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Memoirs generally pull us in because of our interest in other people’s unbelievably tragic lives. Sure, every now and then we pick up a happy story hoping to get that fuzzy feeling at the end. If you’ve picked up Lauren Drain’s memoir Banished: Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church, you were most likely looking for a heartbreaking story.
To fill you in, Westboro Baptist Church is a church, if you can call it that, of radical beliefs often regarded as one of America’s biggest hate groups. Well-known for their picketing events, this organization has made quite a name for itself through its persistency to cut down others using slanderous speech at the most inappropriate times – not that there is ever a good time for malicious behavior. Its pickets usually target military and minority groups. You may have seen some of these protests on national news.
Lauren Drain’s entry into the church is an accident. Her father is filming a documentary about the church, believing its controversies will gain him recognition in the film industry as a provocative filmmaker. After spending months with this group, he begins to feel enlightened by their teachings. I know what you’re probably thinking … how? How can someone drastically change his views in a matter of months? Drain does not reveal much about her father’s conversion, but it’s hard to rule out the probabilities of manipulation and brainwashing.
Although apprehensive at first, the entire Drain family begins to like the church. They move into a neighborhood where most of the congregation members live. Having everyone centrally located allows leaders to observe their followers closely. Families are prohibited from going places without first telling Shirley Phelps, daughter of the founding pastor Fred Phelps and the spearhead of all picketing events. Drain constantly strives to be a good representation of her church while primarily seeking acceptance from Shirley. At protests, Drain yells discriminatory slurs, hoping to gain attention and show her devotion to the group. Her biggest fear is going to hell for doing something unforgivable. After all, her church claims to be God’s “chosen ones,” who are promised eternal life in heaven – the rest of America doomed to hell.
Drain eventually displeases her church by questioning authority and going places without first reporting in. It’s no secret, as it’s revealed in the title, that the church and her family banishes her for her reluctance to listen and obey their demands. This exile causes her months of pain and faith-based struggles. She attempts to return, only to be shut out and left more confused.
I feel as though I can’t be too harsh about Drain’s memoir because this is her first and only book. I do have to admit, however, that her thoughts are scattered and her writing simplistic. I was hoping to learn more about the mindset and inner workings of the church, things I’ve never heard or seen. It’s clear that Drain is apologetic for the harmful things she’s done while a member of the Westboro Baptist Church, but at the end of the book, you can’t help but feel that she continues to hold the church in the highest regard. I believe if she had waited a year or two, this book would be better, more solid. She still has deep wounds that need time to heal.
Many of us will feel lonely and even betrayed at some point in our lives; hopefully not to Drain’s extent. I think these are just aspects of being human. Lonely periods, however, make us appreciate time with our present loved ones and can be viewed as opportunities to reflect, learn and hopefully grow from our experiences, both good and bad.
– Rachel LeCompte is a library lover who enjoys nothing more than a good book with a strong cup of coffee. She may not be saving lives like doctors (and Superman), but she’ll do her best to save literature – the enrichment to life. Reach her through email at rachel@gumboguide.com
