I wrote a review in Christian Courier examining two memoirs from women who escaped communities marked by Christian patriarchy. One is by Shannon Bonne, ex-wife of the best-selling author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye, and the other by writer Cait West. Cait’s book Rift is especially lyrical, grounding her experiences in poetic explorations of the places that have been home for her. Shannon’s tone in The Woman They Wanted sounds like a big sister passing along her life experiences and affirming the reader that they deserve the freedom and validation she eventually found.
“Reading these two memoirs felt like meeting someone at a party who went to the same weird summer camp. I haven’t lived their experiences, but I recognize the insider language, the obscure references, the kinds of charismatic people who pull you into their vision of a better life based on an idealized past. I’ve known the same failed promises that if you follow the formula (a formula that doesn’t occur in scripture), you will get rewarded with the best marriage and love life you can imagine, only to find that the formula itself creates dysfunction and heartbreak.”
Melissa Kuipers 