Cait West will talk with Iowa City author Lori Erickson about Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy.  This debut memoir is West’s story of being raised in a strict, religious family, homeschooled, and ruled by authoritarian discipline and a literal interpretation of the Bible. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly calls Rift “A powerful meditation on what it means to be trapped and what it takes to break free.”

“Cait West writes a remarkable coming-of-age memoir that offers an inside view of the Christian patriarchy movement—a world that few know about, but in which many girls and women increasingly find themselves trapped. Amazingly, West manages to hang onto her own soul, stand up to her father, and leave the misogyny behind. Riveting and compelling. I can’t wait to see what West will accomplish next.”—Kate Carroll de Gutes

Cait West is a writer and editor whose work has been published in The Revealer, Religion Dispatches, Fourth Genre, and Hawai`i Pacific Review. As an advocate and a survivor of the Christian patriarchy movement, she serves on the editorial board for Tears of Eden, a nonprofit providing resources for survivors of spiritual abuse. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Lori Erickson is a travel writer who specializes in spiritual journeys.  She is the author of Every Step Is Home, The Soul of the Family Tree, Near the Exit, and Holy Rover. Her articles and essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic Traveler, Better Homes & Gardens, Travel + Leisure, and USA Today. She lives in Iowa City.