Review of Born and Razed by Beth Granger
How many atrocities have been committed by ignorant, bigoted, cruel zealots in the name of religion? Here is another one – this in our lifetime. It would seem impossible that nuns of the Community of Jesus in Massachusetts could impose their will on a Christian College in another country, Canada, to force on it radical doctrines far from what were established in the college’s earlier days. (The community still exists. I googled it.) The author tells us something about her early years with a loving family and then relates how things changed and how quickly when two couples took over the running of the college and introduced the practices of Community of Jesus. She holds nothing back in recounting the cruelty she endured, her intimate life, and her struggles with bingeing and weight gain. It is a story that lays bare the fact that even today, when there is no accountability, children are vulnerable to manipulation, cruelty and neglect in the cause of someone’s interpretation of what is good for them. The author escaped. We who have never been in a cult might think that once she reached adulthood, it would have been an easy thing for her to just walk away. But it could not have been easy, and wasn’t, to escape the doctrines, beliefs, and lifestyle that had been inculcated in her for most of her life, and to risk the approbation of her family. It took courage and determination. It also took courage to write this book, to expose her soul to the public.
The book is well written and easy to read, and should be read by everyone.
The author and other survivors fought back with a lawsuit. Bravo for them.
Beth Granger was the first staff child born at Grenville Christian College, an elite private boarding school in Canada. In truth, it was a cult. After her escape at age thirty-one, she didn’t become a drug addicted streetwalker or go straight to hell, as her cult leaders predicted. Instead, she earned her Bachelor of Education at Queen’s University, got hired after her first teacher interview, married a police officer, and became a mother of two. She’s been recovering from complex PTSD, benzo withdrawal, and a lifelong eating disorder. She also helped spearhead a sixteen-year landmark class action lawsuit against her abusers. Beth is dedicated to shedding light on the long-term impact of trauma inflicted by weaponized religion. Born and Razed: Surviving the Cult was Only Half the Battle is her first book. –This text refers to the paperback edition.
