Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith

Leaving the Saints is an unforgettable memoir about one womans spiritual quest and journey toward faith. As Mormon royalty within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Martha Beck was raised in a home frequented by the Churchs high elders—known as the apostles—and her existence was framed by their strict code of conduct. Wearing her sacred garments, she married in a secret temple ceremony—but only after two Mormon leaders ascertained that her past contained no flirtation with serious sins, such as committing murder or drinking coffee. She went to church faithfully with the other brothers and sisters of her ward. When her son was born with Down syndrome, she and her husband left their graduate programs at Harvard to return to Provo, Utah, where they knew the supportive Mormon community would embrace them.