I have spent hours listening, rapt, to the story of Megan Phelps-Roper, a young woman who grew up in the Westboro Baptist Church, the Kansas-based organization that is considered by many to be a hate group. The members of this fundamentalist sect picket against military funerals, against gay rights, against the funerals of the children killed so tragically at Sandy Hook. "More Dead Children" their picket signs scream, "God Hates Fags". Megan started picketing at such a young age that she could not yet read what her sign said. It was a time to congregate with family towards a shared cause, the implications of which Megan did not understand until she was much older.

Picketing aside, growing up in the Westboro Baptist Church was not all that different from growing up anywhere in middle America. Megan did have ten siblings, definitely more than the norm. But her days were spent going to a public school, and after school and on weekends when she wasn't picketing she was playing with her siblings and cousins, helping her mother around the house, playing in the backyard with her boisterous father. On the down side, her mother was far too strict a disciplinarian and sometimes beat her children without mercy for even small faults and failings.

As she grew older, she started working for the church, mostly in an administrative capacity. She started a Twitter feed for the church and it was there that the opinions of others caused her to begin examining her beliefs and the way that the church acted against anyone gay, Jewish, or in the military, or deceased in a violent manner. Eventually Megan left, for a number of reasons which I will not spoil. Her younger sister came with her. They left the state and both had what I think were nervous breakdowns. Moving away and being excommunicated by their families and church must have been overwhelming after living within the bounds of the church for their entire lives. But both young women built lives for themselves, and managed to quell the emotional turmoil most of the time. I cannot imagine being that brave, taking a permanent step away from everything I've ever known. I admire them greatly.

The book was extremely well-written, and for this audio book it was Megan Phelps-Roper herself narrating. She has a lovely clear voice and is obviously insightful and highly intelligent. I had a hard time getting to bed last night because I didn't want to stop listening, and this morning, after I'd fed the cats and myself, I immediately started listening again.

It was a very hard book for someone in my situation to read. Right now none of my three children are speaking to me. They are adult children, ranging from age 22 to age 30, and they have made this decision on their own. When Phelps-Roper speaks of leaving her family behind, I felt as if it was me who was that family, bereft of my children. When she speaks of missing her family or falling into patterns that mimic things her family used to do, I became that family, missing interacting with my kids, missing the emotional bond. I cried a lot while listening to it. My face is still all puffy and my eyes and nose still read. But I am grateful. The catharsis has been helpful, and it is always grounding to know that even though circumstances may differ widely, that others feel and have felt the same pain that I do.

So good for many reasons, I would recommend this book if you like interesting memoirs, information about religions that are not your own, or if you are merely looking for a good book, well told. ( )

This was a very interesting and insightful memoir. I would recommend to anyone curious about Westboro Baptist Church, ( )

An unbelievable journey through the life of Megan Phelps-Roper, former member of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. This is a riveting, incredibly honest, heartfelt and truly sad. It is also full of hope. Megan is a brave soul whose desire to be held accountable for her past cruelties as well as her strong will to change and find a new path through kindness, education and truth, are something very strong to read about. This is a great read, told with a real unbridled commitment to bring true. Kudos. ( )

Such a powerful story of love, hate, family and finding your way. I love that she read her own words and brought a calm, loving voice to such a strong recounting of her past. I cried through so many parts for her and her family. I couldn't put it down. ( )

In a brave baring of her soul, Megan Phelps-Roper tells of growing up in the Westboro Baptist Church, and how the people she loved and depended on held her to abusive standards in the name of obedience. Through twitter, over the course of many years, conversations with polite, curious strangers on the internet slowly reshaped Megan's worldview. She still struggles to leave, afraid the world will condemn her for the hurt that her actions have caused over the years, but she tries her best to take accountability and move forward honestly and with grace, and is received with open arms by many of the people she once protested, now lifelong friends. I think this is such an important read if you want to understand how we can support and encourage people to leave abusive situations; not with judgement and hate, but with love and patience. ( )