It's not often these days that I stay up all night to finish a book. "Leaving the Saints" was so gripping that I did just that.PhD sociologist Martha N. Beck tells the story of growing up as the child of one of the LDS church's "general authorities," and of all the social pressures on her to be the perfect daughter as a result. Yet, when she begins to speak out about the sexual abuse she experienced, she is disbelieved, spoken out against, shunned, all but excommunicated.This is an outstanding read not only for survivors of domestic abuse (who were also given short shrift when they spoke out against their abusers, according to the numerous reports that Beck cited) or sexual abuse, but also for those who are spiritual seekers. Beck talks about her long road to finding her faith and how she arrived at the decision to ultimately leave the church in which she had been reared.Outstanding memoir.
