What Are You Reading Part 3

[Saor Dearg]

@Cam may I ask, what are the titles of the books you read? I know it's not really about mainstream Mormonism, but I read Under the Banner of Heaven years ago; that's a good read. I'm always interested in book recommendations. 

[Cam]

13 hours ago, Saor Dearg said:

@Cam may I ask, what are the titles of the books you read? I know it's not really about mainstream Mormonism, but I read Under the Banner of Heaven years ago; that's a good read. I'm always interested in book recommendations. 

The books I read were “Bad Mormon” by Heather Gay, a reality star from Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. I had never heard of her—I don’t watch any Real Housewives shows—but I read celeb autobiographies and am drawn to books on religion exposés. It was insightful. A 2023 NYT bestseller.

The other book was “Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith” by Martha Beck (published in 2005). Beck is a NYT bestselling author; I’d occasionally read her column in Oprah magazine.

 “Under the Banner of Heaven” was made into a 7 episode miniseries for Hulu which I started watching but for me it took too long to tell the story, so I never finished it. I believe it does cover the connections of Mormonism to LDS and FLDS. I think I watched all of the documentary “Prophet’s Prey” (Showtime) about fundamentalist Mormons practicing polygamy. The two books I read above weren’t about polygamy.

 

Edited June 27 by Cam

[Margarita]

21 hours ago, Saor Dearg said:

@Cam may I ask, what are the titles of the books you read? I know it's not really about mainstream Mormonism, but I read Under the Banner of Heaven years ago; that's a good read. I'm always interested in book recommendations. 

Not re: Mormonism, but I enjoyed Not All Who Go Do Not Return by Shulem Deen. It's about his experience leaving an insular Hasidic sect in NYC. 

[Saor Dearg]

9 hours ago, Cam said:

The books I read were “Bad Mormon” by Heather Gay, a reality star from Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. I had never heard of her—I don’t watch any Real Housewives shows—but I read celeb autobiographies and am drawn to books on religion exposés. It was insightful. A 2023 NYT bestseller.

The other book was “Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith” by Martha Beck (published in 2005). Beck is a NYT bestselling author; I’d occasionally read her column in Oprah magazine.

 “Under the Banner of Heaven” was made into a 7 episode miniseries for Hulu which I started watching but for me it took too long to tell the story, so I never finished it. I believe it does cover the connections of Mormonism to LDS and FLDS. I think I watched all of the documentary “Prophet’s Prey” (Showtime) about fundamentalist Mormons practicing polygamy. The two books I read above weren’t about polygamy.

 

Thanks for sharing the books you read. I watched that show too, the book they took the story from is very much worth a read if you're looking for something.

1 hour ago, Margarita said:

Not re: Mormonism, but I enjoyed Not All Who Go Do Not Return by Shulem Deen. It's about his experience leaving an insular Hasidic sect in NYC. 

Oh great, thanks for the recommendation; I'll add that to my list.

 

[Margarita]

1 hour ago, Saor Dearg said:

Thanks for sharing the books you read. I watched that show too, the book they took the story from is very much worth a read if you're looking for something.

Oh great, thanks for the recommendation; I'll add that to my list.

 

I trust you figured out the real title that I messed up - All Who Go Do Not Return.

[Saor Dearg]

7 hours ago, Margarita said:

I trust you figured out the real title that I messed up - All Who Go Do Not Return.

I did, but thank you for replying with the right title. Can't seem to find a new physical copy here. But I found an ebook version for €10, so that's great Thanks again.

[Cam]

On 6/27/2024 at 12:35 PM, Margarita said:

Not re: Mormonism, but I enjoyed All Who Go Do Not Return by Shulem Deen. It's about his experience leaving an insular Hasidic sect in NYC. 

Thanks the recommendation; I’ll look for it at my library. I read “Unorthodox:The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots” by Deborah Feldman which became a Netflix series (did not watch). Before reading the book, I had no idea anyone lived what I guess, to me, looks like religious bondage.

I read these (excellent) books about women who fled the FLDS:
“Escape” by Carolyn Jessop
“The Witness Wore Red: The 19th Wife Who Brought Polygamous Cult Leaders to Justice” by Rebecca Musser
“Breaking Free: How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and My Father, Warren Jeffs” by Rachel Jeffs

Edited July 2 by Coconut Flan
Removed no longer relevant comment after move.

[JDuggs]

On 6/26/2024 at 5:10 PM, Saor Dearg said:

@Cam may I ask, what are the titles of the books you read? I know it's not really about mainstream Mormonism, but I read Under the Banner of Heaven years ago; that's a good read. I'm always interested in book recommendations. 

I’ve been looking for a place to discuss the two Mormon books I just read: Educated  by Tara Westover and I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I realize they’re both popular books and not “current” but they were both very interesting. I had no idea that Jennette McCurdy was raised Mormon and the purity culture (along with eating disorders and alcohol issues) really messed her up. 

[Cam]

14 hours ago, JDuggs said:

I’ve been looking for a place to discuss the two Mormon books I just read: Educated  by Tara Westover and I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I realize they’re both popular books and not “current” but they were both very interesting. I had no idea that Jennette McCurdy was raised Mormon and the purity culture (along with eating disorders and alcohol issues) really messed her up. 

I read both books. Interestingly, the Mormon factor in each book barely resonated with me. I think the parents’ lifestyles and mindsets were so shockingly out-there bizarre that it was almost too much to even take in; it transcended their religion. Both books were exceptional. McCurdy’s utterly raw honesty gives me goosebumps even now. I admire her so much for putting it all out there. There might not be a more incredible title for a book than hers. Just wow.

Edited July 2 by Cam

[Saor Dearg]

On 7/2/2024 at 3:48 AM, JDuggs said:

I’ve been looking for a place to discuss the two Mormon books I just read: Educated  by Tara Westover and I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I realize they’re both popular books and not “current” but they were both very interesting. I had no idea that Jennette McCurdy was raised Mormon and the purity culture (along with eating disorders and alcohol issues) really messed her up. 

I haven't read either of those, but will be adding them to my to read list; thank you.

[church_of_dog]

Catching up again -- my reading from mid-April through July:

 

Fiction:

Ruth Ware:  The Lying Game, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, The Turn of the Key, One by One

Ashley Elston:  First Lie Wins

Jonathan Kellerman:  Compulsion, Bones, Evidence, Deception, Mystery (#22-26)

Anthony Horowitz (Hawthorne & Horowitz #5):  Close to Death

 

Non-Fiction:

John Vaillant:  Fire Weather: A True Story From A Hotter World (note:  I HIGHLY recommend this book!  Probably going to be my favorite book of the year.)

Heather Cox Richardson:  How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America

Kirstin Downey:  The Woman Behind The New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR's Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience

Stephen Breyer:  Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism

William L. Shirer:  The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

Candice Millard:  Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, A Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill

Erik Larson:  The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

Doris Kearns Goodwin:  No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, the Home Front in World War Ii

Patric Gagne: Sociopath

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 1 by church_of_dog

[louisa05]

@church_of_dog No Ordinary Time is one of my favorite books about World War 2. And I've read a lot between undergrad and master's history courses. It's a different angle and a valuable one for understanding personalities. 

[smittykins]

Currently reading Tia Levings’ A Well Trained Wife.