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    Leaving the Saints
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    Leaving the Saints
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    Leaving the Saints
    Audiobook12 hours

    Leaving the Saints

    Written by Martha Beck

    Narrated by Bernadette Dunne

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Leaving the Saints is an unforgettable memoir about one woman's spiritual quest and journey toward faith. As "Mormon royalty" within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Martha Beck was raised in a home frequented by the Church's high elders-known as the apostles-and her existence was framed by their strict code of conduct. Wearing her sacred garments, she married in a secret temple ceremony-but only after two Mormon leaders ascertained that her "past contained no flirtation with serious sins, such as committing murder or drinking coffee." She went to church faithfully with the other brothers and sisters of her ward. When her son was born with Down syndrome, she and her husband left their graduate programs at Harvard to return to Provo, Utah, where they knew the supportive Mormon community would embrace them.

    However, soon after Martha began teaching at Brigham Young University, she began to see firsthand the Church's ruthlessness as it silenced dissidents and masked truths that contradicted its published beliefs. Most troubling of all, she was forced to face her history of sexual abuse by one of the Church's most prominent authorities. This book chronicles her difficult decision to sever her relationship with the faith that had cradled her for so long and to confront and forgive the person who betrayed her so deeply.

    This beautifully written, inspiring memoir explores the powerful yearning toward faith. It offers a rare glimpse inside one of the world's most secretive religions while telling a profoundly moving story of personal courage, survival, and the transformative power of spirituality.


    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 1, 2005
    ISBN9781415923580
    Unavailable
    Leaving the Saints
    Author

    Martha Beck

    Martha Beck, PhD, is a life coach and longtime contributor to O, The Oprah Magazine. She is a Harvard-trained sociologist and New York Times bestselling author. She has published nine nonfiction books, one novel, and more than 200 magazine articles. Her book The Way of Integrity is a recent Oprah's Book Club Selection.      

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    Reviews for Leaving the Saints

    4/5

    119 ratings8 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Hmmm, well, this book was certainly interesting. I'm not Mormon, nor are there a lot of Mormons in my area. Funnily enough, though, I live not too far from where Joseph Smith started out, here in upstate New York. Religions of all kinds have always fascinated me, but I'll admit that I didn't know that much about the Church of Latter Day Saints before I started reading this. Beck is a fine writer, and she's at her best when describing the small moments of everyday life: her interaction with her family members and community. The descriptions of the community, especially, illustrate why this religion appeals to so many. The people described are warm, moral, friendly. That makes it all the more shocking when they turn against the author. Beck describes a lot of Mormon theology that, to an outsider like myself, does sound rather off the wall. And then, when she gets into the most painful part of the memoir, describing her recollections of childhood abuse at the hands of her father, a well-known Mormon scholar. However (and I hate to say this, because every fiber of my feminist being tells me not to doubt a woman who comes forward against abuse) she doesn't remember these incidents until she undergoes hypnotic regression. I'm unconvinced of the validity of this method, and that makes me unsure whether or not her story is true.When I finished this book, I went on Amazon.com, and I was shocked to read how controversial it is. I expected there to be some controversy, as with any book attacking an established religion. But I was surprised to find how much many Mormons hated the book, or ex-Mormons and outsiders loved it. Those who disliked the book attacked Beck's description of Latter Day Saints theology and rituals, as well as her personal character and the truth of her accusations against her father. In the end, I didn't know what to think or believe. Beck obviously has some bias against the religion, whether her memories/accusations are true or not. Although it's not a lifestyle or religion that I could ever see myself embracing, I would like to read some books from the other side, what those who are still involved in the Latter Day Saints community say about their theology, etc.I think what matters about my experience with the book is this: it was told well (Beck can certainly write) and it made me think, whether it's one hundred percent true or not. Recently, the James Frey scandal has called into question the veracity of many memoirs, and it's up to the reader to choose whether to swallow everything that is told to you as factual truth, or to just appreciate the book as a work of literature.
    • 5/5
      honest and raw. no one with a rational mind would lie about this stuff.
    • 4/5
      I found her writing to be funny, honest and witty. Martha Beck, daughter of a high ranking Mormon family left Utah to go to Harvard. When she returns home, a place she feels will be an easier and more welcoming environment that Cambridge to raise her son with Downs Syndrome, she "discovers" that her father has brutally abused her as a child.I have read so much about her case, and many rebuttal's by family members, that I have a hard time believing everything that was written. That said, it was a good read.
    • 3/5
      The faithful Latter-day Saints do not read unapproved material and Leaving The Saints is not on the approved list, according to its author, Martha Beck. Ms. Beck has an axe to grind, but writes with an authoritative stone.Quoting from the back cover:As "Mormon royalty" within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Martha Beck was raised in a home frequented by the Church's high elders in an existence framed by the strictest code of conduct . . . Most troubling of all, she was forced to face her history of sexual abuse by one of the Church's most prominent authorities."Leaving The Saints is a troubling story. Truth like an onion with layers upon layers, can bring tears. Ms. Beck has cried a river in her struggle to find the truth.
    • 3/5
      Martha Beck was an atheist-inclined grad student when miraculous happenings during her second pregnancy reawakened her interest in spirituality. After moving back to her hometown of Provo, she embraced her childhood religion in effort to deepen this newfound faith. She writes with lucidity and humor about how she instead discovered the dark side of the Mormon church, including fundamental beliefs that contradict known fact, a culture that stifled intellectual exploration, and a suspected relationship between the inferior position of women in the church and incidents of sexual abuse. A large part of Beck’s journey involves confronting her own history of sexual abuse, and the book sometimes feels disjointed as it shifts back and forth between the narrative and a scene in which she confronted her abuser. That issue aside, Beck’s attempt to free herself from the bonds of this unhealthy religion while still keeping her seed of faith alive serves as a fascinating example of how important it is to continually ask critical questions in all matters of faith.
    • 4/5
      Fascinating story (memoir) about her early abuse by her father, a revered LDS elder and teacher at BYU. Some of the satiric writing was a bit over the top - but lots of interesting Morman stories.
    • 5/5
      This book spoke to me about personal transformation. I am not a Mormon, but like so many others, grapple with the concept of where to draw the line between religious dogma and true spirituality. Martha Beck dares to be different and follows her heart.
    • 4/5
      As one fascinated by all things Mormon, I found this memoir about growing up the daughter of a famous LDS apologist to be a captivating look at life in a culture that's pretty foreign to my own experience. Beck writes with great humor and insight about a difficult childhood and recovering memories of being sexually abused by her father, and she succeeds in putting it all in perspective within the Church's culture and overall influence.Full review at The Book Lady's Blog .