Fathermothergod - by Lucia Greenhouse (Paperback)

About the Book

Giving readers a firsthand glimpse into the Christian Science church, Greenhouse delivers a beautifully written memoir about growing up in a faith whose followers don't believe in doctors or medicine--and how those religious values shattered a family.

Book Synopsis

"A courageous and finely crafted portrait of a young woman struggling with her family, her faith, and that awkward space between being a child and growing into adulthood."--Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

"Unimaginable . . . As much an indictment of Christian Science as it is a memoir of her family's experience of loss."--O: the Oprah Magazine

Lucia Ewing had what looked like an all-American childhood, but when it came to accidents and illnesses, her parents didn't take their kids to the doctor's office--they prayed and called a Christian Science practitioner. As a teenager, her visit to an ophthalmologist created a family crisis, and she was a sophomore in college before she had her first annual physical. In December 1985, when Lucia and her siblings, by then young adults, discovered that their mother was sick, they came face-to-face with the reality that they had few--if any--options to save her. Powerless as their mother suffered, they were grief-stricken, angry, and confused.

In this haunting, beautifully written book, Lucia pulls back the curtain on the Christian Science faith and chronicles its complicated legacy for her family. At once an essentially American coming-of-age story and a glimpse into the practices of a religion few really understand, fathermothergod is an unflinching exploration of personal loss and the boundaries of family and faith.

Review Quotes

"Moving . . . I am blessed to have read it." --Andrew Cohen, The Atlantic

"fathermothergod is a heart-wrenching coming of age memoir about the implosion of a family when Christian Science dogma encounters a mother's grave illness. It's impossible to read this and not put yourself in the author's shoes--this will take your breath away."--Lee Woodruff, author of Perfectly Imperfect and In an Instant

"A riveting and heart-rending memoir, fathermothergod: My Journey Out of Christian Science exposes the monstrous feats of neglect fostered by this strange American manifestation of religious fanaticism. Tracing her mother's decline and its lacerating consequences, Lucia Greenhouse knows the truth about Christian Science, and she tells it with passionate, righteous indignation."--Caroline Fraser, author of God's Perfect Child: Living and Dying in the Christian Science Church

"Lucia Greenhouse's book is a heart-breaking reminder of how nefarious religious zealotry can be. Her story drew me in and blew me away. This is an important addition to the genre of memoirs by children who escaped religious hucksterism and are now bravely exposing it."--Julia Scheeres, author of Jesus Land

"[A] powerfully affecting memoir . . . Greenhouse's skill in rendering family relationships under the intersecting stresses of illness and conflicting beliefs make the book worthwhile . . . reading. Wrenchingly courageous."--Kirkus Reviews

"Through this memoir, readers will see how even those closest to us can remain a mystery."--Library Journal

"A touching book that puts a human face on Christian Science."--Booklist

"Rather than a journey out of a faith, this is the story of one woman's questioning and anguish over her parents' choices. . . . Teens wondering about their own faith, their parents' expectations, and how to marry the two will find that this book resonates with them. It will also appeal to anyone wanting to know what it's like to grow up in Christian Science. . . . Suggest that readers have tissues close at hand."--School Library Journal

"[ fathermothergod] resonates with anyone wanting to understand another's beliefs, or trying to understand his or her own."--Las Vegas Review-Journal

"fathermothergod tells a uniquely complex tale of a family torn apart, disastrously so, by a startlingly dangerous faith. . . . A captivating, heartbreaking work that will leave readers wondering what else they don't know about the hidden pockets of the faithful world."--Twin Cities Daily Planet

About the Author

LUCIA GREENHOUSE, a graduate of the Emma Willard School and Brown University, lives with her husband and four children in Westchester County, New York. This is her first book.