Falling from Disgrace (ePub)

Tammy Dietz grew up committed to her family's Mormon faith, a profoundly patriarchal hierarchy that declares men superior and women subordinate, that demands devotion, purity, and chastity. But when the dogma of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints clashes with the forces of a changing world, Tammy's destiny transforms.

Patriarchy provides order but also chaos in a family with a depressed mother and a hoarding father. Set in the affluent Bay Area, Tammy's coming-of-age story is one of poverty amid wealth and a desire for status, recognition, and inclusion, both inside the Church and out. But when Tammy breaks the most serious of rules, her once certain path falters, her once protective community turns intrusive, and she finds herself on an unexpected journey.

Foreword Reviews, Clarion Rating: 5 out of 5: "A sensitive and beautiful memoir, Falling from Disgrace is about perseverance, doubt, and the importance of claiming one's identity.... Told via evocative and descriptive passages, Falling from Disgrace brims with powerful metaphors and vivid images.... Throughout the book, the prose mirrors Dietz's maturation well: as she covers each era of her life, the book's language and style grow with her. It includes interior monologues during critical moments to deepening effect, resulting in powerful scenes.... The result is a book that achieves fantastic balance throughout-between reflection, confusion, and understanding. Even the cover image of a rose proves integral to the larger story."

Kirkus Reviews: "Dietz explores her religiously conservative upbringing in this debut memoir.... The author's childhood commitment to her family's faith is juxtaposed with her later ostracism as a young adult.... 'Shamed and shunned' by her family and church as a sexually active teenager, she became disillusioned with the hypocrisy of a religion founded by a man who she describes as 'a cheating, polygamous, predatory hoarder of wives.' . . .

"The author is a skilled writer whose engaging narrative effectively reveals how religious standards of devotion and piety can be abused by those in power....

"A poignant, absorbing story of overcoming religious trauma."

US Review of Books: "'Frustration turned to surprise when I opened the door to see my father with his hands clasped behind his back. He'd finally ventured into Outer Darkness to find his daughter.' Dietz and her siblings were raised in a traditional Mormon manner but in a dysfunctional household. The root of much of the family's dysfunction could be traced to the parents' interpretations of their roles in the home. The author, the oldest daughter, began acting against the tenets of the church in early adolescence and through her teen years.... When her parents discovered that she was sexually active, her mother was upset, and her father wouldn't look at her. The author left home that evening and was suddenly on her own. With the help of her previous boyfriend and her current one, she got a car and found a place to stay. She faced a difficult journey, but she was unwilling to go back to the church. As she got her feet under her, she began researching her faith and decided that the church had been lying to her and had helped cause the divisions in her family. Eventually, Dietz would make her own peace with her life and come to terms as best she could with her family.

"The writing in Dietz's memoir displays the hand of a practiced professional. The text is clean, and the sentences and pace flow easily throughout the work. . . . Dietz is also unafraid to be honest about her growth as a person... Most readers will have gone through some form of crisis of faith, and this work should resonate with them due to its honesty and universal experiences."