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Joanne Hanks to present at 2015 Sunstone Symposium

7/25/2015

Joanne Hanks to speak
at 2015 Sunstone Symposium

Join Joanne Hanks next week at the Sunstone Symposium, where she will present “This Is Your Brain on Polygamy.” Her session will be on Thursday, July 30, at 10:15 a.m. This year’s Sunstone Symposium will be held at the Olpin Student Union Building at the University of Utah.

About Sunstone

From the Sunstone Education Foundation website:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints* is a vibrant religious tradition with a diverse membership that has widely differing needs. For many Latter-day Saints, one of these needs is free and frank exploration of gospel truths as they relate to the complexities of today’s society. Some crave stimulating discussions of contemporary scholarship, literature, and social issues. Others find great comfort being able to read, hear, and share personal faith journeys, including all their twists and turns and occasional uncertainties.
Through its many forums, Sunstone serves these Latter-day Saints and many others for whom life and faith is a wonderful but unique adventure. Sunstone brings together traditional and non-traditional Latter-day Saints, promoting an atmosphere that values faith, intellectual and experiential integrity.
* Sunstone is an independent organization, and does not have any official ties to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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The audiobook reviews begin

7/20/2015

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Here are the first listener reviews

Here are early listener reviews of the audiobook. If you prefer reading them on the Audible.com website, click here.

★★★★★
A Serious Tale Told With
Honesty, Wit & Humor

By Dennis Asbury | July 1, 2015

Would you listen to 'It's Not About the Sex' My Ass again? Why?
I will certainly listen again because it is just that interesting and entertaining.

What did you like best about this story?
I most appreciated the author's candor about her own acceptance of religious ideas and practices that many listeners and readers will no doubt think are outlandish. Her descriptions of her gradual acceptance of ever more strange doctrines and the gradual lifting of the veil of belief to reveal the absence of truth at the core of the True and Living Church.

Which character – as performed by Kimberly Ellington – was your favorite?
The story is told in the first person from the author's point of view. The tone is conversational and occasionally reminded me of Julia Sweeney's delightful "Letting Go of God". Ms Hanks' story is not a stand-up comedy routine. It is a serious story about real people in the grip of a strange and potentially dangerous ideology.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It made me sad and then it made me laugh. The greatest benefit I derived from Ms Hanks' story was being reminded that none of us are immune to being bamboozled. As Carl Sagan said "“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.” Ms Hanks and her readers are fortunate that she was eventually able to recognize the bamboozle.

★★★★★
Cult or religion?

By Adam | May 5, 2015

Great insight into polygamy and the Mormon religion. I like the remarks of the author and her story of coming out of a cult.

★★★★★
Honestly told with all the humor needed to endure.

By PattyQB | July 12, 2015
By PattyQB | July 12, 2015

How refreshing it is to listen to this woman's story told simply and clearly about her complex journey through religious fanaticism.

Most of all I salute her choice of stand-up comedian / philosopher in her path back to sanity. No spoilers here; but I will say that I'm about to start enjoying this book again right away now that I KNOW recovery was so honestly and completely achieved.