Heaven's Gate

Wow, this book was a lot.

I've always been intrigued by cults like Waco, Jonestown, and the most out of this world cult, Heaven's Gate. Heaven's Gate was led by Marshall Herff Applewhite and his wife, Bonnie Lu Nettles. Their group was significantly different from the others for a number of reasons. Let's start with the belief in UFO's. At the time of writing this post, it's 2022. We've now been told that there are other life forces out there (which, duh), but the government has actually acknowledged it now. But when Heaven's Gate formed in the 1970's, people were skeptical of UFO's and aliens. Heaven's Gate didn't just believe in these things, they also believed that they would be taken upon a spacecraft and transported to another world.

They also practiced celibacy, going as far as castrating several male members of the group including Applewhite himself. That alone sets them apart from many, many cults or fringe religious groups. Some people believed that Applewhite struggled with his sexual identity and this was his way of dealing with it. That seems a little extreme to me, but it was mentioned in the book.

Heaven's Gate: Cult Suicide in San Diego presents some bizarre theories that I feel need mentioning. Since it's publication in 1997, the internet has absolutely exploded. But at the time, the "World Wide Web" caught a lot of heat after the mass suicide of 39 members of the Heaven's Gate Cult. Many called the group things like "UFO Computer Cultists," "Computer Cult," "Internet Wackos." The internet was blamed for creating a forum for Applewhite to attract new members into his wild group.

This book also really needed a proofreader. There were so many basic grammatical errors and misspellings. But if you can move past that, there is valuable information about Heaven's Gate within it's pages. But there's also a slew of misinformation given what we know now.

The Two Lives of Sara

Two years ago I snagged an ARC of Saving Ruby King from NetGalley.

 

The world Catherine Adel West built with her words was a world I wanted to jump back into as soon as possible. The Two Lives of Sara helped me do just that.

 

In my review of Saving Ruby King, I talked about how I got a little turned around when I realized all the main character's grandparents were friends. But as soon as I started reading Sara's story, I realized we finally had a prequel. We had answers to all the secrets that had been hidden for decades.

 

Sara's story is a sad one.

But it's also a hopeful one.

 

While Ruby's story takes place in Chicago churches, Sara's story takes place in a Memphis boarding house. When Sara turns up at The Scarlet Poplar, unwed and pregnant, Mama Sugar doesn't ask any questions. She welcomes Sara and puts her right to work. At The Scarlet, they take care of each other and always look out for their own. For Sara, that meant letting them help her sort out her feelings about motherhood on her own terms. There was always someone there to hand Lebanon off too, and she did without a second thought. That is, until she met Jonas.

Jonas lit up her world and somehow broke through her icy exterior. They had big plans for their future, but it all came crashing down. Sara had finally opened her heart and everything fell apart.

As we know from Saving Ruby King, Lebanon goes on to have a child of his own....Ruby. While both Ruby and Sara's stories delves into topics like racism, gun violence, domestic violence, and suicide; Sara's story has more hope, more growth, more resilience. But I think the cities and era's fit both narratives. Sara was in Memphis in the 1960s, the civil rights movement was in full swing and everyone had hope for a better life. But then Ruby was in the midst of 1990's Chicago, a time when violent crime was on the rise and not looking to back down. Racial profiling, police brutality, and riots were the norm. Both of these stories fit in beautifully with the drastically different worlds they were set in.

Looking for the rest of the series?

Saving Ruby King

None of This Rocks

Okay, listen.

I'm a little biased when it comes to Fall Out Boy.

I saw them on tour with their Infinity on High album when I was 12, and again on their American Beauty/American Psycho tour when I was 19, and again this past May at 26. They're literally my favorite band of all time and my little emo heart skips a beat every time I hear their music.

Joe Trohman markets himself as "the other guy" in Fall Out Boy. There's Patrick, Pete, Andy, and the other one. But I am hardly joking when I say I spent my teen years obsessing over Joe's curly ass hair (literally my weakness).

Joe talks about his childhood, his time with the band, and even discovering himself through other artistic venues. He talks about life on the road, and life as a parent. He even lets us in on his all too relatable struggles with mental health and addiction.

The story itself is a little scattered but it felt like a conversation between friends where one just goes off on a tangent and the other just follows along. It was honest and relatable, even if he is a rockstar. It was incredibly interesting to read about their work on FOB albums. I've always considered myself a die hard fan and was shocked to hear that some of my favorite albums are the ones other fans considered flops. Folie is still in my top 3 favorite albums and I can't believe other people might not like it. Joe even talks about their debut EP/album, An Evening Out with Your Girlfriend and how it should never be spoken of again. But honestly, it's still strong. I listened to their E N T I R E discography while reading the book and honestly, it was so enjoyable.