Well, I've finished the book (and listened to the interview, thanks for the link MissingLink) and all I can say is "wow". The book takes a pretty dark turn around half way through. Kyria describes herself at this stage in the interview as quite pretentious... once she got an idea into her head, no one could talk her out of it and that's pretty evident in the book.
I get the idea there's a few here who'd like to think everyone exits the JW's a happy, well adjusted person who leaves because of their doctrines. The reality is, that's usually not the case, especially with born ins. A lifetime of being told you're a worthless sinner who, thanks to having knowledge of the twoof is going to receive undeserved kindness and be spared a fiery, eternal death kinda takes it's toll on most. One of the parts that struck me the most was where she said she couldn't distinguish the differences between different sins... it's a sin to celebrate your birthday, commit adultery etc and I have to say I felt the same myself... when you've spent a lifetime having pretty much everything demonised, it screws up your own values system that might have actually been normal had you been permitted to develop one on your own. I've said it before, most born ins seem to leave still believing in it all, I did and it appears Kyria did as well.
From the interviews I've read and heard with her, and from the book itself I get the feeling she wrote this first and foremost for fellow ex born ins. The feedback she has said she's received has been largely along the lines of 'I thought I was the only one' and again, that would be me too. We've all done things we're not proud of, when I first left I was a 24 year old with the mental maturity of a 12 year old. I thought sleeping with someone meant you were in a relationship and that all worldly people were worried about was sex, booze and partying. I think that's where a lot of the stereotypes about ex members come from, that's what worldly people do and when you leave, you're worldly, I definitely thought that way. But hey, we picked ourselves up and gradually turned our lives around coming out of it all for the better, I think the fact that she was able to put her experiences on paper in the manner that she did shows that... none of her flaws were sugar coated and I respect that.
Definitely recommend it.
