Growing Up in Mama's Club - 3rd Edition

by Richard E. Kelly

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0979509424
• ISBN13: 9780979509421
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Parker Ridge Publishing
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Reads Like a Novel, Informs Like a Scholarly Paper

This well-written story of one man's experience growing up as a Jehovah's Witness reads like a novel while informing like a scholarly paper. The work by this former Bethelite has unusually good descriptions of those involved, which bring the story to life and help the reader become involved in the plot. The most valuable feature of the book is it effectively conveys what it is like to grow up and be an active Jehovah's Witness. Both the good and bad are related with candor--and much of each exists, as Kelly documents. One point made clear is that many good people exist in the Watchtower movement. An especially revealing section describes how Kelly's father, once an active opposer, became a Witness, effectively showing why and how someone would become involved in an organization that many people consider a deviant cult. It also shows the problem of using untrained persons, such as Kelly's father, as mental health diagnosticians and therapists, a role forced on them as elders. A point that came through in almost every chapter was the Watchtower teaching that the end of this world and the promise of the new was upon us, and we should live like Armageddon will be here tomorrow or sooner. This is the history of every Witness who lived in the 1950s and 1960s. This story is told with insightful understanding, even compassion, not bitterness as is common among people who were reared as Witnesses. As an ex-Witness, I could relate to Mama's Club as Kelly's experience parallels mine. I too endured the conflicts and tragic effects at school and home over the restrictive treatment of holidays, conflicts that are unnecessary and reminiscent of the prohibitions in the Torah, such as prohibiting cutting fingernails on the Sabbath unless the torn nail is bleeding. A recent Pew survey of 35,000 Americans found Jehovah's Witnesses "had the lowest retention rate of any religious tradition" in America, lower then Catholics, Jews, and all other religions. Kelly's excellent book helps readers understand why this religion loses so many members, and, on the other hand, what attracts people to it and why they stay in spite of the problems in the organization. Jerry Bergman, Ph.D., MSBS, L.P.C.C.

righteous anger.......all-encompassing compassion

God bless this author. God bless the child he was, and the man he is now. Children are at the mercy of their parents; they have no say. When their parents make wayward, crazy, and abusive decisions, children sadly must endure the torment. I had such tremendous compassion for the author as I read this book, that I ached to be able to reach down in its pages and rescue the little boy he once was. Mostly, though, I am angry. This book has produced within me such a righteous anger that my heart is pounding as I write this review. Never have I seen the precious Word of God mutilated like was done in this "club." The self-serving, pious, hypocritical leaders of this "club" did the exact opposite of Jesus. They were anything BUT loving, kind, patient and forgiving. They put their own literature above the Bible, and getting God's approval was based on tedious works and routines. It is an evil plan from demonic forces to brainwash people into believing they will never EVER be good enough for God unless they follow disturbing man-made rules and regulations. It is bondage of the worst sort. The cruelty....the degradation....the humiliation...how does one survive such a childhood and come out the other side completely sane? Read this attention-grabbing eye-opener to find out. You won't regret it. How has reading this changed me? I used to think the "club" followers that used to show up at my door were evil cult members who were trying to suck me in...now I see them as victims. They are people like you and I looking to fill that God-shaped void in their lives. They don't realize that nothing but Jesus Christ fits. Nothing. Thank you, Richard E. Kelly, for taking the time to write your story and inform us of the damage done to victims of religious abuse. You are a blessing to a society so desperately in need of Truth. Carrie Lynn Jones Author of: It All Began... When Jesus Gave Me Sneakers www.sneakerdream.com

Outstanding Book

I couldn't put this book down. This book was amazing. I used to answer the door when Jehovah's Witnesses knocked on my door, and was annoyed at them for bothering me. This book made me realize what people will do for their religion, for their Mothers, and to survive a childhood in that environment. I recommend this book to everyone. Rose Mary

Growing Up In Mama's Club

Several things impressed me about this book, but two things stood out. The courage Richard Kelly demonstrates as he takes us inside the smothering world he lived in as he grew from being an impressionable young child to becoming an independent young adult is remarkable. He gives us a no-holds-barred look at a family life choice that few of us know about or understand. With mesmorizing words that are born from his need to heal after a family trajedy, he weaves a true story that is filled with wonderful descriptions of the people and the times he lived through...and escaped from. This book is a great read, and a great education!

Honest. Accurate. What it's like to grow up a Jehovah's Witness

Richard Kelly has given a very accurate and moving account of his life as a child growing up in a Jehovah's Witness family. His book is more of an autobiography than a critique of any particular religious belief. The time frame of his story begins in the late 1940s and ends in the early 1960s. Unfortunately, as bad as things were at times for young Kelly, things have not changed for the better since then for most Witness children. Every parent who belongs to a fundamentalist or strict religious faith should read this book to understand what their own children might be feeling. Kelly does not spend a lot of time discussing the teachings or practices of the Jehovah's Witnesses. What he does particularly well is to make the reader understand the pressures he felt as he tried to please his mother and to conform to the unyielding guidelines of a belief he did not share. The book is an easy and enjoyable read, but you will at times be shocked and upset when Kelly reveals what his life as a JW child was really like. There are some great "behind the scenes" anecdotes that will make it very hard to put this book down once you start reading it.