The lives of the members of The Fire And Brimstone And God’s Almighty Wind Church. I enjoyed this book, however the ending left me wanting more.

Strange. Eerie. This was the story of an isolationist cult, young people caught up in the guilt of disobeying the rules, the inner turmoil of the members, and the ultimate price paid by followers of one man's interpretation of the Bible.

First off, let me start by saying that this is not a religious book, it can be viewed that way if you want to, but in case you're one of those people that are scared off by religious books, this isn't one. Now, on to the more important matters...

Almost from the first word I had become sucked into this book and Ninah's character, a flawed, naive girl who truly doesn't know better. She's sweet, tries hard, but just doesn't know what she needs to know. The way Reynolds has written her, doesn't make her naivity annoying, but just adds to her character.

Part of what makes this book so interesting is that it's written in a way that completely immerses you in their obscure and different world, but allows you to keep your own knowledge and ideals about you, so that you look back and can still think, "That's so wrong!"

Ninah goes through a trying journey and we are along for the ride. I was enthralled with every character that graced the pages of this book. Even though they may only show up in one sentence, Reynolds writes in such a way that you know if you asked her she could give a complete history about that character. This book holds so much depth to it, but it's presented in such a way that the reader doesn't feel like their drowning.

The one small problem I did have was that the ending seemed a little too abrupt. Perhaps it's just me, but I felt there wasn't enough closure and I wanted to know a little more. But what I dislike, someone else may love.

There's a lot more I want to say about the book, but I would end up giving too much away. This is definitely a book I say you should read. Beautiful, touching and moving every word pulls you even more into this world that the feeling of disgust you felt at the beginning has turned to pity, and in some weird way, a small glimmer of joy.

Erinnert an Tara Westovers „Befreit“. Sehr spannend und erschreckend, wie Menschen ihre Vernunft unterdrücken und vergessen, das sie sich Gott überstellen und in seinem Namen strafen vollziehen und die Menschen unter Angst und psychischen Druck versetzen. Hier sieht man wieder, zu was fundamentalistische Sichten führen können.

4.5 stars
Whee, Jesus! (This is from the book). What a read. My review may not be popular, but please believe it is from the heart. This story takes place somewhere in the South, and features Ninah, a young teen, living on a family compound devoted to God. Her grandfather, Herman, is the leader, and this is a strict fundamentalist religion. The women have long hair, long dresses, the men have beards, they all eat together, etc. They spend their days working and nights in church. There is basically no outside influence except for school-the kids are bused to a public school but they pretty much stick together as they are so different from the other students, but it is the one place that they see other people and Ninah befriends another girl whose family is from India, and she starts to see there is another way. She becomes pregnant at 13 by her prayer partner, James, who is her stepbrother essentially, but she does not realize immediately that "fornication" is what happened and claims it is a virgin birth, and then the baby is born with clasped hands, as if in prayer, and the community no longer shuns her, thinking that her son is the Messiah. Whew, Sounds like a lot, I know. And it is. Luckily, Ninah has her loving grandmother, her best friend.

During the first half or three quarters of the book, I was angry, because I view this sort of life as child abuse. I understand about religious freedom, and I think consenting adults should do what they think is right, but sorry, I cannot condone this sort of brainwashing for children. I am not a person who has organized religion in her life as it just has not suited me, and yes, I have been to many churches, and find them all to be fascinating, but not my cup of tea. It has been a long process, and I consider myself a believer, and quite spiritual, but I decided at some point that I am not interested in divisiveness. I dislike politics in church settings. I dislike religious states. I have enough faith in God that I know he is with me always, and I don't need to be told this--I just know it. I think humility and gratitude are important in my spiritual life, and I thank God for making humans with a cerebral cortex which makes us different from the animals. What sort of God would make a cerebral cortex and then say "Ha ha, I gave you this, but I don't want you to use it." I simply do not subscribe to this. So in reading this book, I realized that spiritual growth is a process, throughout our lives. And bless Ninah's heart, she did learn this, which is a feat considering the community she lived in did not allow for a lot of free thinking. There were a few characters who were less zealous, shall we say, and certainly they were influencing her. But I think she listened to her heart and used her blessed cerebral cortex, as well, thankfully.

Love, love, loved it! An emotional and gripping story about a young woman raised in an ultra conservative Christian cult. I loved the first person voice and all the characters, particularly Ninah's relationship to her Nanna.

This book made me so angry in so many ways.

I read this book several years ago, and have thought about it often. I couldn't remember the title so I haven't been able to recommend it to anyone. Such an interesting book.

“Then I wondered if that's all God ever is--somebody who loves you enough to come back from the dead to visit every now and again. Or if that's all that other people ever are--different faces of God walking around.”

Let me start this off by saying - wow. This is such a powerful and impactful novel. I read it's entirety in one sitting simply because I couldn't put it down or look away from the page. How desperately I longed to reach into the book and pull the main character, Ninah, a child, away from the overly-zealous, bible-belt cult she was raised in. My heart ached as she questioned her salvation and beliefs during the long, fearful nights, or struggled with the very natural feelings that come with puberty. The inability to talk about those feelings leads the character to face the weight of the community's anger and disappointment.

This was not an easy read. I wanted to be able to write it off as purely fictional, but the reality is that this isn't a unique situation. It's a hard thing to swallow - but it was a necessary read. There was a heaviness I experienced while reading. I commend the author for writing such an amazing piece, and am eager to dive into her other work.

I have few complaints, the only reason this is a 4-star rating rather than a 5-star is that I craved more for the resolution. The ending felt abrupt, and I was left with so many questions. Perhaps it was the author's intention to leave it more open-ended, but I think it could have benefited from another page or two.

This was a well-written (if disturbing!) book with lots of great characters and character development and is the first book I've read in a single day in a long time. I would definitely like to check out something else by Sheri Reynolds. Suggestions?

This is the story of Ninah Huff, the granddaughter of the founder of the Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind. Say that three times fast. I dare ya! Basically, the people of the congregation spend their time striving to do the "Lord's good" while denying themselves earthly pleasures (No TV, very little free time, you get the picture) because they don't want to be stuck on earth when the good Lord comes back. To avoid earthly sins, the members of the church are known to inflict pain upon themselves such as sleeping on nettles or walking on pecan shells.

The story is also told from Ninah's POV. She's a young girl struggling with religion and life in general. She questions what she is being taught in her community, but at the same time, she feels ashamed and guilty of the changes going through her -- particularly her attraction to a boy named James. Despite, Ninah and James's efforts to avoid temptation and sin, the two come together in the biblical sense, and the outcome tears their little community apart.

I thought this was a very beautiful story following the trials and tribulations of not only a teenager growing up under such strict beliefs but the desires of the heart and flesh, the questioning of religious beliefs. Ninah makes such a transition in this story. She goes from a timid teenage girl to a young woman who knows her heart and believes that God's love comes from more than just pain. She finds strength when so many obstacles stood in her way. She forces a community to change, to face it's hypocrisy, and above all, Ninah finds a sense of self.

I also loved the characters in this book. They were so beautifully drawn out. You could imagine them vividly. Everyone from Ninah to Corinthian, the woman who the community considers a backsliding whore. You feel for these people. You can probably think of people who share some similar attributes. Maybe not as religious, but we all know drama-queens and people who strive to please others.

Ninah's story is so heart-wrenching, but beautifully written. I could not put this book down, and I already want to read it again. All I have to say to that is, "Whee, Jesus."

I first read this book many years ago, at which time it secured its place as my second favorite book of all time. I never read books twice, but faced with a road trip longer than my library’s lending limit, and finding a copy in my tiny personal library, I thought, “Why not see if it stands the test of time and of a second reading?”

I’m happy to say I loved it almost as much the second reading as the first. The story is rich and multi-leveled. While my favorite book, “A Fine Balance” explores the divide between hope and despair, this one explores the divide between community and individuality. Along the way, we get one of the funniest scenes I’ve ever read, and the book gradually builds up to the ending which is both shocking and joyful at the same time.