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Title details for Leaving the Saints by Martha Beck - Available

Leaving the Saints

How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith

by Martha Beck
Bernadette Dunne
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Leaving the Saints is an unforgettable memoir about one woman’s spiritual quest and journey toward faith. As “Mormon royalty” within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Martha Beck was raised in a home frequented by the Church’s high elders—known as the apostles—and her existence was framed by their strict code of conduct. Wearing her sacred garments, she married in a secret temple ceremony—but only after two Mormon leaders ascertained that her “past contained no flirtation with serious sins, such as committing murder or drinking coffee.” She went to church faithfully with the other brothers and sisters of her ward. When her son was born with Down syndrome, she and her husband left their graduate programs at Harvard to return to Provo, Utah, where they knew the supportive Mormon community would embrace them.
However, soon after Martha began teaching at Brigham Young University, she began to see firsthand the Church’s ruthlessness as it silenced dissidents and masked truths that contradicted its published beliefs. Most troubling of all, she was forced to face her history of sexual abuse by one of the Church’s most prominent authorities. This book chronicles her difficult decision to sever her relationship with the faith that had cradled her for so long and to confront and forgive the person who betrayed her so deeply.
This beautifully written, inspiring memoir explores the powerful yearning toward faith. It offers a rare glimpse inside one of the world’s most secretive religions while telling a profoundly moving story of personal courage, survival, and the transformative power of spirituality.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 1, 2005

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781415952184
      • File size: 367744 KB
      • Duration: 12:46:07

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      It would have been easy for Bernadette Dunne to narrate such a personal story badly. In her second memoir Martha Beck narrates her tortuous path out of Mormonism, a path that led to intense battles with her intellectually powerful father and to bizarre memories of sexual abuse at his hands, which Beck recalled as an adult. Dunne's narration not only captures the horror and the barrage of other emotions through dramatic changes in pace and tone, she manages to evoke the surprising touches of humor Beck inserts to lighten her narrative. Dunne also makes clear the time shifts in Beck's personal story. G.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      March 15, 2006
      Listeners who enjoyed Beck -s "Expecting Adam" may appreciate revisiting the author -s family as they move back to Provo, UT, following the birth of their second child, born with Down syndrome. Looking for the support the Mormon community typically extends to a disabled child, Beck faces further struggles as she deals with repressed childhood memories of sexual abuse that cause her to question family relationships and the structure of Mormonism. She uses her academic training to dissect the beliefs of the Mormon Church and finds that the Latter-day Saints version of history does not hold up to scrutiny. At the same time, Beck chronicles a spiritual awakening that comes to take the place of Mormonism in her life. While the sections on Mormon history and religious practice are well written and fascinating, the parts of the book that deal with Beck -s newly found spirituality are often vague, amorphous, and self-serving. Bernadette Dunne -s narration, while generally fine, at times seems a bit too perky for the subject matter. Recommended for libraries with a following for Beck -s earlier books." - Karen Traynor, Sullivan Free Lib., Chittenango, NY"

      Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Scholar, teacher, wife, and mother (her handicapped child is the subject of her previous book, EXPECTING ADAM), Beck is once again challenged, this time by memories of having been sexually abused as a small child by her father, a well-known Mormon writer. Her struggle to confront him as she shucks a lifetime of dogma brings her into conflict with her church, her siblings, and her neighbors. Beck reads well for a nonprofessional. Her pace is a little fast at the beginning, but the listener adjusts. Her diction is clear, and her determination is even clearer; she would be no one to confront in a debate. Neither her prose nor her delivery invites pity, but the listener gets plenty of insight into what makes Beck--and the eponymous Saints--tick. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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