Tuesday, November 3, 2015

THE SOUND OF GRAVEL by Ruth Wariner



What a sad – and horrifying – life these children had foisted upon them by adults who should have cared for and loved them.  It is hard to know where to start – with the father who wouldn’t give his children his name, a mother so blinded by faith she puts her children in mortal danger, a community that lives in abject poverty out of fear? – faith? – stupidity? It also shows the inadequacy of border patrols, government assistance, the safety net for children and women and on and on.
Ruth Wariner’s calm retelling of her childhood living in a cult was difficult to read.  The life of this family caught in the blindness of the mother to the toxic and heartbreaking reality of her family’s desperation and danger is written in straightforward prose. Ruth’s ability to ultimately save the remaining children is testament to her strength of character.
I can’t say that I “enjoyed” this book,  but it was certainly riveting reading. I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t learn more about fundamental LDS, but then that was not the point of the book.
5 of 5 stars
To the publisher: On pages 9 and 28 there is an entire paragraph describing the “swimming reservoir” that is repeated word for word. It was pretty glaring as I was reading.

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