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Nov 18, 2013andreabroomfield rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
What a fantastic memoir! It is fresh, original, and unpredictable. I did not read any reviews or for that matter, even the jacket flap, because I did not want any give-aways to Hardy's ending. I loved Hardy's voice, how she could be serious, playful, ironic, sarcastic, and at times heartrending. Certain observations grabbed me because they allowed me insight into LDS culture without that being Hardy's main intention. Take for example her one about LDS men: "Show me an LDS man who's wickedly funny, politically liberal, brighter than the average bear, and uncommitted to 1950s gender roles, and I will show you the shaggy tail and waddling gait of the Ailurus fulgens, its mischievous mouth rife with bamboo." And readers want for Hardy--at this point in the memoir--to find that oh-so-rare LDS man so that she can reconcile her faith and upbringing with her need for love. Perhaps my favorite moment in this memoir comes when Hardy is surrounded by the sharks on a dive and as she swims towards them, comes to this insight: "How is it I can feel peaceful, glorified, connected in the literal presence of sharks? That next to them, I can forget to be afraid? And sitting still in the house of God, I feel myself drowning." A spiritual quest, a quest for self-actualization, and a memoir that ends with the Hardy family harmony still intact: this is a terrific read, one that I will always remember.