A review by cdjdhj
Off the Deep End: Jerry and Becki Falwell and the Collapse of an Evangelical Dynasty by Mark Ebner, Giancarlo Granda

5.0

When I got this book free for my Kindle, I didn't really didn't know the details of the sordid story of Jerry and Becki Falwell and their infamous "Christian" college- Liberty University. I had seen some items on the news about the Falwells and their "pool boy" but I honestly thought it was like so many other evangelical ministers who fell from grace, like Jim Bakker, Ted Haggard and Jimmy Swaggart. This book tells a sordid and disgusting tale of Jerry Falwell, son of the famous televangelist who helped engineer the election of Ronald Reagan and both Bushes. The junior Falwell was president of the Christian university his father founded when he and his wife seduced a 20-year-old employee of the Miami Beach resort Fontainebleau into having a three-way sexual affair with them that lasted for several years. This book is written by the "pool boy" in the story , Giancarlo Granda, and it is a no-holes-barred account of not only of what was actually sexual exploitation of a young man, but also Falwell's involvement with Michael Cohen (Donald Trump's fixer) and his king-maker status which helped propel Trump into the presidency with overwhelming Evangelical support. The book was honest, detailed, well-documented and interesting. It is a startling account of unchecked power and hubris entangled with religion and faith. I gave the book 5/5 stars and recommend it as an important cautionary tale about those who use religion to manipulate , exploit, and exert power over others.