My Review for Terry's new book, "I Wept by the Rivers of Babylon, A Prisoner of Conscience in a Time of War" (page 3)

Terry

I have been contemplating sending (anonymously) some copies of my book to certain JW's I know from way back when who

know me (or think they do) and were around during the time period of the book.

But, I am also reluctant to do so at the same time.

I am torn.

You get pushy about these things and you are pegged an active "evil slave" trying to destroy the faith. You know the way they think.

On the other hand, I would think basic curiousity would get the better of them and they'd read it with TREMENDOUS SKEPTICISM.

I wrote it so that just that sort of person will have a hard time dismissing what is said.

I guess I'm over thinking it.

I put myself in their place and ask, "If the situation were reversed--would I read a book sent to me by somebody I used to know?"

The answer is YES.

Your opinion?

VIII

Congratulations on writing and publishing your book Terry! You are one of my favorite posters here. I will purchase it to read your story.

As to sending it to some JWs-I would. What are they going to do? As you suggested their curisoity may get the better of them and perhaps they will have their eyes opened.

I'm very glad you got to get your story out there to a broader audience.

Band on the Run

Terry,

Congratulations on finishing your book and its publication. I look forward to reading it since I so enjoy the essays you post here.

I am curious whether writing the book caused more trauma or resolved it. Hopefully, you added personal details of what serving hard time as a Witness was like. My male relatives refused to discuss it.

I recall all the lectures about neutrality during the early Viet Nam War period. It is nice that the tale of an individual who made a stand is recounted.

Scott77

Hi Terry,

Are you planing to release a kindle Version?

Scott77

clarity

Terry .............. about sending your book........YES!

clarity

whathappened

I just purchased the book on Lulu. I tried to find it on Amazon because I have an account with them but I couldn't find it. Lulu is fine and it was quick and easy to purchase the book there.

I am looking forward to reading the book.

Violia

The time is probably right for this subject. At one time many would have seen anyone who did not serve in the military as a traitor but not anymore. I think many non-jws will find this book of interest. Of course there are many jws of the Vietnam era still alive and many of them did serve time in prison. Most of the ww2 folks are gone, but not all. I really think this is a group of people no one has reached out to before.

can't wait to read it and most importantly, for my husband to read it.

Terry

Congratulations on finishing your book and its publication. I look forward to reading it since I so enjoy the essays you post here.

I am curious whether writing the book caused more trauma or resolved it. Hopefully, you added personal details of what serving hard time as a Witness was like. My male relatives refused to discuss it.

Thanks!

This book contains a Part I and Part II because of the split in my mind and emotions.

What is now Part II was Part I.

My eldest son read the book and told me to put the most personal stuff first and I listened.

I'm a private person in everyday life. I needed to confront some of the truly hateful episodes and get rid of them once and for all.

But, to lay that out in the open for strangers to use to judge me went against every protective mechanism.

Consequently, I had to find a way to tell it like it really was without lapsing into excusing myself for being stupid, naive, gullible and cultist.

Man! That was so-o-o-o-o hard to do!

But--I did manage to find the way through.

I laid out the context with as much detail as I could summon. First, historically. Then, among other similar religious denominations. Finally,

for myself. By putting myself and my tale against the backdrop of others it served to give me self-context, if that makes sense to you.

I now can see myself as a teenager who needed a best friend and a surrogate family and a way to experience rite-of-passage.

With Jehovah's Witnesses who were all to willing to cuddle me and shape me and set Lord of the Rings style epic struggles before me---I was home.

Yet, all the while, I did have a natural tendency toward skepticism. The double-mindedness created cognitive dissonance up to the point

I couldn't remain rational any longer and I gave up my sanity to become a true believer.

And then....it happened. I confronted an actual moment when Jehovah could keep his promises or disappear in a puff of diabolical smoke.

I set up that moment with three things in my Introduction. When the moment comes, the reader has those tools handy to disambiguate

exactly what happened in a greater and more meaningful understanding than otherwise.

I hope the "right" people read it--the ones who are fence-sitters puzzled and affrighted of personal loss.

Bangalore

Congratulations Terry. Bangalore

Terry

Thanks, Bangalore

I was re-reading an old post on the 1975 nonsense the WTS drummed up. I saw an old post of mine. It cut me to the heart.

Why? I see I wrote about the impact on my JW wife and what it did to her. I had re-suppressed this.

She had come from a JW family and was totally committed. But, 1975 disconfirmed the authenticity of her religion to the extent

it sent her off the rails. All the warnings she had given me about not attending meetings fell absolutely flat. She saw which of us was right.

We ended up divorced. Her behavior was self-destructive in the extreme but nobody in her JW family

helped her OR turned her in to the committee. She died behind the wheel drunk driving. I lay that at the feet of Fred Franz and

the Watch Tower. She paid a heavy price for believing the Society was the Truth. So did many others.

In my book I use 1975 to explain how much disconnect there is between generations of old and new members. The older one keep silent and

the new members are consequently ignorant of false predictions. As a result, they succumb to new predictions.

The code of silence is poisonous.

I hope my book makes all generations of JW's stop and ask each other questions.

My Review for Terry's new book, "I Wept by the Rivers of Babylon, A Prisoner of Conscience in a Time of War"

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