by Tia Levings
First published 2024
Tia Levings enters the Quiverfull movement as a young wife and discovers that Christian faith requires following secret rules about marriage and family life. Women must remain silent and serve as keepers of the home while men hold absolute authority. Tia learns to hide their alternative lifestyle from neighbors, doctors, teachers, and police. She endures years of strict discipline and isolation while maintaining the appearance of wholesome family life. The community teaches that Christians must live in the world but separate from it. Tia realizes her children will become the next generation of patriarchal men and submissive women unless she acts. She begins questioning their way of life and forming her own opinions. In the patriarchy, women with independent thoughts face serious danger. Tia confronts an extreme choice between staying and accepting dire consequences or fleeing with her children to safety. Her memoir reveals how extreme religious views can control a marriage and family.
Genres: christian-fiction, family-life, gender-studies, memoir
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: forced-proximity, found-family
ebook · St. Martin’s Press
Content warnings: abuse, domestic-violence, sexism