Doubt wasn’t the sin, I came to believe. It was the arrogance of certainty that poisoned Westboro at its foundations.” This is the story of the rise, decline and fall of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka Kansas, as seen through the eyes of Fred Phelps’ granddaughter Megan Phelps-Roper. It’s a no holes barred, non sugar coated look at how the charisma of the founders gets co-opted by “the new leaders” who want to stay in charge in a changing society. This intelligent highly skilled extended insular family have given new meaning to “looney tunes” but Phelps-Roper lets us see it through her eyes. How could the ones who claim the Bible’s calls to be in the world try to shut out the world? How dare they treat their “own” worse than those they are “called to save”? How abusive is that. As an ordained pastor with a heavy theological background, I was amazed at the depth of personal sorrow the author brings to this cathartically personal memoir. This is a self-proclaimed “word lover” who had me looking for definitions all through the book. I never would have looked for this book had it not been mentioned on NPR one day, and I waited with baited breath for it to come into my library queue, dropping all others so I could read it. I read it in huge chunks, trying to make sense of it, And I was well rewarded with a book I see as a top ten contestant for 2019. Highly recommended 5/5 N.B- there are triggers for verbal and psychological abuse [disclaimer: I received this book from the library and chose to read and review it]