Joy Castro has written a riveting account of her childhood, growing up in the Jehovah's Witness community. Many reviewers have commented that her description of this experience is accurate. Though I can not comment on that aspect of the book, I can say that I was struck by the humanity Ms. Castro expresses. Though the child abuse she suffered from her step-father was harrowing, we are given a full vision of the community in which she was raised. There is much sympathy and understanding for the values of the Witnesses, even as she explores the conditions that allowed the abuse to occur and to continue. I was struck by how similar the issues within this community were to the ones I experienced growing up in the 70's. The similarities between the Witness community and the broader culture are as surprising as the differences. Certainly, the isolation that the children felt in school or from their own father who had left the church was a factor that allowed the abuse to go unnoticed. The belief that the father should be the undisputed head of the household also allowed the abuse to go unchallenged by the church. Though more pronounced in this community, the same issues existed and still exist elsewhere. This is a book of love, courage, and family, of betrayal and loyalty, and of hypocrisy and belief. It is not an easy read, but is a rewarding one. ( )

A searing book about the abuse suffered by a girl in a Jehovah's Witness family, and the inability of the church community to speak out against doctrine to save her. Well written, with a surreal, almost dreamy feel much of the time, as the author darts from one place to another and drifts through her life in a series of whimsically structured episodes. Some of it seems almost like too much, and has trouble ringing true, but for those of us who personally know people like those she describes, one is very prone to give her the benefit of the doubt. Some of the odd details could simply be the result of a child's memory that doesn't quite place time and place, not to mention causation, quite as clearly as an adult might. Overall, a good read, albeit one wtih perhaps too much gut-wrenching memory for total peace of mine. ( )

A harrowing childhood of abuse and the unbreakable spirit of a little girl. An absolute triumph! ( )

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that although I'm not a Jehovah's Witness (I was never baptized as one), my mother's ex-husband was and made me and my sisters and brother go to the Kingdom Hall every Thursday night and Sunday morning, as well as Bible Study on Tuesday nights for years during my childhood. So, I kind of have first-hand experience as to the abuse and hypocrisy that goes on behind the curtains of this religion. Due to that, I found myself getting even more pissed off at what was happening in this book, maybe because I was projecting the abuse that my family suffered, but either way, The Truth Book was a heart-wrenching read.

At this point, I don't know why I bother reading memoirs unless their humorous because they either depress me or make me severely angry. While The Truth Book did both of these things, it was also uplifting because you're dealing with someone who refused to let her past circumstances dictate her future. Joy Castro did what she had to do to survive the hellish nightmare she (along with her younger brother) suffered at the hands of her mother and stepfather all the while the religion that was supposed to be the "pure" one just turned a blind eye. The author does all of this without the whole "woe is me" component that seems to be present in most memoirs. So much that readers start to think that they're just telling their story, not to inform us, but solely to make us feel sorry for them. You can just tell that Joy Castro is merely stating the facts of what happened to her. She's not asking us for anything other than to read her story.

So, The Truth Book was a harrowing and heartbreaking read. It's very easy to relate to the author's plight even if you have no prior experience with Jehovah's Witnesses (although let's face it, we've all hidden from them when they come knocking on our door one time or another). I think the one thing that everyone can relate to (particularly here on GoodReads) is how a love for reading really saved Joy Castro and gave her a bit of a reprieve from the abuse she was suffering. We as readers have all had those moments where we feel like life basically sucks and reading a book has helped us escape and made life better at least for a little while. So, The Truth Book is definitely recommended. ( )

This is a great book. I knew the author from school. It's marketed as "how I escaped the Jehovah's Witness cult," but it's significantly more subtle than that. Unexpectedly, there are great humorous moments that have nothing to do with her ostensible subject matter (such as when she interviews for university teaching jobs--hilarious!). ( )