Book Review: Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome by Reb Riley

Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome: A Memoir of Humor and Healing by Reba Riley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! I think most people (at least in my circle) can claim a bit of post-traumatic church syndrome (PTCS). I wasn't brought up in the same manner as Reba Riley, but in my own way I started to question the church I was raised in and the beliefs I had followed since I was young. Unlike the author, my PTCS wasn't as severe and I have found my way back under my own terms. And that I feel is the core of this book.

Reba goes on a 30 by 30 journey. She wanted to experience or better understand 30 religions by her 30th birthday. This journey impacts her life in more than just a religious aspect. She is battling health issues and her past religious experiences in what feels sometimes like a minute by minute battle to complete this journey. Her journey takes her to an online chapel, a synagogue, mosque, and a number of other places of worship. She spends time with Catholics, Baptists, Mormons, Athiest, Wiccans and Amish just to name a few. Through it all Riley finds finding God is about more than religion.

I recommend this book for anyone going through any stage of PTCS. Where ever you are on your own journey, knowing you aren't alone out there is great. It's something Riley discovered along her way. Every time she brought up her project, she met people who were supportive or on their own journey

I received an ebook copy for an honest review from Netgalley.

Comments

Blind Date with a Book

Last year I put together a book display called Blind Date with a Book. I found the idea through another librarian's post and thought it was great. Last year I wrapped 19 books and 15 books were checked out. We asked that people reviewed the book but unfortunately only two people returned reviews. Last year's books included: In the Hot Zone by Kevin Sites Night by Elie Wiesel Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon by Daivd Michaels Macbeth by Shakespear A Million Little Pieces by James Frey Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore Under the Dome by Stephen King Lawless by Nora Roberts The Sinatra Files by Tom Kuntz The Help by Kathryn Stockett The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl Ford County by John Grisham The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery The Postmistress by Sarah Blake A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar Hide & Seek by James Patterson A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolf Gorgeous East by Robert Girardi Most of these books were ones tha

Peek Inside a Book - Becoming

Book Beginnings on Friday from Rose City Reader The Friday 56 with Freda's Voice . This week I'm reading: Becoming by Michelle Obama It Begins: Preface March 2017 When I was a kid, my aspirations were simple. On Page 56: This was the doubt that sat in my mind through student orientation, through my first sessions of high school biology and English, through my somewhat fumbling get-to-know-you conversations in the cafeteria with new friends. Not enough. Not enough. It was doubt about where I came from and what I'd believed about myself until now. It was like a malignant cell that threatened to divide and divide again, unless I could find some way to stop it. Verdict: I'm really enjoying this look into Michelle Obama's life. It's comforting in a way to see that she has struggled with self image, self doubt and a need to be in control in an order to comfort herself. She talks about meeting new people while cam

Nonfiction November: My Year in Nonfiction

Hosted by Sophisticated Dorkiness this week This week's prompt: Your Year in Nonfiction: Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions – What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year? What nonfiction book have you recommended the most? What is one topic or type of nonfiction you haven’t read enough of yet? What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November? What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year? I don't know if I can pick one favorite, I looked at my list and there are at least 10 that I really enjoyed so far this year. If I had to pick my top three they would be: Caffeinated by Murray Carpenter My Beloved World by Sonya Sotomayor I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai All three of these books really caught my attention and really made me take a look at my life. I saw how much of a caffeine addict I really am, how lucky I was to be born in the suburbs in New Jersey, and how with hard wor

Little Thoughts About Books and Stuff

Search This Blog