This book shows the hidden world of fundamentalism so well. How easy it is to get involved in it and how hard it is to get out. As someone who grew up in the Baptist culture and had to reframe their mind as they got older this book hit home in a lot of spots. The way that her parents were not involved in the fundamentalist movement, but because of the church that they choose and how they taught the children, it ended up brainwashing them into being extremely fearful, thinking that there is only one way to be redeemed and one specific job for women to do. The author had plans for her life and goals, but the church told her that she was to work on finding a husband and being a wife and refused to give her help to further her education. In the end, this leads her to her abusive husband, who leads them into the life of a fundamentalist. The books that the author had read and the way that the church taught her was that it was her fault that her husband treated her the way they did, and thus started a spiral of her trying to do more and be better and feel like the abuse was deserved. Reading her suffering and seeing how close I could have come to this lifestyle myself made this book an emotional one for sure and one I will not forget anytime soon.
A Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings, (List Price: $30, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250288288, August 2024)
Reviewed by Kelli Dynia, Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda , Florida