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ibbyyyyy's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Infidelity and Suicide
chrisdennismyers's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
I read a lot (a lot) of cult memoirs. This one is more about her family dynamic than it is about the religion, but it still finds a home in that genre. Castro is an incredible writer (unsurprising, given that she is literally a professor of English now), and has a lovely, twisty prose style. The book is heartbreaking and harsh and there is no rest for the weary reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Suicide, Car accident, and Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Racism
amandacaronna's review
3.0
A little meandering at times, but Castro has a really enthralling story to share.
endlessreader's review
4.0
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that although I'm not a Jehovah's Witness (I was never baptized as one), my mother's ex-husband was and made me and my sisters and brother go to the Kingdom Hall every Thursday night and Sunday morning, as well as Bible Study on Tuesday nights for years during my childhood. So, I kind of have first-hand experience as to the abuse and hypocrisy that goes on behind the curtains of this religion. Due to that, I found myself getting even more pissed off at what was happening in this book, maybe because I was projecting the abuse that my family suffered, but either way, The Truth Book was a heart-wrenching read.
At this point, I don't know why I bother reading memoirs unless their humorous because they either depress me or make me severely angry. While The Truth Book did both of these things, it was also uplifting because you're dealing with someone who refused to let her past circumstances dictate her future. Joy Castro did what she had to do to survive the hellish nightmare she (along with her younger brother) suffered at the hands of her mother and stepfather all the while the religion that was supposed to be the "pure" one just turned a blind eye. The author does all of this without the whole "woe is me" component that seems to be present in most memoirs. So much that readers start to think that they're just telling their story, not to inform us, but solely to make us feel sorry for them. You can just tell that Joy Castro is merely stating the facts of what happened to her. She's not asking us for anything other than to read her story.
So, The Truth Book was a harrowing and heartbreaking read. It's very easy to relate to the author's plight even if you have no prior experience with Jehovah's Witnesses (although let's face it, we've all hidden from them when they come knocking on our door one time or another). I think the one thing that everyone can relate to (particularly here on GoodReads) is how a love for reading really saved Joy Castro and gave her a bit of a reprieve from the abuse she was suffering. We as readers have all had those moments where we feel like life basically sucks and reading a book has helped us escape and made life better at least for a little while. So, The Truth Book is definitely recommended.
At this point, I don't know why I bother reading memoirs unless their humorous because they either depress me or make me severely angry. While The Truth Book did both of these things, it was also uplifting because you're dealing with someone who refused to let her past circumstances dictate her future. Joy Castro did what she had to do to survive the hellish nightmare she (along with her younger brother) suffered at the hands of her mother and stepfather all the while the religion that was supposed to be the "pure" one just turned a blind eye. The author does all of this without the whole "woe is me" component that seems to be present in most memoirs. So much that readers start to think that they're just telling their story, not to inform us, but solely to make us feel sorry for them. You can just tell that Joy Castro is merely stating the facts of what happened to her. She's not asking us for anything other than to read her story.
So, The Truth Book was a harrowing and heartbreaking read. It's very easy to relate to the author's plight even if you have no prior experience with Jehovah's Witnesses (although let's face it, we've all hidden from them when they come knocking on our door one time or another). I think the one thing that everyone can relate to (particularly here on GoodReads) is how a love for reading really saved Joy Castro and gave her a bit of a reprieve from the abuse she was suffering. We as readers have all had those moments where we feel like life basically sucks and reading a book has helped us escape and made life better at least for a little while. So, The Truth Book is definitely recommended.
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