LEAVING THE SAINTS- worth reading?

[_Joseph]

Have not seen the book and wondering if it is worth getting to read? On her page she seems an accomplished individual lds-inc would have been featuring in their 'I'm a Mormon' ad series.

[_Kishkumen]

It is an interesting curiosity. On the one hand, I highly doubt much of it, and yet it does seem to me to reflect the kind of bad vibe that had settled over Provo at that time. The stuff about Nibley abusing his daughter is pure poppycock. Martha may believe it, but the claim is hardly credible. Seems like a clear case of false memory syndrome to me.

[_Blixa]

It is an interesting curiosity. On the one hand, I highly doubt much of it, and yet it does seem to me to reflect the kind of bad vibe that had settled over Provo at that time. The stuff about Nibley abusing his daughter is pure poppycock. Martha may believe it, but the claim is hardly credible. Seems like a clear case of false memory syndrome to me.

I agree with Kish. The thing is written in a very annoying forced-humor Oprah-esque style that makes it hard to evaluate the veracity of the allegations. To me, it seemed as equally possible a false memory syndrome narrative as a narrative about some unexplained thing which did happen but couldn't quite be articulated yet. It would seem like the latter would be impossible after years of therapy, but after years of bad therapy with a crap therapist, well, maybe just possible. In all events, she doesn't make the best case she could and that is baffling at best.

On the other hand, I think it does give an interesting picture of the working conditions at BYU at the time, and paints a sad portrait of a family with a great deal of problems, with or without any sexual abuse. The Nibley family "clothes piles" were a detail that rang especially true for me, since I observed that kind of thing in many LDS families in my ward who had too many children and parents who couldn't keep up for a number of mental, emotional, and financial reasons.

The book ended up making me feel extremely bad for Hugh Nibley for any number of reasons.