Kin

Reminiscent of Educated, Shawna Kay Rodenburg's memoir portrays a dysfunctional family that's full of poverty, religion, trauma and drama. In telling her story from the viewpoint of multiple generations and their journey from the coal mines of Appalachia to an off-the-grid religious community in Minnesota, we learn of her survival and enduring familial love despite the harsh discipline she suffered (that today we call child abuse) to sexual abuse (at the age of 8) by predatory adults in the religious community as well as older boys in her schools.

This book will stay with me a long time. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I became so invested in every back story, character and memory that is Shawna Kay’s memoir, Kin.
I appreciate how in depth and raw the book was. She tells her story in such a way, it’s hard to not feel real feelings for herself and her family. Each word is written with love, loyalty and thoughtfulness for her family’s history albeit the tough, uncomfortable & harsh stories they are.

I read many memoirs and this one stands as one of my favorites.

I’ve recently been reading books and watching documentaries about cults, so I was glad to be able to read Kin by Shawna Kay Rodenburg. For fans of The Glass Castle or Educated, Shawna Kay deftly navigates sharing about her family and life in a way that draws the reader in but avoids demonizing.

I imagine this would also make for a powerful audiobook experience.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing a copy of this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

KIN: A Memoir
Shawna Kay Rodenberg BLoomsbury Publishing:2021



Here is something! A sweet tale about a family of believers. The KIN.. The Folks. The Family. Flesh of my flesh. Blood. Blood Kin. Who are your people? Where your people from?

Shawna Kay Rodenberg was raised in a cult-The Body Farms organized in Minnesota by Sam Fife who was not immortal after all. But you hear that and oh the words- CULT!Immortal! !. It turns out, however that the author and her sister, Misti, were raised by parents who loved her. They wanted the best they knew how. And they tried very hard. The father built a little house. The mother bought them new clothes, not seconds or cast offs. They had freedom, those two little girls. When circumstances took the family back to Kentucky where they had come from, they continued to wrap themselves all in a bubble of caring. If everybody you know believes "it”, isn’t it likely that “it” is true? Kin folk make appearances-some malevolent, others supportive. A bad, bad man, a red mule, a fearless girl. A goat named Nancy. Then come others from the outside the bubble-teachers and tutors. Mrs Murtaugh, a benevolent emissary from an almost secular world brings in goodness. You believe the kin but you listen to the others. There is a lot of means, and a lot of goodness, and disappointment and hope. This is a story of living life underserved belief.

What is the problem about belief? Catholics have a prayer for belief. It is an Act of Faith-“Lord, I believe wish to believe in Thee…." For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who do not believe, then no proof is possible.
If you believe the Bible is your Guide for Life it makes your Life truthful. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalms 119:105) I wonder how many reader jump when they see Bible or WORD in one paragraph. And move away quickly. Why are Those Paths of Righteousness to be avoided in this very secular world?

This is a book to be read out loud. You have to catch the rhythms. It is sitting around the table in the twilight telling stories and fading into the past and sticking a toe in the future and just telling the stories. You may not know the characters but if you have a family you sure do know kin. These are people who believed in the Government and went to war. Or believed in the Preacher and did not get a vaccination. Oh Hope- was it worth it?

I so feared that this would be another in the Poverty Porn genre. It is not. It is far from it. “Don’t dwell,” says Grandma. “Don’t dwell" but we are blessed that she did.
The author writes a deep Heart’s desire: “that Kin will open the floodgates for dozens, even hundreds of. Memoirs from rural-born women who have spent years of their lives in churches and kitchens…” I hope so too.

Fascinating look at a lifestyle I knew very little about. Love, loss, and real life story of a young girl from the Appalachian area. I was drawn in from the first chapter. Her writing draws you in and the details allow you to place yourself in the scenes. Shawna thank you for sharing your story with such passion, even the hardest parts. I hope your sharing will help others to see their stories matter.

My mom is from Appalachia, so I really enjoy reading about the area. The author has done a fantastic job here. I very much enjoyed the read.

Raymond Carver said he never talked down to his characters, because they were his people. Rodenberg manages the difficult task of treating her characters with dignity and respect, while infusing her narrative with the deepest and best sort of humor. I've been waiting for this book for a long time, and hope it gets the recognition it deserves for examining this distinct American culture in a way that 'Hillbilly Elegy' failed to do.

I love reading memoirs, and Kin was no exception. It gave me a wonderful picture into the life of Shawna Kay and her family. I could feel her deep loyalty to her family yet her desire for a different life. My one critique would be that it is not told in chronological order, and that was a bit confusing at times.