The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner

Ruth is her father's 39th child, growing up in a Mormon polygamous cult in rural Mexico called Colonia LeBaron. Her father was the leader when he was murdered by his brother shortly after Ruth was born. Her mother became the second wife of another LeBaron member and moved her family into a dilapidated house with concrete floors, no electricity, and no plumbing. The husband was unable to support multiple families, so Ruth's mother shuttled her children back and forth from the United States to Mexico in order to obtain government financial assistance. These brief trips and other lengthier periods when Ruth and her family lived among ordinary Americans provided her with the ability to critically compare her family's way of life and how it fell far short of the safe and healthy childhood all children should have.

For anyone curious about religious and doomsday cults, Wariner reveals the inner workings and recounts her disturbing childhood with exacting detail  and compassionate insight but absent a woe-is-me attitude. Her writing style makes for an illuminating and fascinating memoir that reads quickly and keeps readers engaged. Despite the grim experiences she continually faced, Wariner's tale is ultimately one of triumph, escaping her desperate circumstances for a better life.