Customers say
Customers find this memoir compelling and well-written, with one noting how it meticulously chronicles survivors’ lives. Moreover, the book provides an honest approach to generational trauma and is considered an essential read, with one customer highlighting how it documents facts in a way everyone can understand. Additionally, customers describe the book as powerful and courageous, with one review noting how it serves as a beacon of hope.
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No one believed it could happen in their town. But it did.
Valarie Clark Miller seemed to have it all. Smart and beautiful with a wealthy, successful husband and growing family, Valarie appeared to be the picture-perfect Mormon wife. But it was all a façade. Inside, she was crumbling from the pressures of long-repressed memories of a childhood filled with sexual and physical abuse.
In Hometown Betrayal, author Emily Benedek brings you behind the closed doors of the remote Mormon community of Clarkston, Utah. With the help of hundreds of individual stories, she pieces together not only what happened to Valarie, but also the conditions and culture that allowed it. Hometown Betrayal culminates in an account of the Miller family’s fight to hold accountable the men—including the local cop– who abused Valarie and controlled the systems designed to look the other way.
Our Top Reviews
Reviewer: Pro Bono Publico
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: At The Intersection of Religion, Power, and Social Justice
Review: As an outside med who admires the values of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints, Emily Benedek’s Hometown Betrayal is a deeply moving and unsettling examination of secrecy, power, and trauma within a small community within the Church. I was struck by the similarities between the culture described in the book other community’s struggles with insularity and authority. Benedek uses her journalistic rigor to unravel layers of deception, revealing how a culture of silence can effectively shield systemic abuse. This account is significant for its contribution to our understanding of how communities—particularly those shaped by religious ideologies—can foster environments of complicity and silence.Benedek’s narrative, while focused on a specific Mormon town, addresses themes that resonate far beyond the immediate setting. She meticulously chronicles the lives of survivors, perpetrators, and enablers, presenting an interwoven story of betrayal and courage. I was particularly moved by how familiar the dynamics of power, secrecy, and community loyalty felt. Just as in some insular communities of other faiths, the emphasis on protecting the group’s reputation often comes at the expense of individual well-being. The parallels between the two communities are striking, particularly in the ways that both have struggled with transparency and accountability when confronted with internal crises. Benedek’s treatment of the historical context is also notable. She traces the origins of the community’s values and attitudes, connecting the contemporary culture of secrecy to broader historical trends within Mormonism, such as its emphasis on patriarchal authority and its troubled history with transparency. These historical underpinnings reminded me of similar patterns in the histories of other communities of faith, where community cohesion and authority structures have often been both sources of strength and mechanisms of control. By situating individual acts of abuse within this wider historical framework, Benedek provides a compelling argument for the ways in which structural and doctrinal elements can perpetuate cycles of harm.In terms of methodology, Benedek’s investigative approach provides an interesting point of comparison for those interested in community histories and Benedek’s work is typically investigative and thoroughly meticulous. .Her work reminds us of the importance of oral histories and firsthand testimonies in constructing a narrative of social injustice. The survivors’ voices are at the heart of the book, lending an authenticity and emotional resonance that would be difficult to achieve through purely archival research. This blending of journalistic immediacy with historical analysis serves as a model for those of us who seek to tell stories of marginalized communities that have often been silenced. However, it is also crucial to note that Benedek’s focus on the darker aspects of this community may be perceived by some readers as an overly critical view of Mormon culture. The book is not intended as a broad representation of the diversity of experiences within Mormon communities. My personal experiences with the Church have been wholly positive and the greater ideals of faith and family centricity resonate with my personal values. Nonetheless, the book’s strength lies in its willingness to confront uncomfortable truths, urging readers to consider the consequences of unquestioned loyalty to authority.Hometown Betrayal is an essential read for anyone interested in the intersections of religion, power, and social justice. Benedek’s meticulous research and empathetic storytelling challenge us to rethink how secrecy and silence can function as tools of control, and how communities might begin to dismantle these structures in the pursuit of healing and accountability. For those of us from different faith traditions, the book serves as a powerful reminder of the universal challenges that religious communities face when grappling with the tension between protecting their own and pursuing justice. It urges us to reflect on the vital role our own communities must play in uncovering and addressing the stories that have long been suppressed, while noting that the story of this town is not representative of the Church or the faith.Great service by Amazon as always.
Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Bringing to Light a Very Dark History of Abuse
Review: This book breaks all of the barriers that have been set up to make woman fearful of bringing their sexual abuse to light. Highly recommended if you want to feel empowered to make a change. An incredibly tough read, given the hardships that Valarie had to endure at such a young age. Truly heartbreaking, yet inspiring to unmask and bringing to light the aftermath of childhood sexual abuse.
Reviewer: JoDell Henderson
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Book
Review: Interesting imfo
Reviewer: Val D. Steed
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Stunning
Review: I grew up in close proximity to Clarkston, Utah. Many of the sites and places in this book are places I know and have been. This book is very well written but still very hard to read. I grew up in the LDS church and am still an active, faithful, member. I cannot tell you how disgusted I am to learn of these terrible monsters in a small beautiful town. Bob Dahle gave me a ticket once coming down Sardine Canyon on my way to school at USU. I remember him because of his odd manner, appearance, and last name. If you want to learn what pure evil in sheepskin looks like read this book. God bless the Miller family for pushing this book to completion. The world needs to know that Bob Dahle , Gary Thompson, and Lloyd Clark are brutal abusers and rapists.
Reviewer: Kate Madge
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Powerful, Disturbing and Gut-Wrenching
Review: This is a very powerful and gut wrenching read. As a former Mormon familiar with Cache Valley and as an abuse survivor this book really resonates with my experience and those of other women in my family. The author approached this account with brutal honesty and sensitivity for the survivors.I hope this honest approach to generational trauma, to addressing the devaluing of girls/women in patriarchal culture and exposing how heinous silence to evil will resonate throughout generations.This book may be triggering for some readers. Approach this book with the understanding that is a factual account of evil and violence.Thank you to the author for her honesty and bravery in the telling. It is my sincere hope that the Millers find closure and peace with telling.
Reviewer: Kate McBride
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Mormon Abuse
Review: A sad story about Valerie and the abuse that was done to her by trusted adults in her life that were also elders in the Mormon church. Her innocence was stolen and the people she reported it to turned the other cheek.Abuse does not just go away with some therapy and a better life- this is life long and she paid the price and her children. An unfortunate tale that is all too common.It is not your typical read, it is more like a report on things that happened in Valerie’s life and introducing all the players.
Reviewer: Austin Barton
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A powerful true story with eye opening facts
Review: A must read with eye opening facts about childhood sexual abuse in a small town. Glad that Valarie’s story is available for everyone to read.
Reviewer: William J. Poser
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This is a thorough and well-written account of a sordid case of sexual abuse, the failure of community leaders to deal with it, and a cover-up by the state police.
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