Welcome to Litsy!

My TBR Jar pick this week was “has been on your TBR for more than 5 years,” and this was marked as “to read” on Goodreads in 2016. I guess past me could better handle some super sad shit because - Oof. This book is *not* gonna make you laugh. Not once, not even a little. A story of a childhood that is grim and intense and deeply, deeply sad. Well written, wonderfully narrated. No rating. But I‘m gonna go REALLY light for next book‘s theme, man.

I usually don‘t read memoirs, but this was for bookclub. I couldn‘t put it down. Great book!

Next up for book club. So far I can‘t put it down!

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/nR6XCHE9TvM

Enjoy!

I‘ll admit that much of what she experienced did not shock me. I wish it had. But I know what ordinary monsters are capable of and I know how viciously religion can be weaponized. It infuriated me, nonetheless. These were her personal experiences and there was so much within them to claw away at the heart.

My full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3685160121

Fascinating, gripping, heartbreaking. A story of courage and survival.

As has been said in other reviews, anger was the dominant emotion I felt throughout. Time and time again in stories of polygamy, it‘s the males dominating and brainwashing the females. While I feel anger at the men, it‘s the women who make me esp. angry, for allowing this to happen. Fortunately, the author of this book was able to escape and tell her story. I liked the audio, but the author‘s voice was too much of a monotone for this story.

Listened to this last week. I felt so much #anger on behalf of Ruth and her tragic upbringing and her great losses. And #anger toward her cruel and deranged stepfather, as well as all the ‘religious‘ men who control and abuse and impregnate the women and girls...#conflictedworlds @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This was a hard read. What the author went through as a child is really hard to read at times. People that enjoyed Educated may like this one as well- they have the same vibe.

Wow! Just heartbreaking throughout. I wanted a tad more about her adult life but maybe she will write another book. She had such a sad, hard life during her youth. I wont spoil it anymore than that.

Book 230 of 2020
#audiobook #scribd #nonfiction

Wow, this book was amazing. Heartbreaking and compelling. After a few chapters, I was hooked and didn‘t want to put it down. The writing is beautiful. The author is incredibly brave to tell this story. If you enjoy memoir, this one is a must read. Recommended by Laura Tremaine of the 10 Things to Tell You podcast.
TW: polygamy, child abuse.

I‘ve had this book sitting on my shelf for years and despite being told it was similar to Educated by Tara Westover and The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (books I loved), I still didn‘t feel compelled to pick it up. Once I did finally crack it open, I couldn‘t put it down. Ruth‘s story is heartbreaking - and yet still hopeful. If you love a good memoir, this is one you shouldn‘t miss.

Fast, well told accounting of the author's growing up in a polygamist family in/out of Mexico. Terrible situation but worth the read; fast paced. I would have liked one chapter on the history of the LeBarons coming to Mexico in a little more detail. I don't want to say I “liked“ it because the story is too sad to enjoy but I'm glad I read it and so glad she was such a brave girl. Abuse triggers.

Fascinating sad memoir. I wouldn't recommend it if you have unhealed trauma in your past. This is a remarkable story of survival and escape from a mormon fundamentalist sect in Mexico. The epilogue ends on a hopeful note, but most of the story depicts in haunting images/scenes the ways in which faith, love, abuse, and family loyalty can be entwined. Definitely not a light read, but worth the time if you're in a solid emotional place.

Absolutely heartbreaking. I can‘t even begin to imagine what it‘s like to lead this kind of life. It‘s a tough read at times. I felt like the ending was a little rushed, I wanted to know more about the “after” and it‘s just a short epilogue. #BookClubBook

This is a difficult read. I can't say that I "liked" it, but it was an important story for the author to tell. I would have liked to have learned more about her healing process and her success later in life. Escaping a terrible childhood is never the end of the story, there is the aftermath of trauma and learning to cope as an adult in a different world. How a person survived afterwards is just as important as what they went through.

TW for abuse

#ThoughtfulThursday @MoonWitch94

🟡 So far so good. :) I was going to do a Whole30 but I‘m not (it‘s complicated to explain, but it doesn‘t work for my condition) so instead I‘m working on cutting back sugar and overall healthy eating.
🟡 The Sound of Gravel for book club, Echoes Between Us and Asking for a Friend.
🟡 @maich

While the ending is a little abrupt, I was pretty drawn into this memoir of growing up in the LeBaron Mormon cult in Mexico. It was enraging at times (okay, maybe most of the time?), deeply saddening most of the time, and slightly hopeful because Ruth was able to get out and help save her surviving siblings. Read for #bookclub. Book 4 of the year. #audibook.

Listening to this now for book club later this month. Reminds me a bit or Educated. #audiobook #bookclub

Today on the blog we are celebrating another Themed Thursday with Haley's favorite books that involve cults in some form.

Check out her selections and let us know about your favorite cult stories!

https://stuckinthestacks.com/2019/12/12/themed-thursdays-the-twelve-days-of-cult...

#bookrecommendations #bookblogger #bookbloggerhub #bookblogs #themedthursdays

Just completed. 3 stars. My second memoir about a polygamous American fundamentalist Mormon cult living in Mexico.

I like Anne Bogel‘s podcast, but this week‘s episode was really not for me. However, it did prompt me to take this unread book off my shelf, and I‘m grateful for that! Wariner‘s story is hard to read about, but she tells it in a brave, straightforward, and thoughtful way.

This is so disturbing, awful, heartbreaking, upsetting and a myriad of other negative emotions. What Ruth Wariner went through while growing up in a Mormon polygamist community (commune) was horrible and I am amazed that she was such a strong young girl who seems to have turned into an amazing person.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#24in48 #readathon #blameitonlitsy #memoir #truecrime

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This memoir about a polygamist family was heart wrenching. It took me a long time to read because I kept stopping to read something lighter. But I would find myself thinking about Ruthie and wondering what happened next. There are awful, horrible things that happen in this book and just when you think it has reached the lowest point possible for this family, something even more awful and horrible comes along. Not for the faint of heart.

My husband and I saw Book of Mormon last year for his birthday and loved the brilliant, comedic portrayal of the Mormon religion. On the other hand, there are some stunningly tragic stories of the Morman faith and the impact it had on families and in the case of Ruth Wariner, the children. This book is well written and surprising, but mostly very sad.
#meandyoubutmostlyme
#musicalnewyear

I stayed up to finish this book last night, and woke up still feeling upset. What a heartbreaking memoir, and amazingly difficult journey the author had to take as a child. Children are at the mercy of the choices the adults in their lives make, and I wanted to take each of the kids in my arms and rescue them. Time to choose a different genre now to uplift my soul.

A little over 9 hours of reading so far this weekend.... It's 3pm where I am so I don't think there's any chance I'm going to make #24B4Monday..... Where does the time go I wonder? 🤔

Work is done and the rain stopped so I'm finally starting #24B4Monday with an #audiowalk. First time participating in this #readathon, but I think it's going to be a great weekend to stay in and see how many #readwhatyouown books I can get through before October ends.

@TheReadingMermaid

This book was incredible! It's a memoir about growing up in a Mormon polygamist cult. It's raw and heartbreaking and impossible to put down! I highly recommend this one! #bookworm #bibliophile #fallreads #libby #kindleoasis #ebook

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tragic and heart-wrenching while also beautiful and heart-warming. Ruth Wariner leaves nothing out about her life growing up in a polygamist community. The Sound of Gravel is powerful and leads your emotions on a roller coaster.

WOW. This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is so good. It‘s an expertly crafted memoir about a girl who grew up in a polygamist family. She encounters so many trials, abuses, and devastating circumstances but she perseveres and overcomes! It is a very hard read, but I would recommend it.

another wowza of a memoir. if you liked Educated, pick this one up. 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a memoir by a woman who grew up in a polygamist cult. She was the 39th of her father‘s 42 children. After her father is murdered by his brother in a bid for church power (how‘s that for some Cain and Able shit?!) her mother becomes the second wife of another faithful congregant...but that man isn‘t exactly who he seems.

This book can be brutal and infuriating and not for the faint of heart, but it‘s also fascinating and hopeful.

I usually read fantasy and fiction books, but I received an ARC of this book so I read it. The story of young Ruth gripped me from the very start and wouldn‘t let go. I had the opportunity to talk to Ruth about her book, and you could see the pain still fresh in her eyes. It‘s a must read story of loss, sadness, family, and survival. ❤️

This book was moving and beautiful and sad in all the ways the memoirs I enjoy are. The audiobook was read by the author which I especially love for memoirs. Highly recommend, however it does have a trigger warning for CSA.

So close!!!

Ah. Just took a moment to admire this wonderful stack of books I just picked up from the library that I had on hold. Here‘s to a weekend full of reading, hopefully. Where should I begin? 🤗 ❤️📚#libraryhaul

Yay new audiobook! Love memoirs read by the author.

#2018Book52
Ruth Wariner was raised in a polygamist Mormon colony. Her father was the "prophet," but died shortly after her birth. Unmarried women in this colony can't reach Heaven, so her mother soon remarried and had more children. Through the course of this memoir, Wariner tells the story of being raised by a man who splits his time between four wives, takes liberties with his step-children, and faces no consequences for his actions.

I‘m experiencing much unanticipated stress while reading this book! Probably because my great grandparents were Mormon Polygamists living in the Mexican colonies and this could‘ve been my life if my grandmother hadn‘t fled. Thankful for her today.

My first read of #24in48 was an incredibly heart-wrenching one ? I spent moments holding my breath that the parents in this story would make a good decision and do the right thing for their children.. and most of the time I was disappointed. But Wariner says about her mother "She wasn't some monster, she was just another human being who'd gone looking for her life and somehow ended up on the wrong path." But still....

This memoir caught my eye on my recent #bookoutlet haul... The unbelievable-sounding story of Ruth Wariner's childhood growing up in a polygamist community in Mexico. Her father, believing himself to be a prophet, teaches that God will punish wicked people by destroying the world. Wariner writes of her slow discovery that perhaps she wants a different, and better, life for herself outside of her family's community.
#playlikegod
#nuyear

First book of 2018.

I just couldn't keep going....75% through but the mother in this memoir was literally making me nuts! If you're looking for a sad story...this one is your book. The sexual child abuse, polygamy, and just straight disregard for the humans you bring into the world just broke me down. I know we all contribute to the things that may screw our kids up but this true story was not my cuppa.

A story of survival amidst the worst of circumstances. Constantly shuffled around and given more responsibilities than appropriate, Ruth Wariner lives a childhood that is sad, abusive, and horrific. She demonstrates the human‘s incredible resiliency and even manages to forgive her mother‘s terrible choices.

Someone wanted recommendations for a sad book...well here it is. It's a memoir of a polygamist family and all that entails. It covers abuse, poverty, family relationships, and even the love present in all those settings....great memoir.

This is the second book in a row I've read about kids trying to survive with parents I'll equipped to take care of them. One fiction and one memoir. One black family and one white family. What really hits me is that these are human stories and how strong the will to survive is in some people. Makes me thankful for the childhood I experienced. I do think this was a good pairing with Sing,Unburied,Sing. I recommend this one for sure.

First book finished in two months. I needed a book. Really I need more books.

Photo is of a library in Tampa. Clever idea before ebooks became big!