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6 reviews for:
In the Name of God: The True Story of the Fight to Save Children from Faith-Healing Homicide
Cameron Stauth
3.94 AVERAGE
6 reviews for:
In the Name of God: The True Story of the Fight to Save Children from Faith-Healing Homicide
Cameron Stauth
3.94 AVERAGE
This book is incredibly difficult to put down, which is especially impressive considering the heavy subject and length. Stauth presents a very emotional and personal ethical dilemma in, my opinion, as fair and balanced as he could be. It would be incredibly easy to portray parents who deny their children medical attention as evil and selfish, but Stauth actually made me sympathize with the Followers and explained their faith with care and civility. With that being said, I am very glad that things played out the way they did, because I absolutely am against faith-only based healing and was delighted to read about the changes made to the Followers in Oregon. It was heart breaking to read about the number of children who suffered due to their parents religious choices, and am thrilled that changes in Oregon's laws helped prevent more needless deaths from occurring. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in politics, ethics, or crime dramas.
I would give this 3.5 stars. Fascinating topic, especially given that I know Oregon City (I've been to The Verdict) and I'm familiar with child abuse in Oregon (I've worked with child abuse pediatrician Dr. Leonhardt on a committee). I appreciated the historical aspects of The Followers, and the national efforts noted throughout the book, but I grew tired of the author's cheap shots at Clackamas County. Also near the end of the book the author inserts himself in a way he hadn't throughout and shares that he has more than a healthy skepticism for modern medicine. Yet after sharing this he doesn't delve into how he balances his POV with his admonition for the Followers' neglect of their children, made me wonder why he brought it up in the first place.
Couldn't put this book down because of the author's "whodunit" writing style. I thought it was a pretty balanced presentation. I lend some credence to spiritual healing but also believe in utilizing Western and Eastern medicine. A cautionary tale of having faith so blind it blinds you to everything else, including the health and well-being of loved ones.
Woof! A painful, heartbreaking read that carries you along, hoping for a happy ending.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
I did not know a lot about the followers of Christ group, but now I guess I know more than I did before. The book was clearly written with a dramatic tone and narrative carved out by the author, but otherwise, it seems like a faithful retelling of an effort to prevent child abuse and medical neglect under the guise of "faith healing". I find it disgusting that someone would doom their child to permanent injury or death in the hopes of chasing Christ's absolution, but I suppose there's a group for everything out there in the world. A tragic topic covered quite well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Medical content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail