"Today it hit me when he hit me, blood shaking in my brain. Maybe there wasn't a savior coming. Maybe it was up to me to save me." Recruited into the fundamentalist Quiverfull movement as a young wife, Tia Levings learned that being a good Christian meant following a list of additional life principles--a series of secret, special rules to obey. Being a godly and submissive wife in Christian Patriarchy included strict discipline, isolation, and an...

The author wasn't looking for romance when she sat down for lunch with Cary Grant in the studio canteen; she was a young actress on the outskirts of Hollywood just hoping for her big break. What she found was a star-crossed soul mate, a man who fell instantly in love with her, pursued her relentlessly, and eventually persuaded her to love him back equally. She and Cary Grant were a glamorous and popular pair, the epicenter of chic and swinging 1960s...

Tells the harrowing, yet wryly funny story of Safran's childhood chasing the perfect life off the grid--and how he and his mother survived the imperfect one they found instead. More than just a coming-of age story, "Free Spirit" is a journey of the spirit, as Safran reconnects with his Jewish roots; a tale of overcoming adversity; and a captivating read about a childhood unlike any other.