The Gosling Bride
A coming of age faith memoir
by Eileen Bader Williams
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Pub Date 6 Aug 2022 | Archive Date 17 Jan 2023
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Description
In this coming of age memoir a young woman in the 1970s follows her brother into a new religious group soon to be branded as a cult. She must quickly navigate the fine line between an outside world bent on breaking her faith and an inside world of austerity and impossible goals. Maneuvering the two worlds becomes crucial not only for the realization of her personal dreams, but for the sake of a nation spiraling out of control.
Eileen has left friends, family and college for an all-consuming cause not knowing the outcome, but fueled by the belief that if she cannot fulfill this quest - no matter its cost - a spiritual Armageddon will come to the world and a legacy of destruction for those to follow.
Fundraising from the coal mining territory of West Virginia to America's heartland, she experiences, on one hand, the nation's deep divisions, and, on the other, endless giving and bountiful grace. At the heart of The Gosling Bride is a story about the adverse road to real love and the reality of a God who never gives up on us.
Advance Praise
"In The Gosling Bride, Williams examines her deep-dive experience in the Unification Church after leaving her family and childhood hometown. Williams and her other team members lived a nomadic life in the 1970s, as the 'boots on the ground' 24/7 to fundraise and spread the word of the Church, often in depressed and distressed cities. The book culminates in her marriage to a man she just met at the largest mass wedding ever recorded. Handcuffed by her past experiences, Williams works to find her inner strength and confidence while balancing an unyielding faith in the face of those who believe she's in a cult. This coming-of-age story explores how to overcome the insurmountable and stay and grow in faith when so much adversity faces you.
The Gosling Bride took me by surprise. The reader will discover that Williams is a great writer from the get-go. The story comes alive right out of the gate as Williams layers her beautiful use of analogies to connect the 1970s to current times. Williams' writing style also allows readers to recognize where the author's emotions lie immediately. Williams' writing flow and pace are fast and fluid when writing about people she loves in the book and becomes short, clipped, and dark when describing haunting incidents and abusive characters. And stay tuned to the ending, where she tidies the story up with the most creative and poetic finish.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I learned about the Unification Church and how tumultuous it was to be a member in the 1970s. Williams does a great job relating this story to the readers, especially readers like me, who never lived during this time or have heard of the Unification Church. The book was full of surprises, some heartbreaking and troubling, around every corner and city Williams writes about. I also appreciated that Williams does not push her faith. In fact, the reader may not be sure whether she is still in the Unification Church or not. The book was a good time for me to reflect on keeping the faith and that ordinary people may just be saints in the making.
REVIEWED BY: Susan Griggs, Reedsy Discovery
Available Editions
| ISBN | 9780578377407 |
| PRICE | US$4.99 (USD) |
