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Pure
Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free | Linda Kay Klein
From a woman who has been there and back, the first inside look at the devastating effects evangelical Christianitys purity culture has had on a generation of young womenin a potent combination of journalism, cultural commentary, and memoir. In the 1990s, a purity industry emerged out of the white evangelical Christian culture. Purity rings, purity pledges, and purity balls came with a dangerous message: girls are potential sexual stumbling blocks for boys and men, and any expression of a girls sexuality could reflect the corruption of her character. This message traumatized many girlsresulting in anxiety, fear, and experiences that mimicked the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorderand trapped them in a cycle of shame. This is the sex education Linda Kay Klein grew up with. Fearing being marked a Jezebel, Klein broke up with her high school boyfriend because she thought God told her to, and took pregnancy tests though she was a virgin, terrified that any sexual activity would be punished with an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. When the youth pastor of her church was convicted of sexual enticement of a twelve-year-old girl, Klein began to question the purity-based sexual ethic. She contacted young women she knew, asking if they were coping with the same shame-induced issues she was. These intimate conversations developed into a twelve-year quest that took her across the country and into the lives of women raised in similar religious communitiesa journey that facilitated her own healing and led her to churches that are seeking a new way to reconcile sexuality and spirituality. Sexual shame is by no means confined to evangelical culture; Pure is a powerful wake-up call about our societys subjugation of women.
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Annacferg
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You ever start reading a book but can hardly get through the introduction before setting it down and telling everyone you can about it?? That‘s how I‘m feeling about Pure by Linda Kay Klein right now! Looking forward to reading the rest of the book and wishing I read it sooner.

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Megabooks
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So just tbh here. I haven‘t checked Litsy since my dad got sick (cold but we were afraid it was COVID for a hot second) because reading has stressed me out instead of soothing me. I can‘t decide on a book. I‘m 15% into several, including the tagged as I lie awake tonight. If something is stressing me and I don‘t have to do it, then I‘m just trying to roll with that. So reading is on the bubble. But I love all of you and will be back soon. 😘😘😘

Megabooks But I‘ve rediscovered Degrassi on Amazon prime!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Lol! I hope everyone is hanging in there. And I appreciate the #litsylove I‘ve been getting! 🥰💌🥰 5y
erzascarletbookgasm Hope your dad feels better soon. Meanwhile just chill out..binge watching sounds good. 😁❣️ 5y
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youneverarrived Got to do what‘s best for you 😘 5y
Lreads I'm sorry you've been so stressed. I hope your dad feels better soon. Take care of yourself, too. Binge watching a favorite show is a great way to cope. I myself am playing video games. 💕 5y
rockpools Hope you‘re all feeling better soon - and yes binge watching‘s just perfect at the moment. Take care 😘 5y
JennyM Sending love to you and your family. Look after each other xx 5y
Bookwormjillk Yay for binge watching! I hope your dad feels better soon! 5y
Texreader We understand and glad your dad just a cold. Keep up good thoughts and keep in touch!! 5y
batsy Much love ♥️ Hope your dad is on the mend soon. 5y
Librarybelle ❤️❤️❤️ 5y
Crazeedi @Megabooks I've been wondering about you. I hope your dad is doing better. I have been off and on here too, so don't fret. And I'm right with you on the reading, I think I've started 4 or 5 books that I just can't concentrate on. I'm here for you any time Meg 5y
BarbaraBB Hang on Meg, we‘ll be waiting for you! Fortunately your dad is okay (relatively) 💚 5y
xicanti In these times, you‘ve gotta cope however you can. I‘m glad your dad‘s thing is just a cold. ❤️ 5y
Cinfhen Thinking of you xxx 5y
Meaw_catlady Love you ! Sending hugs and blessings ! 🖖💕🌈🥰 5y
L_auren SAME 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Sending lots of love!! ❤️❤️ 5y
JoyBlue @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I second that! 💙

@Megabooks Your wonderful letter arrived a couple days ago, but I just opened several days' mail today. Thank you! I have so much to write back, but I'm woefully behind in my correspondence (outside of birthday cards). Please don't give up on me—I promise to write back ASAP! Hope you and yours stay healthy (physically and emotionally). XO
5y
MemoirsForMe Hugs to you and here‘s to calmer days ahead! 🤗❤️ 5y
Cinfhen Just checking in.... love across the miles 5y
Megabooks @Cinfhen we‘re all okay. Mom and dad are going for a drive now, so it‘s just me and Henry at the house. I‘ll send a catch up note after I hit 24 hours on the @24in48 5y
Megabooks @Cinfhen love across the miles!! 💖💖🌈🌈🥰🥰 5y
Cinfhen I‘m so glad 💖🌏🌈🌷 5y
Cinfhen 😘 5y
Reviewsbylola I‘m glad that your slump seems to be over and that your dad‘s ok too. ❤️ 5y
Megabooks @Reviewsbylola I hope it‘s over, and yes, dad seems a lot better. He and mom went on a long socially distant drive this afternoon. 👍🏻👍🏻 5y
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quirkyreader
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Pickpick

This book made me cry.

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Andrea313
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Pickpick

What a fantastic, sobering, truthful, brave book. As someone who grew up in the 90s evangelical culture, there was so much here that was heartbreaking, yet affirming. I think even without a similar personal experience, this would still be an important and fascinating read; however, it was all the more powerful for having felt and seen so much of what has been documented here. #churchkid

Cinfhen Sounds fascinating! My last add on of the decade!!! #stacked 5y
Megabooks @Cinfhen I think you‘ll like it, Cindy! 5y
Andrea313 @Cinfhen I hope you like it! I'd love to hear your thoughts after you read it. 5y
Cinfhen Will let you know @Andrea313 @Megabooks 💖💖💖 5y
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Andrea313
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Girl, same. #churchkid #90s

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Andrea313
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Best kind of night. #currentlyreading #endofyear

Megabooks I loved this one! 5y
Andrea313 @Megabooks Same here! I'm so glad I read it; it's definitely been one of my favorites this year. 5y
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katjapants
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katjapants
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katjapants
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Megabooks
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Evangelical Christians taught a generation of girls that #taintedlove before marriage would make them unsalvageable and unmarriagable.

This is a fascinating look at girls who took purity vows in the 90s and 00s, and the wide ranging effects it had on their sex lives and self-esteem both before and after marriage.

Fascinating book. Highly recommend this. #anglophileapril

melissajayne I have a friend who just went through this with her own daughter. Think it‘s better to properly educate kids about sexuality than do the promise ring thing. 6y
Megabooks @melissajayne Yes. I agree. Several of the girls weren‘t even exposed to the purity thing at church, but at school through abstinence-based education of the Clinton and Bush eras. I‘m for a more well-rounded education that neither demonizes it nor glorifies it, but gives girls and boys facts about STIs, pregnancy prevention, AND abstinence. 6y
saresmoore Think I might need to read this just because I could‘ve helped write it. 6y
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Mdargusch Ok. I‘m fascinated. I didn‘t realize this was such a far reaching movement. 6y
Reviewsbylola Wow, this is so sad. I can see how it would be riveting. 6y
Megabooks @saresmoore I think a lot of the girls I went to high school with could say the same. 6y
Megabooks @Mdargusch Oh yes! It is. I think the government subsidizing it spread it. 6y
Megabooks @Reviewsbylola Yes. There were married women in their 30s still having sexual dysfunction because they couldn‘t deal with the sexual guilt. It was really sad. 6y
emilyhaldi Such a fascinating topic. #Stacked!!! 6y
Megabooks @emilyhaldi I hope you enjoy it! 6y
StephanieMarie As someone who experienced this situation in highschool I'd be very interested to read this book!!! Thanks for posting. 6y
Megabooks @StephanieMarie You‘re welcome. I hope you enjoy it. 👍🏻 6y
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Megabooks
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Pickpick

I think this book will resonate with a lot of people who grew up in places with a strong evangelical presence. Please, if you have shame about sex from purity/abstinence education, consider reading this book.

Many of my friends were strongly in the purity movement in high school and college. Some broke away, some stayed. A constant topic among us in high school was when we should lose our virginity. This book may have some answers for you. 5⭐️

kgriffith Innnnnteresting... 6y
Megabooks @kgriffith It was. For sure. 6y
Megabooks TWs rape, incest, child molestation 6y
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Megabooks
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Just downloaded tagged book because I wish I had bought it at Parnassus.

Anyway, I started it, and it‘s resonating a lot with me. I grew up in an evangelical community but went to a liberal church. (Heathen, I know.) So I never wore a purity ring or got invited to a purity club at school, but I felt peer pressure from female friends to stay pure.

Then I see this thread on Twitter, and representation is so important. Cannot be overstated!! 👇🏻

Megabooks Identifying now in my late 30s as heteroromantic grace, I don‘t see that 🤣, but I feel all teens should have an opportunity to see themselves in books as far as gender, sexuality, etc. it‘s such an important time in development. (edited) 6y
Weaponxgirl I completely get that you don‘t want or need sex in every ya book and sometimes it‘s refreshing to not see that as romance isn‘t the be all and end all of everyone‘s world. But we can‘t pretend some teens don‘t have sex and it‘s got to be better for them to get examples of good relationships ect from the literature they are consuming. I don‘t read much ya but I love the fact there is diversity for those that do. It‘s needed 6y
Megabooks @Weaponxgirl Totally agree! Representation matters. I have friends who had sex in the 7th grade, I have friends that waited until marriage. Some people think it‘s an important part of their lives, some people less so, some people not at all. 6y
Weaponxgirl https://bookriot.com/2019/03/12/calling-books-clean-is-a-problem/ I just though of you whilst reading this. Didn‘t know if you‘d seen it yet 6y
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Ericalambbrown
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Pickpick

As a recovering Southern Baptist that spent the 80s submerged in purity culture as a teen, this book resonated greatly with my experiences. It is very respectful of those trying to hang on to their faith in spite of damage endured while not demonizing those who chose to leave it all behind.

If you know someone experiencing isolation or pain (straight or LGBTQ) due to purity culture, this book may help them feel less alone.

Emilymdxn This sounds like a wonderful book, I‘m so glad it resonated with you. It‘s so wonderful when a book fits in with your experiences like that 6y
Elma I've been wanting to read this. It's always interesting to see people on Litsy who had similar experiences as myself. 6y
Ericalambbrown @Elma It was a wee bit unsettling how similar some of the stories were to things I‘d either experienced or witnessed. Some of the stories were far more traumatic than anything I‘d seen. It‘s really good but if you are highly empathetic it may be taxing emotionally. Some stories hurt my heart to listen to, but I‘m glad I did. 6y
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Leelee08
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Can‘t wait to dive into my two library books!📚

iread2much The pure book looks amazing! 6y
Leelee08 @iread2much I‘m excited about it! I grew up the daughter of a minister, and I think I‘m gonna be able to relate🤣😬 6y
iread2much @Leelee08 my great grandfather was a minister as well, but I didn‘t grow up in that religion, and the evangelical community is really interesting to me. 6y
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lisakoby
Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Rissa1
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Pickpick

I heartily agreed with some points made in this book, not everything but a lot. At times it felt repetitive. Now for my husband to get out here so we can start our vacation.

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Ericalambbrown
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Really great interview about this book with the author on the second hour of Here and Now today. Having been raised in this culture and since removed myself from it, I understand the struggle and wanted to share in case anyone is interested. Here‘s the link: http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/09/12/pure-evangelical-purity-movement

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