Review: Uncovered by Leah Lax

Uncovered

by Leah Lax

Publisher: She Writes Press

Pages: 256

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  In "Uncovered," Leah Lax tells her story beginning as a young teen who left her liberal, secular home for life as a Hasidic Jew, and ending as a forty-something woman who has to abandon the only world she s known for thirty years in order to achieve personal freedom. In understated, crystalline prose, Lax details her experiences with arranged marriage, cult-like faith, and motherhood during her years with the Hasidim, and explores how her creative, sexual, and spiritual longings simmer beneath the surface throughout her time there. The first book to tell the story of a gay woman who spent thirty adult years in the Hasidic fold, "Uncovered" is the moving story of Lax s long journey toward finding a home where she truly belongs."


Kritters Thoughts:  Leah Lax came from a hard childhood and found refuge in a religion that her family was a part of, but a specific sect within the religion with very specific ways of living.  I believe someone who has a hard childhood finds solace in the structure of a very organized religion.  She gets married at a young age and has many children and after she has lived almost a full life, she finds that her marriage isn't what she wants and she takes an interesting turn.

As a former religious studies major in college, I naturally have an interest on organized religion in all forms.  I loved studying the correlation between the evolution of religions and the evolution of people and societies.  I say all this because with this, I liked reading this book.  I loved reading how a sect of a religion has tried to keep its ideals as the "outside" world has changed and may start "coming in."

I don't read a ton of memoirs.  I like to read memoirs when I have an interest in the person or the "theme" of their memoir or life story.  If you are a reader of memoirs, I would suggest this one.  If you are like me and are interested in people and religion then you would enjoy this one.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Booksparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.