The Girl at the End of the World

I read this book for two reasons.  First, a friend recommended the book to me.  Second, I was intrigued.  I grew up in a fundamentalist Christian background, and have struggled to find my own religious voice. 

There was a comfort here, in finding that my own path hasn't been walked alone.  Elizabeth Ester has written a book that is at once bewildering, scary and amusing. 

Girl at the End of the World is a first-hand account of a woman raised in The Assembly, a Christian "cult" (by her own admission) that lasted from the early 1970s until its implosion under scandal in the early 2000s.  The group was founded by her grandfather, George Geftakys, and so there was a lot of pressure on Elizabeth's family to be the perfect Assembly family.  The "perfect" Assembly family had Rapture readiness plans.  The "perfect" Assembly family punished its children with daily spankings to drive out rebellion.  The "perfect" Assembly family avoided becoming contaminated by "The World" and its evil ways.  The "perfect" Assembly family was a terrifying place to call home.  In the one environment where a child should find peace and love and comfort, Elizabeth found fear, anxiety, guilt and punishment.  It was nothing short of religious terrorism and torture.

I'm still haunted by the image of a young girl, squatting over a hand-dug trench, being forced to defecate, out of obedience to her elders.  Or the image of a young mother, huddled in a bathroom, trying to be obedient and spank her young baby girl because the young child wanted chocolate, after being told no.

This book was hard to read. 

But more importantly, this book was hard to put down.  I read it in one afternoon, because I found its writing that compelling, its story that relate-able. 

Girl at the End of the World also tells the story of what the life of faith looks like after fundamentalism.  She's still groping for God, but has found a haven in the Catholic Church.  It's a safe place where hearing God, hearing the Bible, has brought peace and growth. 

This is a book I'm glad I read.  It's very worth reading.  More, it's worth buying.  Because this book is worth sharing with others who have been damaged by religious extremism.

I can't recommend it too highly.

I received this book free, from the Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my honest review.