Escape and Midwife's Tale..

I finished Escape by Carolyn Jessop and The Midwife's Tale by Gretchen Moran Laskas. I kept starting an entry on Escape but never got around to figuring out what to say. I wasn't sure I wanted to, or what I would say, but here is my attempt.

Escape made me angry. It detailed abuse (emotional and physical) of women, children and men, actually, in a polygamous sect by a former member. After, I finished reading it I tried googling different things about it to find out more details. I am torn on deciding what to believe besides what I already thought after just reading the book. Yes, the treatment of the people is TERRIBLE and I am sooo glad that I have never be subjected to a life like that. However, Carolyn makes it sounds like she was a saint and did nothing like some of what her sister wife's did to each other. I find it hard to believe that in a "survival" mode you would not also act that way to survive. However, nothing in her book points much negativity towards her, except in my mind, her ignoring the abuse her children were put through. While, I applaud her for leaving and taking her children away from that lifestyle, I wish she would have been a little more honest, because I don't think she was exactly, and it takes away a bit from what her message was. (Giving one man soo much power is not good and the women and children need help.)

Don't get me wrong, I disagree with polygamy and think the way women and children are treated in the polygamous sect written about are terrible and wrong, I just wish the book had been a bit less about how "good" Carolyn was.

I also read The Midwife's Tale, and I was not really impressed. It was set in the early 1900s about a girl whose great-granny, grandma, ma and her were all midwife's in rural West Virginia. It just did not do much for me. Almost seemed too young adult and wishy washy to me. Some of it was just not realistic and did nothing for me.

This was kind of a negative entry. Yikes. I am taking Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult up camping with me, and hope I can put a dent in it. I am debating bringing two books, but don't know if I will actually have the time to read that much!