Give Me Back My Children by Sarah C. Allred offers a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of an FLDS woman under Warren Jeffs' control. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because the author displays real spunk, and I immediately appreciated her willingness to add a dose of irreverence—even using a curse word or two—during the early days of her marriage to Richard Allred. I also appreciated seeing Richard Allred—known as Rich to his ...
Book Review: Breaking Free by Rachel Jeffs | Surviving the FLDS and Finding Strength Beyond Abuse
Rachel Jeffs’ memoir, Breaking Free: How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and My Father, Warren Jeffs, is a raw and deeply disturbing account of her lived experiences inside the FLDS and the horrific abuse she endured at the hands of her now-infamous father, Warren Jeffs. From the very first chapters, Rachel pulls no punches in exposing the realities of life under Warren Jeffs’ control. I’ve mentioned in other memoir reviews that I prefer ...
Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage | Golden Girls Vibes and Cozy Crimes Collide
Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage sounded like the perfect book to ease into summer. After all, nothing says warm, cozy chaos quite like the Miami sun and the beloved cast of The Golden Girls. Fun fact: I’ve never actually seen The Golden Girls. You see, Mama thought the show was downright filthy, and well, that’s a story for another day when I can put on my best Rose impression and tell you all about the backward way I was raised in ...
Book Review: Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar | Surviving Faith and Finding a Voice
Reading Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar Dillard resurfaced a lot of unresolved religious trauma for me—mainly anger. Not so much for myself anymore, but for my daughters and others. I always struggled to follow the rules, and while I tried to give my kids some exposure to the real world, I still sheltered them from a lot. That came from my own experience of being extremely sheltered, much like Jill was. I still struggle with feeling like I ...
Book Review: Hollow by Celina Myers | More Hype Than Bite in This Vampire Tale
Hollow by Celina Myers—widely recognized as CelinaSpookyBoo—comes highly recommended in the paranormal and BookTok communities. As a paranormal investigator, I’ve noticed that mainstream paranormal media often lowers expectations for what a “real” investigation looks like. Many viewers are exposed to dramatized, sensationalized content, in which every unexplained sound is treated as proof of something sinister and as genuine evidence of ...
