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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
In this straight-forward memoir, Julia Scheeres courageously recounts her and her adopted black brother's teen years in an abusive, yet religious, household. The two are sent to Escuela Caribe, a Christian reform school in the Dominican Republic.
Oh, this was heartbreaking. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, since it could set off emotional triggers. It wasn't just the story itself, but the way Julia Scheeres presents it-- it has a feel of honesty that is breath-taking.
Useful quotes:
"There are three bedrooms upstairs-- the master suite, my room, a guest room-- and one in the basement for the boys. They share it, just like they did in the basement of our old house." (p. 22) "They are the outsiders, the basement-dwellers, Mother's failed mission to Africa. The black boys who get whipped by the white master." (p. 77)
Oh, this was heartbreaking. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, since it could set off emotional triggers. It wasn't just the story itself, but the way Julia Scheeres presents it-- it has a feel of honesty that is breath-taking.
Useful quotes:
"There are three bedrooms upstairs-- the master suite, my room, a guest room-- and one in the basement for the boys. They share it, just like they did in the basement of our old house." (p. 22) "They are the outsiders, the basement-dwellers, Mother's failed mission to Africa. The black boys who get whipped by the white master." (p. 77)
This book was a difficult one for me. It was beautifully told, but so depressing. There were so many moments when my blood was boiling or I was reduced to tears for Julia and David. I kept waiting in vain for a happy ending..such is life. It is a reminder of the atrocities that people commit against the vulnerable while hiding behind religion.
Really such a heartbreaking memoir, but compelling. (Aren't they all?) I had a hard time putting it down. Julia Scheeres tells the story of growing up in a strict Calvinist family in rural Indiana in the 70's and 80's with her adopted brothers, who are black. The kids navigate racism, abuse, a stint in reform school in the Dominican Republic, and worst of all, parents who don't seem to love them. It's really the story of Julia's relationship with her brother David; they only survive by sticking together, despite their complicated relationship.
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
I really enjoyed this book - it infuriated me sometimes though, because of the treatment the writer and her brother experienced. But it was a very moving story - definitely worth a read!
My 7-year-old son saw me reading this book.
Son: Why are you reading a book called Jesus Land?
Me: It's a true story, about this girl... Oh, here, read the back.
Son (after reading the back of the book): Why are you reading about a girl with a messed up life?
Me: I don't know.
I have seen this book around, but wasn't sure about committing, and then I saw it at the Friends of the Library book sale -- the one where you can fill a grocery bag with books for $1. My standards get lower when faced with tables of super cheap books.
Jesus Land is a train wreck from which I could not look away. Like [b:The Glass Castle|7445|The Glass Castle|Jeannette Walls|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400930557s/7445.jpg|2944133] and [b:Running with Scissors|242006|Running with Scissors|Augusten Burroughs|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438898196s/242006.jpg|828773], it made me appreciate my so-much-less-dysfunctional childhood. Seriously, Julia Scheeres adolescence was messed up. I don't want to ruin anymore than the back synopsis already does, but her story will punch you in the gut over and over. She admits to some literary creativity to protect identities & make the timeline tighter, but there's support for the validity of her story, regarding both her neglectful/abusive family and the church reform school to which she and her brother were sent. If you need to indulge your voyaristic tendencies, read away.
Son: Why are you reading a book called Jesus Land?
Me: It's a true story, about this girl... Oh, here, read the back.
Son (after reading the back of the book): Why are you reading about a girl with a messed up life?
Me: I don't know.
I have seen this book around, but wasn't sure about committing, and then I saw it at the Friends of the Library book sale -- the one where you can fill a grocery bag with books for $1. My standards get lower when faced with tables of super cheap books.
Jesus Land is a train wreck from which I could not look away. Like [b:The Glass Castle|7445|The Glass Castle|Jeannette Walls|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400930557s/7445.jpg|2944133] and [b:Running with Scissors|242006|Running with Scissors|Augusten Burroughs|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438898196s/242006.jpg|828773], it made me appreciate my so-much-less-dysfunctional childhood. Seriously, Julia Scheeres adolescence was messed up. I don't want to ruin anymore than the back synopsis already does, but her story will punch you in the gut over and over. She admits to some literary creativity to protect identities & make the timeline tighter, but there's support for the validity of her story, regarding both her neglectful/abusive family and the church reform school to which she and her brother were sent. If you need to indulge your voyaristic tendencies, read away.
Tough to explain. This has been compared to Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls because it is one of THOSE memoirs, where some people might think it has been sensationalized or exaggerated, and others know that this sort of misery really does happen. This is a fair comparison in that way. It's like each chapter is trying to outdo the one before with greater levels of hypocrisy or racism or abuse. Which one of us can make the reader cringe most?
But the writing is not as interesting or sophisticated as I think GC was. Another reviewer said it was kind of YA level writing, which may have been a conscious choice since the story takes place during her teen years. But it did make it a less compelling read.
But the writing is not as interesting or sophisticated as I think GC was. Another reviewer said it was kind of YA level writing, which may have been a conscious choice since the story takes place during her teen years. But it did make it a less compelling read.
It was well written, but I felt really uncomfortable with a lot of the homophobic language used. At the end of my copy, there is an interview where she says she got "sick" of her teenaged self by the end of writing the book. That makes sense, as we all thought messed up shit and she was clearly influenced by her family and community. However, she could have written more about this in her afterward.
"Spare the rod, spoil the child."
This is an astonishing memoir that exposes the damage done when cruel people use religion to justify their actions.
In each step, the main character exposes the great amount of flaws that compose her identity. My heart ached when reading about the terrible hardship faced by her younger brother and the hurt inflicted by her older brother in response to his own angry pain.
The second half of the book seemed unbelievable, however upon researching the facility where she was held- one learns that the book did not deviate from the experience of many of the reform school students.
This is an astonishing memoir that exposes the damage done when cruel people use religion to justify their actions.
In each step, the main character exposes the great amount of flaws that compose her identity. My heart ached when reading about the terrible hardship faced by her younger brother and the hurt inflicted by her older brother in response to his own angry pain.
The second half of the book seemed unbelievable, however upon researching the facility where she was held- one learns that the book did not deviate from the experience of many of the reform school students.