Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Touchstone Books (2009), Hardcover, 352 pages
Description
Raised as a Jehovah's Witness, Kyria Abrahams's childhood was haunted by the knowledge that her neighbors and schoolmates were doomed to die in an imminent fiery catastrophe; that Smurfs were evil; that just about anything you could buy at a yard sale was infested by demons; and that Ouija boards--even if they were manufactured by Parker Brothers--were portals to hell. . When Kyria turned eighteen, she found herself married to a man she didn't love, with adultery her only way out. "Disfellowshipped" and exiled from the only world she'd ever known, Kyria realized that the only people who could save her were the very sinners she had prayed would be smitten by God's wrath. Written with scorching wit and deep compassion, I'm Perfect, You're Doomed manages to be hilarious about the ironic absurdity of growing up believing that nothing matters because everything's about to be destroyed..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member lauriebrown54
Abrahams, currently a stand-up comic, has written a humorous and painful memoir. Brought up in a semi-strict Jehovah’s Witness household, Abrahams had a dysfunctional childhood, and an even more dysfunctional young adulthood. While her family’s religion was in part to blame for this, the family
Witnesses are going to live forever after Armageddon; dead Witnesses will be bodily resurrected. To gain this deathless state, they in turn must devote their lives to the church. They attend meetings three times a week, go from door to door trying to convert people, and are not supposed to socialize with non-Witnesses. They are not allowed to read any books that aren’t published by Bethel, the Jehovah’s Witness official press. Higher education is strongly discouraged. In other words, they aren’t supposed to be distracted by the outside world or confused by ideas that might conflict with the official tenets of the church. There are strict rules for behavior: no sex outside marriage, no divorce except in cases of adultery, no drugs. The man is superior to the woman. Breaking the rules would lead, not just to losing the chance at being immortal, but being Disfellowedshipped, a shunning wherein no Witness can speak or interact with the person- they cease to exist, they look right through them, family included. While the author describes these things with sharp humor, she makes it clear that for a long time, she held these beliefs herself.
But having accepted the rules, Kyria is intent on bending or breaking them. Having been brought up with no critical thinking skills, she blunders through her teens and twenties, starting to drink in her very early teens; choosing a reluctant, older, husband at 16 so she can escape her house and get to have sex; being disappointed with that; having an affair; moving out to live with a boyfriend (who she immediately decides will marry her, despite his objections); cheating on him; doing drugs; living on people’s charity. She lives through this time completely disconnected from reality. This is painful to read; I wanted to reach into the book and give her a good, hard shaking. And an equally hard shaking to the people who enabled her behavior: why did her parents allow her to marry when she was underage? Why did the man agree to marry her (besides to be able to have sex)?
This is a book with two personalities: one that makes fun of the Witnesses, her family, and the poetry people that take her in later, and one that bares all the author’s bad behavior for the world to see. The two don’t make an easy alliance. And lacking is any indication of how and why Abrahams changed and grew up- or that she did. I assume, since she makes fun of herself, that she *did* grow up, but it’s not stated, perhaps because the author didn’t think it would be funny. A painful book to read, but hopefully cathartic for Abrahams to write.
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dynamics-alcohol, constant fighting, non-communication, and some violence- are equally at fault. Witnesses are going to live forever after Armageddon; dead Witnesses will be bodily resurrected. To gain this deathless state, they in turn must devote their lives to the church. They attend meetings three times a week, go from door to door trying to convert people, and are not supposed to socialize with non-Witnesses. They are not allowed to read any books that aren’t published by Bethel, the Jehovah’s Witness official press. Higher education is strongly discouraged. In other words, they aren’t supposed to be distracted by the outside world or confused by ideas that might conflict with the official tenets of the church. There are strict rules for behavior: no sex outside marriage, no divorce except in cases of adultery, no drugs. The man is superior to the woman. Breaking the rules would lead, not just to losing the chance at being immortal, but being Disfellowedshipped, a shunning wherein no Witness can speak or interact with the person- they cease to exist, they look right through them, family included. While the author describes these things with sharp humor, she makes it clear that for a long time, she held these beliefs herself.
But having accepted the rules, Kyria is intent on bending or breaking them. Having been brought up with no critical thinking skills, she blunders through her teens and twenties, starting to drink in her very early teens; choosing a reluctant, older, husband at 16 so she can escape her house and get to have sex; being disappointed with that; having an affair; moving out to live with a boyfriend (who she immediately decides will marry her, despite his objections); cheating on him; doing drugs; living on people’s charity. She lives through this time completely disconnected from reality. This is painful to read; I wanted to reach into the book and give her a good, hard shaking. And an equally hard shaking to the people who enabled her behavior: why did her parents allow her to marry when she was underage? Why did the man agree to marry her (besides to be able to have sex)?
This is a book with two personalities: one that makes fun of the Witnesses, her family, and the poetry people that take her in later, and one that bares all the author’s bad behavior for the world to see. The two don’t make an easy alliance. And lacking is any indication of how and why Abrahams changed and grew up- or that she did. I assume, since she makes fun of herself, that she *did* grow up, but it’s not stated, perhaps because the author didn’t think it would be funny. A painful book to read, but hopefully cathartic for Abrahams to write.
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LibraryThing member bragan
Kyria Abrahams recounts the story of a childhood and young adulthood spent in a devout community of Jehovah's Witnesses, which lasted until she left in order to get out of an ill-advised marriage. I have really mixed feelings about this one. The glimpse it gives into the world and the belief system
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of the Jehovah's Witnesses is interesting; I knew very little about the sect, despite all the literature they've left on my doorstep over the years. And the book does have an amusing beginning and a reasonably satisfying ending. The middle, though, is just one long parade of angsty teenage melodrama. Abrahams gives the distinct impression of having a fair amount of disdain for her younger self, who just comes across as incredibly self-centered, pretentious, and obnoxious in every conceivable way. By the time I was a couple of hundred pages in, I had an almost overwhelming urge to slap her. Which then made me feel all kinds of guilty, because the girl clearly had some very real psychological problems, and her circumstances were genuinely depressing. But unfortunately for the reader, they're also depressing to read about, and not generally in a poignant, empathy-inducing or enlightening way, either. Just a depressing way. Show Less
LibraryThing member librarymeg
"I was invincible because no one could hurt me more than I could hurt myself.".
My biggest beef with this book is that it's not the kind of book I gravitate to. (Not exactly a fair criticism, I know. But I expected more humor and less brutal reality. I try to avoid depressing truth in my
I'm mostly glad to be out of this book's head. It was a freaky and sad place to be.
My biggest beef with this book is that it's not the kind of book I gravitate to. (Not exactly a fair criticism, I know. But I expected more humor and less brutal reality. I try to avoid depressing truth in my
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recreational reading.) t's essentially a story of a girl who's safely swaddled in a life that asks her to take no responsibility for her life, but to just drift along as she is given (or takes) what she needs as her right. (For example, she takes to visiting her worldly friend's home essentially every day, watching their television, attending their sinful holiday parties, etc., which gives her all the things she's missing at home without actually abandoning her self-righteous religious superiority. She, of course, is oblivious to the fact that she quickly wears out her welcome, and forces the family to have an awkward conversation about going home, already.) In exchange for this existence that requires no practical knowledge of life or responsibility, she gets to experience all the dysfunction that goes with people living cripplingly depressed lives. The combination of innocence and entitlement that, according to this memoir, Jehovah's Witnesses are raised to have had far-reaching consequences even after she left the church. She bounced from man to man, searching for a version of life that had all the security, predictability, and relative ease of life with the Jehovah's Witnesses, but without the soul-crushing misery and depression. Unfortunately, there's no such thing as a free ride.I'm mostly glad to be out of this book's head. It was a freaky and sad place to be.
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LibraryThing member benruth
OK, I seldom (in fact, virtually never) review books here that aren't under the auspices of the Early Reviewers program, and those I DO review, I usually finish before I write about them...and it is also probably way early to review this one since it isn't coming out until March '09 and I only have
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it because I picked up a bound galley where I work. But, with all that said...I am halfway through this book and I dread finishing it because I am enjoying it so much! It is the endlessly witty tale of the author's experiences growing up under the auspices of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and it swings the reader back and forth from horror to laughter from paragraph to paragraph. I haven't reveled this much in reading a book since Janice Erlbaum's _Have You Found Her_----and indeed, the acknowledgments of _I'm Perfect, You're Doomed_ credit Erlbaum for advice and encouragement! Certainly this is not the same KIND of book as _Have You Found Her_, but I would venture to say that those who liked _Have You Found Her_ would tend to appreciate this one, too---there is a kind of astute observation and sardonic humor that is wonderfully evident in both, and you never quite know where things are going to go next. (Incidentally, my enthusiasm is real; I swear I'm not in cahoots with either author. I may live in New York City as they both do, but I have never met either of them!) I hope that when this book does finally come out, it is enthusiastically embraced by LibraryThing readers and others---I know I will be recommending it to anyone I think shares my reading sensibility. Show Less
LibraryThing member kaitanya64
Abrahams describes growing up as a Jehovah's Witness, and predictably for a memoir, leaving the organization as a young adult. Her style is witty and funny, while her descriptions of her unhappy family and the effects of religious restrictions combined with undiagnosed OCD on her personality are
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poignant. I was somewhat disappointed that while Abrahams seems to imply that her childhood reliance on the Jehovah's Witnesses was unhealthy, she is unable or unwilling to critique her own later dependence on alcohol and self-cutting as equally or more destructive and pointless. Despite the often charming wit, the narrator's inability to move far beyond her original adolescent perspective is unintentionally depressing. Show Less
LibraryThing member ScottM.Terry
Loved it. As a fellow exJehovah's Witness, I found Kyria's story to be a fascinating explanation of Witness dogma. Humorous and well-paced, it provided a thorough description of a Jehovah's Witness childhood, full of sins around every corner.
LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
What an obnoxious woman! The first part of the book is very humorous, it degenerates into a whiny, poor me, why can't I have what I want kind of book, and Abrahams turns into the very definition of a user. On the last page of the book she tries to chalk it all up to the fact that she was never told
It seems that one is captivated by the stories of children who are mistreated, but when these children grow to be damaged, nonfunctional adults (like Dave Pelzer of A Boy Called It) their stories are very off putting. She seems to think if she'd been raised on the Little House on the Prairie she would have turned out fine. I don't know about that.
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how to plan for the future since JW's don't think there will be one. They think everything will be perfect and easier for the chosen under the New System. Abrahams is supposedly a very intelligent girl who, in spite of the wackiness of her religion, was told all the right things by the religious leaders who counseled her and her family: stay in school, study, do your homework, don't get married young just to escape your parents' household. She rejected absolutely every good piece of advice she got. She also took advantage of every friend she ever had. I don't know, maybe she would have been better off being a Buddhist where she would have learned to control her desires. She's one big want without a hint of acceptance.It seems that one is captivated by the stories of children who are mistreated, but when these children grow to be damaged, nonfunctional adults (like Dave Pelzer of A Boy Called It) their stories are very off putting. She seems to think if she'd been raised on the Little House on the Prairie she would have turned out fine. I don't know about that.
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LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
These “Tales from a Jehovah's Witness Upbringing” are funny, sometimes very funny. This memoir is also sad, frustrating, sometimes pathetic. Kyria, raised in a somewhat dysfunctional JW family, just floats through life, rarely making any intelligent decisions or truly taking responsibility for
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her bad decisions. Although she is halfheartedly self-destructive, even that isn't a real force in her life and she comes across as whiny and lazy. She blindly accepts her religion as the one true religion without question, fearing nothing as much as not being on the righteous side when Armageddon. She tells people she doesn't love how much she loves them and that she wants to marry them, with pretty predictable results. As she starts parting from her religion, it isn't so much a questioning as it is just veering onto a different path, and not a very wise one. She moves away from the Jehovah's Witnesses almost as blindly as she embraced them. All of this does make for a funny memoir, but made me want to just sometimes reach out and shake some sense into the author. Show Less
LibraryThing member CasualFriday
This book is often very funny, but in the end it felt like the Jehovah's Witness angle was just that, an angle, and the bulk of the book was your typical adolescent-angsty memoir, a kid with emotional problems from a screwed up family who has a spectacularly bad time growing up. A much better book
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about growing up in the Jehovah's Witness religion is Visions by Glory by Barbara Grizzuti Harrison. Show Less
LibraryThing member tealightful
The first 100 pages or so are the most interesting, in my opinion. They cover her childhood as a Jehovah's Witness.
After that, the memoir is more just about her making really bad decisions involving drugs, alcohol, cutting and getting away with be a drain on society.
She doesn't really appear to
The best part of the book is where she's talking about her disdain for a slam poet by the name of "Trevor Bali" who's an English teacher. The real name of this guy is Taylor Mali and I have loved his work since the first time I heard it 6 years ago. ;)
After that, the memoir is more just about her making really bad decisions involving drugs, alcohol, cutting and getting away with be a drain on society.
She doesn't really appear to
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go through any growth as a person (at least, not that she conveyed) and the last half of the book felt sloppy, disorganized and had some big gaps in the stories. The best part of the book is where she's talking about her disdain for a slam poet by the name of "Trevor Bali" who's an English teacher. The real name of this guy is Taylor Mali and I have loved his work since the first time I heard it 6 years ago. ;)
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LibraryThing member Sandydog1
First, everything written in all the reviews here, from the 1 star reviews to the 5, are accurate. Now, to avoid the dreaded LT blue flag I guess I have to opine. I really, really enjoyed this book. It's like a fluffy, wry HBO comedy, except, with a solid tinge of sadness, reality..
LibraryThing member Justjenniferreading
Kyria Abrahams was born and raised as a Jehovah's Witness. For anyone familiar with the religion, her upbringing was fairly normal. She was not allowed to celebrate birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any other holiday. She was also raised "knowing" that Christ's new way of things was on it's
I think the book was great. I lived part of my life with my grandmother and aunt who were Jehovah's Witnesses. Many of the things Kyria talked about in her book brought back some memories that I had all but forgotten. It was like I was taking a weird walk down memory lane. I think this was a great look at what life is like as a Witness, granted I had some "insider knowledge". Mrs. Abrahams uses wit and humor to explain some drastic events in her life. I loved the story, liked the writing, and I really connected with the characters. Overall it was a very good story!
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way and that the world was going to end at any time. Until her disfellowship she didn't think that she could survive without the hand of Jesus guiding her. This book takes an almost cynical look at her life. It also is complete with a glossary of common Jehovah's Witness terms the rest of us may not be familiar with.I think the book was great. I lived part of my life with my grandmother and aunt who were Jehovah's Witnesses. Many of the things Kyria talked about in her book brought back some memories that I had all but forgotten. It was like I was taking a weird walk down memory lane. I think this was a great look at what life is like as a Witness, granted I had some "insider knowledge". Mrs. Abrahams uses wit and humor to explain some drastic events in her life. I loved the story, liked the writing, and I really connected with the characters. Overall it was a very good story!
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LibraryThing member tamarakraft
I just read in a review below that the author is a stand-up comedian. That puts it all together for me- she must be a good one. The way this story reads is punchy and bright. Every paragraph holds delightful wit and a twisty angle. I caught myself re-reading sentences because I loved their rythm
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and wished I could read them aloud to someone other than my chihuahua. The dog was only listening for words that rhymed with "treat" and wiggling her eyebrows at me when I repeatedly snorted out loud. Show Less
LibraryThing member etznab
In spite of the description and the title, this book has very little information about being a Jehovah's Witness. I know very little about this religion and this book did nothing to fill that knowledge gap. This book seems to be mostly about a mentally disturbed teenage girl who suffers from OCD
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and probably several other problems; but religion is a minor theme in the book and I doubt the cause of her mental condition. Show Less
LibraryThing member amathenia
The extended three day weekend of decidedly unsocial, social obligations provided me with the luxury of being able to lounge around and read Kyria Abraham’s humerous memoir, “I’m Perfect, You’re Doomed, Tales of a Jehovah’s Witness Upbringing.”
When it comes to talking about her life,
The style of the book is VH-1’s , “I love the 80’s” meets Jehovah’s Witnesses. What I mean is that it is filled with pop-culture references with a JW twist. For instance, Smurf’s are talked along with associated JW urban legends that circulated in the 1980’s about fireproof Smurfs coming alive, chucking Bibles, and cursing in Kingdom Halls. So while the humor might not be lost on someone with a non-JW background, for someone who was raised in the Organization it is particularly funny.
As we are roughly the same age and both raised in the Watchtower Organization, my life had many points of intersection with Kyria’s. For instance I can relate to the pride of giving a first Bible talk at age eight, being looked at sideways as a teenager for listening to “alternative” music, and marrying young. I can also appreciate the struggle of being inclined toward the arts and finding few outlets for expression within the Organization and having to look elsewhere. As it was growing up, if you were gifted athletically there was plenty of opportunities for congregation hockey, baseball, basketball and soccer however there was no similar avenues for those who enjoyed painting, playing music, or writing poetry.
If this were a fiction book it might be easier to write about, but since the book is about a real person it becomes more delicate. Kyria touches on some pretty heavy issues in the book such as abuse, repressed memories, OCD, cutting, and alcoholism. Her approach to writing about these things is in the same flippant, light-hearted tone as describing giving her first talk or reminiscing on the evils of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. I understand and appreciate that is important to have a sense of humor when looking at our life but on the other hand these things are serious matters that affect people greatly, even after leaving the religion. The same is true with the portrayal of the Organization, which seems to be shown as being quirky but mostly harmless. Anyone who has been through a disfellowshipping, being cut off from friends and family, can speak of the agony and hurt that comes along with it. This memoir takes it all in stride and does little to go into the deep emotional pain that comes with a Jehovah’s Witness upbringing.
As the book ends it comes to a conclusion but not necessarily a satisfactory one. While she may have at one time in her life saw herself as being “perfect” and others as “doomed”, at the end you get the feeling she just sees people as people, good and bad, inside and out. As said Kyria touches on some of heavy emotional issues and there doesn’t seem to be a real resolution to any of this. While the book was extremely enjoyable to read the ending left me a bit depressed. I found Kyria to be likeable and it is sad to contemplate that she is still dealing with some of this baggage. Though we have a common religious background our lives take us to different places. I can only speak for what I know is to be true. That said, I honestly believe that Jesus is the solution and healing that is needed in such trouble areas.
When it comes to talking about her life,
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Kyria is a very good story teller, particularly adept at finding the lighter side of a life that wasn’t always easy. In doing so it wouldn’t surprise me of some events and situations are embellished for the sake of the story; however, it seems to be a mostly honest account of her young life within the Jehovah’s Witness religion. The portrayal of the religion is not entirely critical and mostly accurate. I have a feeling that when some dialogue didn’t exactly ring true as JW speak it was mostly the hand of an editor trying to make it easily understood by the average reader. (Kyria is helpful to include an irreverent glossary in the back to help sort out much of the Watchtower jargon.) The style of the book is VH-1’s , “I love the 80’s” meets Jehovah’s Witnesses. What I mean is that it is filled with pop-culture references with a JW twist. For instance, Smurf’s are talked along with associated JW urban legends that circulated in the 1980’s about fireproof Smurfs coming alive, chucking Bibles, and cursing in Kingdom Halls. So while the humor might not be lost on someone with a non-JW background, for someone who was raised in the Organization it is particularly funny.
As we are roughly the same age and both raised in the Watchtower Organization, my life had many points of intersection with Kyria’s. For instance I can relate to the pride of giving a first Bible talk at age eight, being looked at sideways as a teenager for listening to “alternative” music, and marrying young. I can also appreciate the struggle of being inclined toward the arts and finding few outlets for expression within the Organization and having to look elsewhere. As it was growing up, if you were gifted athletically there was plenty of opportunities for congregation hockey, baseball, basketball and soccer however there was no similar avenues for those who enjoyed painting, playing music, or writing poetry.
If this were a fiction book it might be easier to write about, but since the book is about a real person it becomes more delicate. Kyria touches on some pretty heavy issues in the book such as abuse, repressed memories, OCD, cutting, and alcoholism. Her approach to writing about these things is in the same flippant, light-hearted tone as describing giving her first talk or reminiscing on the evils of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. I understand and appreciate that is important to have a sense of humor when looking at our life but on the other hand these things are serious matters that affect people greatly, even after leaving the religion. The same is true with the portrayal of the Organization, which seems to be shown as being quirky but mostly harmless. Anyone who has been through a disfellowshipping, being cut off from friends and family, can speak of the agony and hurt that comes along with it. This memoir takes it all in stride and does little to go into the deep emotional pain that comes with a Jehovah’s Witness upbringing.
As the book ends it comes to a conclusion but not necessarily a satisfactory one. While she may have at one time in her life saw herself as being “perfect” and others as “doomed”, at the end you get the feeling she just sees people as people, good and bad, inside and out. As said Kyria touches on some of heavy emotional issues and there doesn’t seem to be a real resolution to any of this. While the book was extremely enjoyable to read the ending left me a bit depressed. I found Kyria to be likeable and it is sad to contemplate that she is still dealing with some of this baggage. Though we have a common religious background our lives take us to different places. I can only speak for what I know is to be true. That said, I honestly believe that Jesus is the solution and healing that is needed in such trouble areas.
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LibraryThing member shsb
This book definitely had it's good points and bad points. I really enjoyed getting to know what is was like to grow up as a Jehovah's Witness and to learn more about what their actual beliefs are. I had empathy for a girl who was not allowed to play with other friends and who was often ostracized
I did feel, however, that the author was a rather spoiled and selfish "adult." Someone who cursed out her parents, cried and screamed and even moved out every time she didn't get her way. Chapter after Chapter details how she asked yet another friend to take her in because she was unhappy at home. These parts of the book made me feel less and less empathetic with the main character as the book went on. I still don't understand how someone who was so worried about bring disfellowshipped could be OK with calling her mother a bitch and cursing out her father. I was also not impressed with how the book ended.
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from school because she was not allowed to celebrate birthdays and holidays.I did feel, however, that the author was a rather spoiled and selfish "adult." Someone who cursed out her parents, cried and screamed and even moved out every time she didn't get her way. Chapter after Chapter details how she asked yet another friend to take her in because she was unhappy at home. These parts of the book made me feel less and less empathetic with the main character as the book went on. I still don't understand how someone who was so worried about bring disfellowshipped could be OK with calling her mother a bitch and cursing out her father. I was also not impressed with how the book ended.
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LibraryThing member mhleigh
Kyria Abrahams grows up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in a Jehovah's Witness household. Since Kyria fears death at Armageddon desperately, as a young child, she works very hard to be good. Good enough to impress the elders with her ability to quote the correct Watchtower segment at the appropriate
Quote: "The succession of power was this: Jesus was the head over man; man was the head over woman; and woman was the head over cooking peach cobbler and shutting up."
"The Gonsalves family were Portuguese but still attended our English congregation, soemthing that caused no end of confusion for my mother. 'They don't want to go to the Spanish meetings, I guess," Mom conjectured."
Usually memoirs about being brought up in a particularly religious household annoy me (see "The Longest Trip Home" by John Grogan). This is because I usually find they are either really smug and condescending towards their previous life or overly glowing about their perfect childhood. Abrahams, on the other hand, writes in a way that both acknowledges the seemingly bizarre nature of her upbringing, while at the same time seeming to look back on it with a loving, amused shake of the head. Sort of like an ancient aunt who drinks too much at a family wedding: a little saddening, lovable, amusing. Speaking of amusing, this book is really, truly funny. Although Abrahams story is by all means not a total lark, even the events that are depressing or alarming are recounted with enough dry humor and sarcasm to be extremely entertaining.
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time. Kyria is carful to avoid holiday crafts at school and is very aware that those who leave the congregation will immediately be drugged, raped, and tortured. Once, she is horrified when inadvertantly at a friends house when a birthday is celebrated. However, as Kyria gets older she struggles more with freedom and bouts of depression (which scripture reading by itself is unable to fix). Kyria must decide whether to risk being disfellowshipped (and the eternal death in the next life and stabbing in this life that this would entail) by choosing a different path.Quote: "The succession of power was this: Jesus was the head over man; man was the head over woman; and woman was the head over cooking peach cobbler and shutting up."
"The Gonsalves family were Portuguese but still attended our English congregation, soemthing that caused no end of confusion for my mother. 'They don't want to go to the Spanish meetings, I guess," Mom conjectured."
Usually memoirs about being brought up in a particularly religious household annoy me (see "The Longest Trip Home" by John Grogan). This is because I usually find they are either really smug and condescending towards their previous life or overly glowing about their perfect childhood. Abrahams, on the other hand, writes in a way that both acknowledges the seemingly bizarre nature of her upbringing, while at the same time seeming to look back on it with a loving, amused shake of the head. Sort of like an ancient aunt who drinks too much at a family wedding: a little saddening, lovable, amusing. Speaking of amusing, this book is really, truly funny. Although Abrahams story is by all means not a total lark, even the events that are depressing or alarming are recounted with enough dry humor and sarcasm to be extremely entertaining.
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LibraryThing member EmScape
Kyria's memoir of her upbringing in the Jehovah's Witness church is fascinating, but I found it a little difficult to read. I think she's trying to come off as humorous (the back cover proclaims her a stand-up comic), but a lot of her attempts at humor, particularly her characterization of her
It's pretty impressive how this naive young woman, once she finds being married at 19 isn't all it's cracked up to be, engages in increasingly risky behaviors but manages to come out the other side, with quite a bit of help from some very understanding and patient people, relatively unscathed - that is not raped, pregnant, an addict or worse. It's very sad how insular some "churches" have to be in order to keep their parishioners snowed by the ridiculously and obviously non-factual crap they are peddling. Those who manage to make it out, like Kyria, are so unprepared for life in the real world, that often they tuck tail and head back to the church just to have friends or a roof over their heads. Kyria was quite lucky to be rescued and cared for instead of taken advantage of by her liberators; the story could have gone a much darker direction, and probably has for some escapees of this dangerous "faith."
I just wish she hadn't come off as such a brat; I might have enjoyed her story more.
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bratty brother, come off as mean-spirited instead. I get it, I would be bitter having been raised that way; in fact, I am pretty bitter about my own repressive (Evangelical) childhood, but her condescension towards her family and other church members is sometimes a little much. It's pretty impressive how this naive young woman, once she finds being married at 19 isn't all it's cracked up to be, engages in increasingly risky behaviors but manages to come out the other side, with quite a bit of help from some very understanding and patient people, relatively unscathed - that is not raped, pregnant, an addict or worse. It's very sad how insular some "churches" have to be in order to keep their parishioners snowed by the ridiculously and obviously non-factual crap they are peddling. Those who manage to make it out, like Kyria, are so unprepared for life in the real world, that often they tuck tail and head back to the church just to have friends or a roof over their heads. Kyria was quite lucky to be rescued and cared for instead of taken advantage of by her liberators; the story could have gone a much darker direction, and probably has for some escapees of this dangerous "faith."
I just wish she hadn't come off as such a brat; I might have enjoyed her story more.
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Language
Original publication date
2009-03-03
Physical description
352 p.; 9 inches
ISBN
1416556842 / 9781416556848
Local notes
When Abrahams was growing up, her world was neatly divided between those who would live forever in a paradise on earth and all the "worldly" people her Jehovah's Witness family prayed for. Her congregation forbade Christmas and Halloween, aggressively shunned anyone who left the fold and taught children that birthday parties were of the devil. For kicks in her early teens, Abrahams would go witnessing door-to-door with her pal Lisa, a die-hard J-Dub. This acerbic, witty memoir chronicles the first 23 years of Abraham's life with candor and a good dose of comedy.