felt Faith's pain and triumphs. This book was well written. After reading the first page, I knew it was going to be good. It's hard to believe everything she went through so early in her life. She has truely paid her dues and I am so happy for her success. If you love the Hip Hop and Rap culture, You will love this book!! Buy it today!



5. Have you ever how big fat and ugly faith evans lips are?
   the book is good this book i recommend to everyone!

5 comments about Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History.

1. Maus was a very engaging book. From the beginning I was pulled into the story. Maus is written in a very unique way. Art Spiegelman drew the Jews as mice, the Nazis as cats, and the Poles as pigs. Art Spiegelman told the story from the perspective of his father telling the story through an interview format. It is written in the form of a graphic novel. It is an interesting way to learn about history during the World War II era. Overall I liked this book, except I really didn't like the end. Also, there was a little bit of language.



2. i was one of the few among my peers who had never read one of the Maus books. When i finally got around to it, i was blown away by its excellence. This is a masterpiece (and i do not use the term lightly). Do yourself a favor and don't miss it.



3. I must say that I find this work hard to properly describe in terms of how I feel about it. I think that it was a fascinating look at one man's experience in the Holocaust, but an equally important aspect is Art's interaction with his father during their conversations. This seems like an honest portrayal, especially since Art isn't afraid to include things that may make him look bad (he isn't always the most sympathetic son). I think connecting the story of what happened then, and how it's effects are apparent for the rest of a person's life (although different people reacted in different ways) is interesting. The way this is written is especially effective, because it truly feels like Vladek is telling you his story first hand.
   As for the artwork, although it isn't my favorite style, it seems to fit for this story. The simple, unpolished look is compatible with this story which is honest and raw. Finally, I would like to add that the second installment of this comic is darker, and more depressing and sad at times, but once you read Maus I, you must (and will want to) read Maus II in order to feel any closure with the story.



4. As a Jew Living in Israel, holocaust related books are important to read, but it's hard to do it actually. I can remember several holocaust-era semi-biographic novels which are great but those are the exceptions. Most of the books are a bit bothersome though true.
   Maus just captured me.I consider it one of the best books I've ever read in my life. It was just breath-taking, adding to that the fact that this was my first graphic novel ever, not to say first comic ever.
   I gave it to my wife, her parents, brother and so on. The book came back to me after 6 month. all worn out.
   The book touched me in the deepest levels, and was able to do what many other holocaust books tried to do and failed. Take you inside one of the the darkest eras of human kind. You NEED to read to. You have to read it.



5. Maus, A Survivor's Tale is a son's pictorial version of his father's story of survival during WWII.
   
   Both haunting and mesmerizing, sometimes funny and touching, this is a story of perseverance and about what the Jews had to suffer through at the hands of the Nazis in WWII Poland. Spiegleman never sugar-coats what his father had to endure in order to keep he and his wife alive. A true work of art.

5 comments about Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs.

1. I listened to this books on audio cd. The readers little girl whispery voice was intensely annoying. I did finish it and I would never presume to critize her choices and acts. What I find difficult to understand (spoiler ahead) are her choices outside the "church". She speaks of her mother and father as victims of a "religion" and of their inability to help or protect her as "because of their religous beliefs". The religious belief that one man and one man only talks to God and runs their life. Isn't this a cult? Doesn't she see it as a cult now that she's on the ouside. As a mother, she should have a clearer picture of what her parents did not do. Her constant use of the "love" of her mother is self-deluding. But I cannot question her big heart and forgiveness. Warren Jeffs may be gone, but her sisters are still there. Cults and their victims are very sad things. Editors should have trimmed this book by half. And definitely gotten a different reader.



2. Stolen Innocence was a unique story written about how one woman was able to escape the clutches of the FLDS after a 4 year forced marriage at age 14 to her first cousin who had been known to be abusive towards her as children. When she would not obey him, he repeatedly raped and physically abused her.
   
   The marriage was arranged, in part, as punishment to her and her mother because they had spoken out on several ocassions and were thought to be a "troubled" family. Despite her begging and pleading not to marry a cousin "I hated," she was told she either went through with the marriage or her family would be excommunicated and set out on the highway. She had seen this happen to her brother and others, so out of fear went through with the "marriage."
   
   Although I don't in any way condone her husband's actions, it appears from the book that he, too, was a victim of this order. There was NEVER any sex education: in fact, the word sex was never used, and was a subject not even married women were allowed to discuss. Children were taught to think of the other sex as "snakes," and even casual touching was forbid. Then, suddenly you are married, and all the girls have ever been told is "Your husband will explain your wifely duties to you." Sex is only supposed to happen to pro-create and NEVER for pleasure. In this case, the young man didn't seem to have any more knowledge of what he was supposed to do than she did. A man will have his "pristhood" taken away from him if he cannot control his family. This means he will not be allowed to enter the Celestrial kimdom, so it is a big deal. Fearing he was loosing control of his 14 year old wife, he began to rape her to insure she provided him with children. Unfortunately, she suffered 3 miscarriages and 1 stillbirth with NO medical care.
   
   This religious group believes that Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, was correct when he stated Pologamy was a revelation from God. The purpose was to create a family on earth that would be transferred to the Celestrail Kingdom for those who "stay sweet," and take advice from the Prophet, whom they believe are receiving messages directly from God. The men will then be set up as God's of their own "Kindoms." BUT ONLY IF THEY ARE OBEDIENT,and have duitiful wives.
   
   The biggest problem in this story was that a sociapathic man who studied Hittler, manipulated his way into becoming the professed prophet. Because this group had been brought up to believe that anything the Prophet says is coming directly from God, no one questioned his actions. Those who did were x-communicated, had their wives and children taken away, their homes taken, and were left penniless. Under Warren Jeffs rule, the governing body of 12 was done away with, all property individually owned was taken and given to the "church," who then gave out land and houses to the "most worthy" of followers.
   
   Because the people are carefully removed from society and taught that outsiders are evil and will only cause extreme harm, they are afraid to come forward. All the local Police, Judges, etc are FLDS members, so going to the authorities is fruitless.
   
   This women came forward with the truth of what was happening in this isolated town despite death threats to her and her family. She risked her very life to come forward, and as a result has brought knowledge to authorities, who then were able to act on reports by many who had fled.
   
   The book is well written, flows well, and explains why and how this has happened.
   
   .
   What the Kindle version lacks is nice pictures. The pictures are displayed, but black and white and faded.



3. I thought this was an excellent book, very thought-provoking. It was a look into a very strange life compared to how most women live in this day and age. It seems hard to understand how these women and men go along with a "prophet" who makes every decision for them, including who they marry and at what age. Then you look back at history and there were many people who were able to control others like this, eg. Jim Jones, whose followers committed mass suicide. It is hard to believe that this kind of mind control is still in existence. It was a definite eye-opener for me.



4. Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs
   
   A disturbing look at the cult commonly called the FLDS, a polygamy espousing sect with enclaves in British Columbia, Utah, Arizona, Texas and Mexico and ruthlessly run by jailed "prophet" Warren Steed Jeffs. This is the story of Elissa Wall whom Jeffs forced to marry at age fourteen her abusive first cousin, and from whom she later escaped.
   
   Stolen Innocence recounts the ordeal Wall's life was in a cult where women must be subservient to their husbands, and most importantly, to the prophet, or face consequences. Wall describes her ordeal in prose, while not literary, is at least compelling and aptly states her case.
   
   During her horiffic marriage she suffers rape, miscarriages, extreme mental cruelty and takes to sleeping in her truck to avoid the bedroom and her abusive husband. She watches her 18-year-old brother banished from the enclave with her parents doing nothing to stop the action. She witnesses her mother removed from her blood father and reassigned to another man as his fifteenth wife.
   
   She recounts how a former FLDS man befriends her and how that friendship turns to love. And most importantly, you'll read how she got the courage to tell her story and give the testimony to convict Warren Jeffs.
   
   Difficult to read without feeling pity and anger, but an important book in learning about this sect.



5. There is no doubt that Elissa Wall suffered at the hands of the FLDS cult and Warren Jeffs in particular. Her story would have been more engaging had it been more succinct in it's writing. Read: it went on and on and on........While the tone and style are that of a young girl, (and perhaps the author(s) wanted to maintain that), the book simply grew tiresome from redundancy, lack of intrigue, and sheer wordiness. While Wall definitely has a story to tell, she could have told it better.