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310 reviews for:
The Witness Wore Red: The 19th Wife Who Brought Polygamous Cult Leaders to Justice
M. Bridget Cook, Rebecca Musser
4.01 AVERAGE
310 reviews for:
The Witness Wore Red: The 19th Wife Who Brought Polygamous Cult Leaders to Justice
M. Bridget Cook, Rebecca Musser
4.01 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Wow. This book was eye-opening. We all assume we know what is going on in the world, yet we haven't a clue. I found this to be very readable without being too grotesque/gossipy. I think Rebecca and her siblings who found their way out of the FLDS are incredibly brave. Not to mention having to be a witness at 23 trials! Amazing.
This is the fourth book written by a former member of the FLDS cult/church (church is probably too kind of term) that I've read. It's like a fascinating train wreck - horrible yet you just can't turn away. I gained some new insights into the YFZ Ranch raid, and Rebecca Musser was actually one of Rulon's wives, so there was new insights into the functioning of the higher echelon of the church. It's mind boggling that at one point there were more than 10,000 members of the FLDS, many of the under the dominion of that manipulative child-abuser, Warren Jeffs. That he still rules his church from behind bars is frightening yet not really surprising.
A ridiculously quick read, but a little "meh" overall.
Incredible story of perseverance in the confines of the FLDS. More shocking than I imagined it would be, but an unbelievable story!
I read this in less than 24 hours! It’s a memoir that reads like a novel and isn’t boring in the least. The author can be a little self congratulatory and, sure, some of her spiritual revelations along her journey are a little syrupy, but these little things aren’t enough for me to take a star away. I also noticed some of the negative reviews wanted more analysis/introspection, but I did feel like there was a good deal of breaking down the cult member mindset here, especially as she learned to rewrite her brain after leaving. It’s a horrifying book, but it’s one of the few where you get a little bit of triumph at the end. This may not be over, but a little drop of justice is nice to hear about.
This was really good. Really disturbing, but good.
I thought that the best part of this was the perspectives on how women can be controlled by a religion. I think this should be required reading for anyone who says that women in oppressive religions should just leave. That doesn't account for the fact that if you have no education, are kept constantly pregnant or nursing, are kept captive by threats to your children or family, then you may not make the same choices that someone with a healthy support system does.
That is, check your privilege at the door when making judgments about how people "should" behave in cult or heavily controlled situations.
I thought that the best part of this was the perspectives on how women can be controlled by a religion. I think this should be required reading for anyone who says that women in oppressive religions should just leave. That doesn't account for the fact that if you have no education, are kept constantly pregnant or nursing, are kept captive by threats to your children or family, then you may not make the same choices that someone with a healthy support system does.
That is, check your privilege at the door when making judgments about how people "should" behave in cult or heavily controlled situations.
Subject matter was interesting. The pace of the book was good as well. The narrator's fake southern accent drove me absolutely insane though.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced