"Unfollow" by Megan Phelps-Roper

   The subtitle of this book is "A memoir of loving and leaving the Westboro Baptist Church".  And the memoir clearly shows how much the author loved her large family.  She had 10 siblings, many aunts, uncles and cousins, and her grandfather was the founder of the church, which was mostly comprised of family members.
  Her grandfather was angry about the gay activity he believed was happening in their local park in Topeka, Kansas.  So the church began picketing, causing a disturbance with their hateful signs. Megan joined the picket line when she was five. 
   The picketing and the signs grew worse over time. The U.S was involved in wars and the church protested by picketing at the funerals of soldiers.  Her grandfather believed that everyone was going to hell, except his church members. So it was a case of them against the world. They gained world-wide attention and were the subject of a documentary by the BBC called "The most hated family in America".

    The church preached hate, but Megan also experienced love in the family.  What a very difficult combination!
   As Megan grew up, she became aware of the inconsistencies in the church doctrine.  Since she had no social life apart from her family, she learned about the world through her Twitter account, and eventually found strength and support among her Twitter followers.




    Here is Megan as a dutiful church member.  She even joined the picket line when it was at her school.
  This memoir is a reminder of the damage of extremism.  Obviously, Megan had no idea how hurtful her actions were.  She was just an obedient daughter and granddaughter, who thought her family was RIGHT.
   In 2012, at age 26, Megan left the church, left her family, and basically left her life behind.  Her description of this time is heart-breaking!

   
   After great emotional and spiritual turmoil, Megan was able to begin a new family.  She is trying to make up for the harm she caused, by speaking out about extremism in any form.  She is courageous and loving, and her memoir is heart-breaking and insightful!



How I discovered this memoir:
My daughter loves to send me lists of books.  This book was included in a list of "Seven of the Most Inspiring Novels and Memoirs from 2019" from Greater Good magazine: "Science-based insights for a meaningful life".   An excellent memoir!