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A review by makcar03
Confessions of a Latter-day Virgin: A Memoir by Nicole Hardy
4.0
Confessions of a Latter Day Virgin tells the story of the author and her views of life, love, and the role of women within the Mormon church. The story starts with Nicole Hardy as a student at Brigham Young University (a Mormon college) and follows her for about fifteen years until she’s in her late thirties. She states that a woman in the Mormon church is meant to be a wife and mother, she can want other things as long as the she also wants to get married and to be a mom. According to the Mormon faith this is the ultimate need for all of its members (men as well) and if this feat isn’t achieved in life it will be given as a gift in Heaven to those worthy people who’ve gained the immortal kingdom. In college Hardy is presented with a different view of life through her English class, assigned a book by a Mormon author who stated that she doesn’t want kids. Before reading this book Hardy had never even thought this a possibility for her. Armed with this new information her life is changed forever. Hardy doesn’t feel that what the Mormon doctrine tells her she should want is right for her. Thus she embarks on her journey to find love, intimacy, and sex while still trying to fit into a religion that tells her she can’t be feeling what she does.
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was an interesting subject and pretty well written. Due to the fact that this is a nonfiction book it’s not very suspenseful or gripping, but it’s good in different ways. Hardy writes about her personal self in a way that would be very hard for a lot of people. She’s very honest about her feelings and beliefs, and goes in depth about her sexual wants and needs. This book is about Hardy growing up and learning who she is as a woman and as a person. Her struggles with her faith and how it defined her in a way she didn’t want to be defined show her strength and integrity as a person. Hardy didn’t buckle and settle for something she didn’t want just to be able to fit in. As the title clearly says this is mostly about Hardy’s sexuality and dealing with that in the Mormon faith. Her experience in the faith is typical, a basically typical American life. She grew up happy and loved, went to college, and started a career. Since she is so religious and dedicated to her faith it’s even more interesting that she was able to speak so openly about her sexual desires. It was interesting to see how her deep religious beliefs effected her life in general and the relationships she was able to form through her religion and despite it. The subject matter is interspersed with bits of humor and some truly heartrending moments and makes for a good read.
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was an interesting subject and pretty well written. Due to the fact that this is a nonfiction book it’s not very suspenseful or gripping, but it’s good in different ways. Hardy writes about her personal self in a way that would be very hard for a lot of people. She’s very honest about her feelings and beliefs, and goes in depth about her sexual wants and needs. This book is about Hardy growing up and learning who she is as a woman and as a person. Her struggles with her faith and how it defined her in a way she didn’t want to be defined show her strength and integrity as a person. Hardy didn’t buckle and settle for something she didn’t want just to be able to fit in. As the title clearly says this is mostly about Hardy’s sexuality and dealing with that in the Mormon faith. Her experience in the faith is typical, a basically typical American life. She grew up happy and loved, went to college, and started a career. Since she is so religious and dedicated to her faith it’s even more interesting that she was able to speak so openly about her sexual desires. It was interesting to see how her deep religious beliefs effected her life in general and the relationships she was able to form through her religion and despite it. The subject matter is interspersed with bits of humor and some truly heartrending moments and makes for a good read.