• click here to return to the homepage •
Home > Categories > Books > Non-Fiction > Sins of the Father review
Neville Cooper started out with divine impulses: to preach the Word and bring sinners to God, and to build a Christian utopia on earth.
However, not all his followers could stomach the rule of this charismatic, willful, driven, and self-righteous man. Especially his eldest son Phil.
Fleur Beale, with Phil Cooper and his son Israel, has written their extraordinary story. It begins with Neville's heady, tent-touring days in Australia and New Zealand, where he drew crowds as large as Billy Graham's, to the development of his 400-strong Gloriavale Community on the West Coast of the South Island.
This compelling story takes us from Phil's first shocking realization that his father means to bend him to his will, to Neville's public trial and imprisonment for sexual crimes against his flock.
This is a story of courage and resourcefulness, of hearts broken and those trying to mend. It is a story of power and control, loss and solidarity. It is a story of escape: Phil first runs from his father at fourteen, and again a year later. But each time, he is drawn back to the fold, his will buckling under the 'interrogations' of the community's elders and his own father's threats of renunciation.
Sins of the Father tells how one man's unyielding vision casts a long shadow in which his son, and other 'victims', will always live. Whether in the community or out of it, Phil continues to measure or to pit himself against the monstrous figure of his father. A compelling and intriguing story of human aspiration and folly, of anguish, resolve, and courage.
Zoom!
The Natural Way to a Better Breastfeeding
Magic in the Shadows
English Grammar Workbook for Dummies - 2nd edition
Nic's Cookbook
Poppy Cat
Pippa Morgan's Diary: Love and Chicken Nuggets
Quaky Cat Helps Out
Geronimo Stilton Micekings #2: The Famouse Fjord Race
The Emperor's Revenge
High Hopes and Big Dreams: 165 New Zealand small towns in their twilight
New Zealand Weather
Sand-Play Time on the Sun-Baked BeachProduct reviews...
Review by: anistasya (Beaulah)
Dated: 28th of April, 2009
With Sins of the Father, Fleur Beale paints an emotionally gripping and incredibly enlightening picture of the difficulty of leaving such an isolated community and the pain of leaving loved ones behind.
An excellent resource for anyone who wonders why people in cults (and other close, pressured social groups or organizations) don't 'just leave' and how they could possibly go back once they are out.
Reading this book was a very personal experience for me, as I was born in a cult modelled very much on Neville Cooper's ideals. My family left when I was seven (about the same age as Israel in this story) and it was an equally strange and harrowing experience, trying to come to terms with such a foreign and alien world outside.
I was much luckier that Phil Cooper's family in that my parents chose to leave together, keeping my brother and I in a safe and loving environment, despite the turmoil around us. But I still found myself reaching an age where I began to question what it had all been about. I couldn't understand how my parents had spent so much of their lives in a place that had caused them such misery.
Reading 'Sins of the Father' made me laugh and cry, but most of all, it helped me understand what my parents had gone through and how hard it had been for them. I have so much more respect for them, for their strength in creating such a normal life for us, and putting those twenty years behind them... just starting again.
I am incredibly grateful to Phil and Israel Cooper for having the courage to tell their story, it has made a big impact on me and I know it will help others understand as well.
I highly recommend this book for everyone. Understanding what it is really like in a cult is to understand peer pressure and manipulation at its most condensed, but everyone experiences these things in their daily life. Phil's story shows that, with courage, you can make your own choices and stand by them, no matter how hard things get.
I am, quite frankly, inspired.
Random listing from 'Books'...
The nightmare is real and Sam must face his destiny. Will the chilling prophecy and the the ultimate battle against Solaris come true? Nothing could have prepared Sam for this terrifying new life as one of the last 13 Dreamers.
From New York to Egypt, to Italy - the search for the last 13 will take Sam across the globe. He cannot do it alone, but who can he really trust? He must find the last 13. the race has begun.
All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.
"How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?"
unattributed
