My Thoughts

I honestly don’t know how to review THE BOOK OF MORMON GIRL. I hoped I’d like it more than I did. I had heard so many good things about it from friends and other readers. But, in the end, I had a hard time with.

I didn’t really like Brooks’ writing style. It was confusing to me. At times, I wondered if she was being sarcastic or accusatory. I also wondered if she wanted me to laugh with her at some of the peculiarities of our religion or if she wanted to enrage me because of some of the injustices she felt personally.

I also felt like she had a political agenda she wanted to push on the reader. While I agree with a lot of what she said, it felt too preachy. I felt like she wrote it in a way to stir up the masses instead of creating a dialogue between two opposing sides.

In her effort to portray that not all Mormons believe, feel, or think the same way, I felt like she ended up doing just the opposite of her intent. The first half of the book is about how she grew up. She made it seem as though all Mormons grew up that way. I didn’t. I was allowed to drink Coke and Dr. Pepper. My family didn’t can or make homemade jams regularly. I was also allowed to wear shorter shorts, some sleeveless shirts, and a two-piece swimsuit. And, my family didn’t have a weird fixation with Marie Osmond.

In the same vein, when she finally started to talk about her issues with mainstream (she used the word orthodox) Mormonism and why she struggled to belong for so many years, I felt as if she were saying that all mainstream Mormons were close-minded and sheep-like. I grew up in a mainstream Mormon family and may have been more sheep-like as a young adult, but as an adult I’m very much a spirit-of-the-law vs. a letter-of-the-law follower. I don’t belong to either extreme on the Mormon spectrum. I don’t believe Mormons should blindly follow their leaders. I think it’s important that we question and decide what’s right for us.

I did take away a few positives from her story, though. Her words helped strengthen my own volition and beliefs. I also believe that we must stand up for what we believe even if others don’t agree with us. I believe no one should be made to feel like they don’t belong, especially if they have differing views. I believe it’s not our place to judge how others should live their lives or the choices they make. I believe we must “tell our whole story,” leaving nothing out, even when it’s uncomfortable. I believe we should be proud of our heritage–the good and the bad–because it makes up who we are. And, I believe it’s important to explore other religions because not only does it help us find out what we truly believe and where we stand, it also helps us gain empathy for others who don’t believe the same.