Bad Mormon

Bad Mormon

by Heather Gay
Setting: Utah
Genres: Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs
Length: 7:47
Published on February 7, 2023
Pages: 304
Format: Audiobook Source: Library

Straight off the slopes and into the spotlight, Heather Gay is famous for speaking the gospel truth. Whether as a businesswoman, mother, or television personality, she is unafraid to blaze a new trail, even if it means losing family, friends, and her community.

Born and bred to be devout, Heather based her life around her faith. She attended Brigham Young University, served a mission in France, and married into Mormon royalty in the temple. But her life as a good Mormon abruptly ended when she lost the marriage and faith that she had once believed would last forever.

With writing that is beautiful, sad, funny, and true, Heather recounts the difficult discovery of the darkness and damage that often exists behind a picture-perfect life, while examining the nuanced relationship between duty to self and duty to God. “An eye-opening firsthand account of religious indoctrination told with candor and sincerity” (Interview magazine), Bad Mormon is an unfiltered look at the religion that broke her heart.

I had no idea who Heather Gay was. I didn’t know there was such a show as The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. But I do love stories about people moving away from their religions so I picked this one up.

The first three quarters of this book was fascinating. I usually hate it when people write about their childhoods but her description of being raised to be a good Mormon girl was central to her story. What I found most interesting was her descriptions of things that she absolutely was not supposed to talk about like secret temple rituals.

Where this book fell apart for me was as she left her faith. It was like she was perfectly open until that point and then she clammed up. She never detailed why she left. She got divorced and that precipitated it but it was all surface level details from then. Very disappointing.

I didn’t really care about her reality TV adventures. It was all “Everything is great and we all love each other.” Uh huh. I don’t think I buy that.

So come for the inside look into life in the Church and leave when she does.