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About this listen

It was an upbringing in many ways normal. A loving home, shared with squabbling siblings, overseen by devoted parents. Yet in other ways it was the precise opposite: a revolving door of TV camera crews and documentary makers, a world of extreme discipline, of siblings vanishing in the night.

Megan Phelps-Roper was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church - the fire-and-brimstone religious sect at once aggressively homophobic and anti-Semitic, rejoiceful for AIDS and natural disasters, and notorious for its picketing the funerals of American soldiers. From her first public protest, aged five, to her instrumental role in spreading the church's invective via social media, her formative years brought their difficulties. But being reviled was not one of them. She was preaching God's truth. She was, in her words, 'all in'.

In November 2012, at the age of 26, she left the church, her family and her life behind.

Unfollow is a story about the rarest thing of all: a person changing their mind. It is a fascinating insight into a closed world of extreme belief, a biography of a complex family, and a hope-inspiring memoir of a young woman finding the courage to find compassion for others as well as herself.

©2019 Megan Phelps-Roper (P)2019 Quercus Editions Limited Religious Studies Women Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking
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Having recently left fundamental Christianity myself, so much of Megan Phelps-Roper's writing was immediately familiar. Her story reflects the lives of many who have left and are leaving their religions behind. Her intellectual honesty is to be greatly admired and should fly as a flag of hope and light for those who are entrenched in the machine of religion, and unsubstantiated beliefs of every flavour.

In spite of the many forms of horrific shunning, excommunication and social distancing inflicted on those coming out of religious belief, this book (and I) would have you know... 

There is life outside of religious belief.
There is love outside of religious belief.
There is morality outside of religious belief.
There is support outside of religious belief.
There is hope outside of of religious belief.

As for the audiobook itself, it's clear Megan had missed reading aloud, as she poured her all into articulating her story as though it were unfolding before me. So intelligently written. So compassionately written. The whole rainbow of emotion was clear and evident throughout her reading.

I'll be listening to this again very soon.

Hope for the hurting

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Narrator, her writing and the memoir were all, in my opinion, flawless.
Would highly recommend.

Highly recommend

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I loved this book.
A fascinating insight into this church and a wider insight into religious families.

Superb.

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An amazing journey of self realisation, love, loss and redemption beautifully written and performed. I'd heard and read a lot about the WBC over the years but Megan's story brought so much humanity to this much reviled group. A real eye opener and reminder to always to be open to challenging your own thoughts and beliefs

Incredibly moving

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Fantastic book, and a great story. you have to feel for the girls and they made their way into the world without the protection of the church.

Great book really enjoyed it.

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