Hippie Boy: A Girl’s Story. Ingrid Ricks. Penguin Group (USA). January
2014. 304 pp. pbk. ISBN #: 9780425274002.
Ingrid
Ricks has a heart-breaking story to tell.
It’s about a mother so yearning to be loved and cared for that she can’t
see the trouble in front of her face.
First she divorces Ingrid’s father because he doesn’t buy into the
Mormon religion she follows with almost fanatic intensity. Then her Mom begins dating Earl, a guy who
gives the word “mean” a reality that is painful to read about, let alone what
it must have been like to live with.
Ingrid at first stays and does her best to ignore the fierce orders and
beatings constantly inflicted on her and her siblings. Mom at first seems to
accept it all as Earl uses the excuse that he prayed about whatever issue is at
hand and then concludes with the “God told me….” line. Yes, it is heart-wrenching but also
increasingly frightening as Earl ups his domination.
Meanwhile
Ingrid’s Dad is a salesman of whatever idea he currently has in his head to
“get rich quickly.” Ingrid is devoted to
him, primarily because he’s a soft antidote to the Mormon tyranny in her home
with its constant prayers and Scripture reading, along with the orders and
physical abuse. But all is not perfect
with Dad as Ingrid experiences disappointment after disappointment. She actually realizes she is often being
used. Yet she still remains loyal, although now cautious, as she has no
alternative plans of action.
Enough
said about the family dysfunction which will increase until Ingrid becomes even
stronger, with the help of good friends and some lucky breaks when her father
is arrested on an embezzlement charge.
This
is a memoir that MUST be shared. For
it’s not just about some Mormon craziness but what happens when persons with
psychological needs and dangerous behaviors inflict their illness on innocent
children. To be clear, not all Mormons
share these devastating traits. Any
religion attracts those with mentally handicapped backgrounds and intentions;
here is a prime example. But what is
more frightening is the lack of any observation or intervention by a neutral
party to stop behavior that must have negative repercussions because of years
of living in such a terrorizing atmosphere.
This reviewer didn’t like this account at all – who possibly could? However, this memoir is both an alert for
those who might be near such families and a cry for action where it is so
clearly warranted. One also wonders why some Mormon leaders refuse to address
this issue and why desire for privacy and denial issues are more important than
action and termination of such misappropriation of church doctrine. Justice is sorely in need of being served in
like situations and Ingrid Ricks deserves multiple kudos for having the courage
to present the truth to the larger public.
Here’s to hoping this was a healing experience as well for her!
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