The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly
By Stephanie Oakes
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was chosen independently as a book club book by the girls at Epsilon in the spring of 2017. They heard about the book from one of our visiting librarians and collectively decided that they would like to read it together and have a book club when they finished.
Reading Level
Lexile: 790
Length
400 pages
Representation
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is about a young woman who grew up in an isolated polygamist cult. Though Minnow's background is unlike that of any of the students who participated in this book club, many still found elements of her story that they connected to. Minnow spends time in prison where she meets other teens, but they are mostly background characters.
Appropriate Content
This book contains physical, emotional and sexual violence and is not for every audience. Consider your students carefully before selecting this book. The publisher (Harper Collins) recommends it for students age 14+. There is no Common Sense Media review for this book.
Engagement
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is long and has a narrower target audience than most of the books we have read for book clubs. The students who were most enthusiastic about this book club devoured the book (it's extremely fast-paced), but those who were less committed only read about half of the story. You can read the beginning of the book on the publisher's website.
Substance
This book covers themes of hope, independence, family and choice. For an enthusiastic book club group, there is a lot to discuss. The themes of this book may be more challenging for participants who have not finished the book to engage with than the themes of other books we have read for book club.
Summary
Summary provided by the publisher:
A hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in yourself. Finalist for the Morris Award.
The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust. And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too.
Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it’s clear that Minnow knows something—but she’s not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.
Gorgeously written, breathlessly page-turning and sprinkled with moments of unexpected humor, this harrowing debut is perfect for readers of Emily Murdoch’s If You Find Me and Nova Ren Suma’s The Walls Around Us, as well as for fans of Orange is the New Black.
Book Club Materials
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly: Book Club Agenda
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly: Discussion Questions
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is based on the fairy tale "The Girl Without Hands". Find two versions of that fairy tale here.