Finished this on audio during my commute this morning I just need to spill my thoughts out. 

Incredible. Absolutely incredible. Yes, this deals with some terrible topics and at times it's hard to take in, but I think Faith Jones has a wonderful way with words. She writes about her life in a way that's engaging and at times charming (especially her childhood years), but it doesn't shy away from the realities of what was done to her in The Family. 

I think what made this so powerful for me from the start was the way she wrote about everything from a normalized, practical lens - because to her growing up, sexual abuse WAS normal. Physical, mental, emotional, religious abuse was all normal. It wasn't abuse, it was Love. 

I've read enough and listened to enough podcasts on true crime to know that I will never blame a victim, but cults always seem a little different, don't they? How could someone fall for that? How can they not <i>see</i>? As an outsider, it's always hard to imagine how it could happen. Faith Jones brings in the perspective of someone born into a religious cult. It was simply her life. You can see how the indoctrination informed the lives of her family and her entire world. Even through her eyes, you can see how adults who were brought into The Family could have been swayed by the life and promise of salvation and love. It all makes a terrible sort of sense.

What I truly loved was Faith's journey away from The Family. It wasn't a big, grand realization and leaving for her. It was all the small things, a lifetime of moments and questions and desires, that led to her finally wanting to go to school, to learn more and better herself. And the fact that it wasn't until she was in her mid 20s that she began to TRULY question everything about her childhood and faith and The Family breaks my heart.

This was eye opening. It was charming, and heartfelt, and painful, and I'm so glad Faith Jones decided to tell her story. 

I would say this strikes a balance somewhere between Educated and Know My Name in terms of content and themes. Probably closer to Educated; this isn't quite as emotionally raw as Know My Name.