In many ways “Women We Buried, Women We Burned: A Memoir” is a difficult book to rate. It did not feel cohesive and the 2 halves of the book felt like completely different stories.

I was not familiar with the author so requested the book based solely on the title and synopsis. I was immediately drawn into the story of the young Rachel and what she had lost. Her story was powerful and heartbreaking. Her telling of the story felt raw and real. This is the story of a young girl who lost her mother to cancer and then her father remarried and raised them in an extremely religious household. This led to rebellion and acting out from the author and some of her siblings. The book details a difficult adolescence and one which required the author to navigate many situations without the safety net of her family.

Eventually the author is convinced to revisit education and at this point the tone of the writing shifts. It begins to feel less like her story and more like a political article. Section five drones on for me as it feels like a history of Cambodia rather than HER story in Cambodia.

Throughout the second half of the book, we hear very little about her life or her relationships. Details are glossed over, and I found myself going “wait, what?” several times. The memoir does come full circle back to her dad and stepmom but that doesn’t make sense to me. The evolution of the relationship is not clear and so it feels abrupt and even a bit contrived in parts. I found the ending very unsatisfying.

I also am not sure I understand the significance of the title within the context of her story.

I listened to “Women We Buried, Women We Burned” on audio and I did very much enjoy hearing it read by the author.

Overall, I would rate this 3.5 stars. The first half I really enjoyed but the second half felt a bit flat for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to ARC of this memoir.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for giving me an audiobook version in exchange for my honest thoughts!
Wow, Rachel Snyder’s life is one for the books, literally. She went through so much, saw so much, and felt so much you can’t help but be sucked into her life narrative.
This book tackles subjects like grief, childhood abuse, religion extremes, poverty, education, terminal illness, global disasters, and so much more.
I enjoyed listening to this powerful memoir being read by the author. You can really tell how she grew as a person as she was growing up and how education was the great equalizer in her life.
The reason why it was 3 stars for me was I feel like the book lacked a motive. Why read about her life? What can I apply to my own? Also, as a Christian, it was very sad to see how extreme religion turned her away from God all together.

I had to take breaks from reading this book. I usually consume books in a couple of sittings (like a bag of potato chips), but it has taken me weeks to get through this, largely due to the focus on child abuse and neglect. Be forewarned..

This is a memoir of one young girl's experience under the thumb of her Evangelical father. If you've watched "Shiny Happy People" (the Duggar family documentary), you might understand the physical and emotional warfare at play as her father attempts to break her will.

The good news is that she's writing this book, so she clearly survived. She's also thrived by overcoming her background and becoming an author and role model.

I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, but these 4 stars are for the story.

Thanks to HighBridge Audio and Netgalley for providing a free copy of this audiobook. All thoughts above are my own.

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

One of the best books I've read in a long while!

For a non-fiction book, I enjoyed this one. It started to get a little political at the end, which I honestly didn’t love. The rest, though, was fascinating. It told of a world in which I was not familiar. The family troubles to start, the strict religion, then of foreign lands who’s stories are deep and troubling. The ending felt right though.

Snyder's memoir covers many topics. She explores the grief related to losing her mother at a very young age, her family's transition to evangelical Christianity after this loss, her rough teenage years, and some adventurous travels she experiences. Snyder's writing feels very honest and nuanced. All the friends and family members she shares with us are multi-dimensional, playing neither the hero nor the villain in her story.

I really enjoyed Women We Buried, Women we Burned. The author grew up in a cult-like family and later writes about her world travels. I really appreciated her stories of working in Cambodia. Great narrator on audio, and very thoughtful writing.

3.5/5✨

Detailing the life journey of journalist Rachel Louise Snyder, Women We Buried, Women We Burned, provides a glimpse into her life from the abuse, religious terror, and rebellion of her youth to the perseverance, globetrotting, and healing of her adult life.

Going in, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I typically read fantasy, sci-fi, and horror, though am open to other genres. What captured me immediately was the beautiful writing. Despite the pain of her childhood, Snyder writes/narrates it in a way that demands attention. While listening to the audiobook, I felt I was experiencing all the pain, anger, and frustration of her youth right along with her. My only difficulties with this story were that, as it is not what I’d normally read, I found myself disengaging from the narration, especially as she makes the transition into adulthood. That being said, I found this, an altogether powerful and engaging read.

Rachel's memoir is an insightful look at an extreme evangelical family and her overcoming her brutal upbringing to face the world as a successful adult. The audio was fantastic and held my attention the whole time. While difficult to listen to at times, if you enjoy memoirs and powerful stories of overcoming trauma - this is for you!
TW: sexual abuse, domestic violence, death.
**I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

Rachel Louise Snyder has led a very interesting life, with the full spectrum of experiences from a directionless victim of circumstance to self-made, well-traveled and, seemingly, happy and fulfilled. She's a journalist by training and experience and a writer by birth, and it shows in the quality of her writing. Having recently read several celebrity memoirs, which are interesting but, you know, not always of the highest literary quality, the skill in her prose and storytelling is fantastic. Definitely an enjoyable read from that perspective, though of course that's not a great descriptor for the actual content. She digs into the way religion, cancer, and incongruent communication can pull families apart. She explores the way it feels to lose and lack a mother. She speaks plainly and honestly of her experiences and the way her family both supported and discarded her.

It's a great story told very well. If you're someone who enjoys memoirs, you'll like this one.

For some reason, my personal takeaway is a feeling of injustice for her long lost lamp. I wish she still had that lamp.

I love books that about people who have survived cults so the synopsis of this one sold me. If you are looking for a hard hitting crazy cult story this is not that. This is more of the hidden sides of religious fanatics and the control that parents can put on their family all in the name of faith. It is far more relatable to most people than those of the crazy stories you hear on the news and I believe that is what makes this story so impactful.

Rachel Synder by no means has had an easy life. The religious trauma alone not to mention being thrown out by your own father and be starving while you try and make sense of the world. I am glad that she had her Maternal grandmother who tried to help her at some points in her life, but there is no getting around just how hard her teen/young adult years were and I admire just how much she hustled to make things happen. I also admire the amount of forgiveness Rachel was able to find in her heart for not only her Stepmother but her Father as well. If I was in her shoes I don't know if I would have been able to do the same.

This memoir was good but not something I personaly connected to. Very impressed with the author's ability to forgive and support her parents

no rating but I REALLLLYYYYY enjoyed this one!
What a phenomenal read, we follow rachel as recounts events from throughout her life. Through the the loss of her mom to losing her stepmom later in life. I had the privilege of listening through audio, and I feel like it's definitely the way to go. This was an emotional, insightful, heartbreaking read about youth, religion, loss and growing up. I found it so beautiful ad inspiring it made me want to shake the authors hand, I really truly loved it.

If you're interested in elements where:
- Deep, emotional conversations
- Growing up in a strict, religious household
- Tear jerking quotes
- exploration of the world and new cultures
- Loss and growing into your grief

Then this one is for you.

I thought this was a very powerful story, though it moved a bit slow at times. I enjoyed the audiobook read by the author. Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

Thanks # netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the narrator and the story. Excellent read. Highly recommend

Snyder has been a voice for women across the globe for generations, in this very open memoir she opens up the childhood marked by grief, trauma and self reliance that created the strength that was needed to connect with and tell the stories of women and global misogyny. The loss of a mother to terminal cancer, a father who falls into a fundamentalism that condones violence, time as a houseless teen are all examined as the journalist she became. There is no self pity, no excuses, no trauma porn, just a life lived and examined.

The end of the book jumps ahead so quickly that we as the reader miss much of the work Snyder had to do to process her earlier traumas. I really would have liked more from these in between times.

Overall, for those that like memoirs or that recognize Snyder from her bylines this is a solid memoir.

I couldn't finish this as an audiobook because parts of it were hitting too close to home in the bad way, but I appreciate the author putting her story out there. Will definitely finish the ebook soon.

This is an interesting memoir, covering a difficult childhood: the authors mother's death and father's deep dive into evangelicalism, through to adulthood: various jobs, living in a foreign country, forgiveness, motherhood, and another mother figure's death. I feel like this author has lived many lives! A great audiobook read by the author.

Rachel's mother died of cancer when she was 8 years old. Her father promptly remarried and then joined a religious cult. She had to leave home when she was 16 and try to make it own her own. This is about her journey into adulthood and her career as reporter.
I resonated so much with this book. My father left and my mother decided to become a religious fanatic. It is a childhood I wouldn't wish on anyone. I went to live with my grandmother who like Rachel sent me to Barbizon Modelling school to improve my self esteem. I think this is why I enjoyed this book so much. It was a beautiful story of a child just trying to survive. Rachel was able to accomplish a lot from where she came. She is a true survivor who refused to be a victim. I would like to say I am proud of her. People who have suffered are those who have to most empathy for others. People who try to make the world a better place so others do not have to go through what they did. Very inspiring story. I love reading books like this.
Thank you to Netgalley, Bloomsbury USA and HighBridge audio for my ARC

I recieved an advanced copy through netgalley for an honest review.

Rachel wrote about the pain of losing her mom at a young age, her father's decision to join a cult and other difficult childhood trauma. I couldn't imagine having to worry about where my next meal is coming from or how to pay my rent under the age of 18.

I enjoyed listening to her talk about white lie and booking them. It's impressive that she was working part time, attending post secondary and helping the band out simultaneously.

I enjoyed hearing about Glamour magazine. I didn't realize they covered important topics concerning women around the globe. Later on she discusses working with a different magazine where she traveled to Indonesia post tsunami seeing the wreckage it caused first hand. After this she discussed living abroad in various areas and the hardships she witnessed.

I love that she was able to mend fences with her dad and step mom. Rachel took care of her step mom as she battled cancer. I bet her step mom appreciated their time together more than she will ever know.

Rachel's story is one of perseverance. She couldn't change the cards she was dealt - just how she played the hand.