TW: Post mentions topics of rape, child sex abuse, and spiritual abuse
I just finished and all I can say is, “Wow.” Talk about a encountering the right book at the right time in your life.
Based on actual events, in this Mennonite community the men are the ones who are literate and have the authority to interpret the Bible for the women and their family unit. Women and girls are not allowed to read or write so what they are taught is “gospel”. Yet, these same men are the ones who raped and sexually abused numerous women and children, gaslighted and dismissed them, and protected the perpetrators. The women of the community are left with an ultimatum: forgive the men or be excommunicated from the community and doomed to Hell. The women narrow down their decision to three possible choices: 1) Do nothing 2) Leave or 3) Stay and fight.
Readers who grew up in the Christian faith will know all too well what we were taught: we’re to forgive others as Christ forgave us; and if we do not forgive, God will not forgive us (For readers unfamiliar with the Bible, you can Google “Bible verses on forgiving others” and you’ll find numerous sites listing verses which support this claim). This twisting of beliefs and resulting “crisis of the soul” may be familiar for those of us who grew up religious and experienced any form of abuse. The reader walks with the women as they challenge this belief (and others). How do you forgive someone when they’ve done the unforgiveable? How do problematic beliefs and patriarchal culture breed this kind of behavior? How do you save the next generation?
Overall, it’s a must read and 100% better than anything I’ve encountered in the Religion section of a bookstore. I especially recommend this to anyone who may be deconstructing. The narrative structure took a moment to get used to, but once I got used to the flow the material really shined through. Yet, be prepared. The narrator will sometimes suddenly interject explanations on the background of some the characters and what they experienced. The descriptions are not drawn-out but enough you may feel the need to step away and regroup. So take caution.
by SoftlyInTheEvening