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Tamara MathieuRezensionen
Autor von All Who Believed: A Memoir of Life in the Twelve Tribes
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All Who Believed: A Memoir of Life in the Twelve… von Tamara Mathieu
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Nicole_Russell | 7 weitere Rezensionen | Jun 13, 2024 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
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lisan. | 7 weitere Rezensionen | Jun 11, 2024 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
I received this book as part of an early reviewer program.
This is a simple, no-nonsense book describing how a young family gets taken in by a cult without realizing the truth of their circumstance.
Looking for a simple life with like-minded people, this couple finds themselves moving into one of the Twelve Tribes communities. The book chronicles not only how they were taken in, but most of the book describes what the day-to-day life of a “TT” member was like. If you are looking for scandal, you won’t find it here. Indeed, the author has many fond memories of her 14 years with the TT. Various other family members also “join” over the years.
If you look up the Twelve Tribes, you will find many stories about child mistreatment. The organization expects members (mothers, specifically) to use a rod to regularly discipline their children. People who would normally not have treated their children roughly were counseled, sometimes in front of the whole community, if they allowed their child to “misbehave”. This misbehavior was normal child behavior most of the time.
The story helps the reader understand how people inside a cult are brainwashed into accepting new “revelations” that sometimes upended their lives. The chastisement adult members were subjected to was nearly as bad as what the children faced. The cycle of boredom and repetition meant they often lost track of time. Their days were extremely full, particularly for women. Imagine making a meal for 50 people with a baby in a carrier on your back and two children under the age of six in a kitchen with several other mothers and children. Kids were taught to chop vegetables before they could read. I cringed at the thought of all those children with knives; it is amazing they were at the hospital regularly. There were other questionable medical decisions made by the so-called leaders of each community in which the family lived.
Ultimately, this family left the Twelve Tribes and started over when their oldest child was 15 years old. They had to start over with nothing. I wish the book had another chapter or two explaining how they dealt with the new life changes.
The book was very interesting and I’m glad I read it. I was most surprised by how boring a cult can be. I appreciate the author sharing the story with the world and hope others read it before they go all in with any sketchy group.
One of the breaking straws precipitating their exit was a meeting with the cult leaders to admonish them, as parents, because word was out that the older child had the temerity to listen to country music. This “revelation” followed by the author realizing she didn’t feel safe buying a bag of chocolates at the drug store, helped the couple see they had lost themselves in the wilderness of monotony.
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mickeycat | 7 weitere Rezensionen | Jun 5, 2024 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
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ErinAntak | 7 weitere Rezensionen | May 15, 2024 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
This is a good book, honest and articulate, from a woman far too intelligent for such a life. I was reminded of another similar memoir I read not long ago, about another cult, one which was far worse in that it also included rampant sexual abuse by pedophile elders - Danielle Mestyanek Young's UNCULTURED. Mathieu apparently encountered nothing like this in her years in the TT, although the mandated subjugation of women was bad enough in itself.
Cults and tribes like these will always be around. In fact, most organized religions employ many of the same methods of brainwashing and fear described here. It brought back my own Catholic childhood with its memorized questions and answers of the Baltimore Catechism and the rituals of weekly confessions. Much to think about here. I'm happy for the author that she and her family escaped. Very highly recommended.
- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, REED CITY BOY
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TimBazzett | 7 weitere Rezensionen | May 12, 2024 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
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amaryann21 | 7 weitere Rezensionen | May 8, 2024 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
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loraineo | 7 weitere Rezensionen | May 7, 2024 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
Only Tamara finds that life on the inside is not the same as she envisioned after making multiple visits. She provides her readers with an in-depth and honest look at life inside the group. Some of it is horrifying. The reality of life as a full member of the cult is very different than the promises she fell for before joining.
This is not a glossed over and pretty story but is one that needs to be told. Although I do not hear about cults as much now as I did years ago, this book reminded me that they are still out there.
Thank you to Rootstock Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of All Who Believed: A Memoir of Life in the Twelve Tribes. No promise was requested or made of a positive review, but I honestly feel that this is a story worth reading.
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catchat | 7 weitere Rezensionen | May 4, 2024 | Diese Seite verwendet Cookies für unsere Dienste, zur Verbesserung unserer Leistungen, für Analytik und (falls Sie nicht eingeloggt sind) für Werbung. Indem Sie LibraryThing nutzen, erklären Sie dass Sie unsere Nutzungsbedingungen und Datenschutzrichtlinie gelesen und verstanden haben. Die Nutzung unserer Webseite und Dienste unterliegt diesen Richtlinien und Geschäftsbedingungen.