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  • A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church
  • Written by: Megan Phelps-Roper
  • Narrated by: Megan Phelps-Roper
  • Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (177 ratings)

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Written by: Megan Phelps-Roper
Narrated by: Megan Phelps-Roper
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Publisher's Summary

The activist and TED speaker Megan Phelps-Roper reveals her life growing up in the most hated family in America

At the age of five, Megan Phelps-Roper began protesting homosexuality and other alleged vices alongside fellow members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. Founded by her grandfather and consisting almost entirely of her extended family, the tiny group would gain worldwide notoriety for its pickets at military funerals and celebrations of death and tragedy. As Phelps-Roper grew up, she saw that church members were close companions and accomplished debaters, applying the logic of predestination and the language of the King James Bible to everyday life with aplomb - which, as the church’s Twitter spokeswoman, she learned to do with great skill. Soon, however, dialogue on Twitter caused her to begin doubting the church’s leaders and message: If humans were sinful and fallible, how could the church itself be so confident about its beliefs? As she digitally jousted with critics, she started to wonder if sometimes they had a point - and then she began exchanging messages with a man who would help change her life.

A gripping memoir of escaping extremism and falling in love, Unfollow relates Phelps-Roper’s moral awakening, her departure from the church, and how she exchanged the absolutes she grew up with for new forms of warmth and community. Rich with suspense and thoughtful reflection, Phelps-Roper’s life story exposes the dangers of black-and-white thinking and the need for true humility in a time of angry polarization.

©2019 Megan Phelps-Roper (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

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Timely

A story for our times which allows the reader to understand how someone can be part of the “most hated family” in America and act in what seems incredibly cruel ways and yet, also be genuinely kind and loving

The author clearly expresses the huge dangers of black and white thinking - the craziness and cruelty of blanket certitude.

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1 person found this helpful

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  • M.
  • 2019-11-14

utterly fascinating

I'm never one to like authors reading their own work but MPR breaks the mold here. Her cadence combined with her prose was captivating and moving. Easily one of my favorite books of the year.

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2 people found this helpful

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Incredible

This book allowed me to understand so many different perspectives, especially ones I have struggled to understand in the past. It is written so beautiful and preformed well! Highly recommend

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A profoundly inside story of love and struggle

Most people never realize how hard it can be to leave a loving religious community and it's family bonds. When that community is a famous congregation known for public hatreds, it is even harder for most people to guess at the network of intimate connection that keeps us tied to the people we cherish despite the societal damages that are being caused. This is one of the more beautiful books I have ever been exposed to. The author is winsome and relatable, and she makes the depths of her struggle, both intellectual and deeply personal, visible to those who care enough to understand. It is one of those life-changing books... Suddenly you realize that even when the apple never falls far from the tree, sometimes it is very important for the apple to roll and roll and roll, until it is quite far away indeed.

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Really Enjoyed The Book

Growing up, I always saw the children picketing, and I always wondered about what life was like for these children - were they abused? were they given free will? why did they think the language and words they used were out of love when they were so hateful? Megan's honesty and love for her family helps me understand the family dynamics and gave insight to the questions I had. Listening to her journey was eye opening, authentic, and showed us a glimpse of humanity within the church.

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Gripping storyline

I’m so glad that Megan narrated her own book. It means so much more to me listening to her share her story with such brutal honesty. The love for her family is so admirable as is her courage and authenticity. I hope Megan is working on another book because she is a beautiful writer inside and out.

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Enlightening

Why do good people do bad things? Megan Phelps-Roper will tell you. Whatever we think we know, whoever we exclude, for whatever reasons, we need to doubt it all. The systems she describes are universal, are we are almost all deluded and complicit in something similar.

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  • JMS
  • 2020-05-16

Timely and Important

Well-written and an important cautionary story for our times. Even the most intelligent and self-reflective people can be victims of indoctrination and groupthink when living in an echo chamber. Great respect for Megan’s courage to break out of her bubble. Hopefully her work can inspire others to open their minds.

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A thoughful account from an admirable thinker

Really worth listening to. People need to get used to navigating more gray zones. To love and praise the qualities AND to be able to criticize and view the problems at the same. We need more minds like Megan in this complicated world.

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This Book is a Neccesity!

Incredibly moving and inspirational. A book all of us must read. Beautiful in every way.

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1 person found this helpful