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A review by kolorful_kay_reads
Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church by Megan Phelps-Roper
5.0
In an age where we consider books like "Educated" as reigning supreme, despite having little insight of the drivers that caused the authors engaging stories, this book will knock you off your feet. This is not the "Educated" of this month; this is a new line of storytelling. It's not just about the story, it's about perspective --- and I gained a lot of my own perspectives from reading this, even in moments where I may not have agreed with Megan's perspective.
Every author's story has an unreliable narrator when the intent of others (not the main character/person) becomes a catalyst in storyline progression - which is often not acknowledged by the author. Megan doesn't use the intent of others in this way and - even when others' actions are mentioned - she speaks of those actions in what facts are available to her... or she makes it clear to the reader that her perspective is not an absolute truth.
Book aside, for somebody (Megan) who grew up being taught that absolute truth was not only plausible, but exclusively made available to her and her family... My positive feedback from the paragraph above seems like an impossible feat. Kudos to her; I don't think I could do it!
If you have any religious background (current/past) - regardless of diety - you will find a beautiful perspective in this book. Yes, I'm even looking at y'all who completed, like, two years of CCD. This book will make you feel less alone if you've ever left a church or religion. If you are currently practicing a religion or have left one, it will also make you think more about what religion, perspective, truth, family, and commitment mean to you.
If you do not have a religious background - this book will put you in touch with actual pieces of the scripture, as well as Megan's stories, that will make you understand why those around you act and think the way they do. Religion - whether we currently practice it or have a background in it - impacts how we view our self-worth, what we "should give" to others, and fear/anxiety (amongst many other things). This book won't help you understand a certain religion - it will help you understand drivers in your friends actions.
Every author's story has an unreliable narrator when the intent of others (not the main character/person) becomes a catalyst in storyline progression - which is often not acknowledged by the author. Megan doesn't use the intent of others in this way and - even when others' actions are mentioned - she speaks of those actions in what facts are available to her... or she makes it clear to the reader that her perspective is not an absolute truth.
Book aside, for somebody (Megan) who grew up being taught that absolute truth was not only plausible, but exclusively made available to her and her family... My positive feedback from the paragraph above seems like an impossible feat. Kudos to her; I don't think I could do it!
If you have any religious background (current/past) - regardless of diety - you will find a beautiful perspective in this book. Yes, I'm even looking at y'all who completed, like, two years of CCD. This book will make you feel less alone if you've ever left a church or religion. If you are currently practicing a religion or have left one, it will also make you think more about what religion, perspective, truth, family, and commitment mean to you.
If you do not have a religious background - this book will put you in touch with actual pieces of the scripture, as well as Megan's stories, that will make you understand why those around you act and think the way they do. Religion - whether we currently practice it or have a background in it - impacts how we view our self-worth, what we "should give" to others, and fear/anxiety (amongst many other things). This book won't help you understand a certain religion - it will help you understand drivers in your friends actions.