About Family Legends, Family Lies:
This deeply insightful, eloquently written memoir is written by Wendy Hoke, who was the sexual abuse victim if her grandfather, who was a Lutheran Bishop. However, the book is not about the sexual abuse. It is about learning to speak the truth about abuse and navigate difficult relationships in a truly dysfunctional family.
The book skillfully ties together several key themes: women who enable sexual predators (i.e. Ghislaine Maxwell), church leaders who twist scripture for evil purposes, the power of truth, and oppression of women by the church. The subtitle, “A Daughter Speaks Truth About the Ultimate Betrayal” is revealing. The reader must get to the final chapter to discover who Hoke believes was the ultimate betrayer in the family, and who that person was will surprise readers. However, the book is a quick read and always engaging.
The author’s maternal grandfather sexually abused her, although the book does not provide any graphic descriptions. Rather, this book tells of the author’s efforts to speak the truth as an adult about the abuse and address it with her mother, Gretchen, who prefers to keep family secrets. Hoke uses mountain climbing as an overarching metaphor for the peaks and valleys of her life, so the reader gets to go on a travel tale as the author learns to speak the truth in love.
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Author Bio:
Wendy Hoke has been a content curator and blogger for over 10 years. She provides her writing services independently, and you can contact her through her website, wendyhoke.com.
She began her career while working at a top 10 Wall Street investment banking firm, where she researched and penned a weekly, compliance-approved newsletter detailing the events of the tax exempt securities market.
Subsequently, she moved from Wall Street to Main Street as a senior manager for The Navy Exchange, a $2 billion retailer with operations across the globe including the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Iceland. After leaving her position as a civilian employee of the U.S. Navy, she briefly worked for the Marine Corps Exchange.
In addition, Wendy has been involved in her community by volunteering with Rady Children’s Hospital Auxiliary raising money for social services for pediatric oncology patients. For 18 years, she participated in the Ocean Beach Community Dinners mission, which has fed the homeless for over 35 years.
She lives in San Diego with her son, McKinley, and their cat, Oliver Underfoot Smack-a-Leg. She enjoys hiking, camping, golf, tennis, and cooking. Her faith is an integral part of her life,and she is an active member of a local Christian church.