A riveting memoir of losing faith and finding freedom while a covert missionary in one of the world's most restrictive countries.
Amber Scorah is a writer living in Brooklyn, NY. She works as an editor at Scholastic and her articles have been published in The New York Times, and The Believer. Prior to coming to New York, Scorah lived in Shanghai, where she was creator and host of the wildly popular podcast Dear Amber - The Insider's Guide to Everything China. This is her first book.
As seen and heard on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and NPR
Morning Edition and Fresh Air
"A fascinating glimpse into the consciousness of being an outsider
in every possible way, and what it takes to find your path into the
life you'd like to lead."—Nylon
“A keen observer…[Scorah’s] book is most remarkable for its
intimacy…inviting readers to experience, and confront, the grasp of
a fundamentalist religion through the eyes of a former true
believer.”—The New Yorker
“Scorah’s book, the bravery of which cannot be overstated, is an
earnest one, fueled by a plucky humor and a can-do spirit that
endears. Her tale, though an exploration of extremity, is highly
readable and warm….She teaches us how integrity is determined not
by assenting to the juvenile claims of fundamentalism, but by
enduring the universe as we find it — breathtaking in its ecstasies
and vicious in its losses — without recourse to a God. Given the
enormity of her grief and the wholesale collapse of her previous
belief system, the intellectual integrity that Scorah displays is
nothing short of a miracle.”—The New York Times Book Review
“[Scorah] has a jaw-dropping tale to tell—about growing up in a
Jehovah’s Witness community where she wasn’t allowed to attend
birthday parties or go to college….Surprisingly relatable—we all
know what it’s like when a loss of faith becomes too urgent to
ignore.”—Family Circle
"[A] riveting debut memoir...Leaving the Witness, witty and moving
in turns, offers a rare look into the workings of the Jehovah’s
Witnesses, as well as the various complications that prevent others
from leaving despite their own doubts. Scorah, by untangling and
exposing the mechanisms that once held her, offers a path for
others to imagine new and unexpectedly hopeful futures for
themselves, despite the fear and grief that accompany such a
transition."—Longreads
"Fully engrossing. Readers will walk away with a keen understanding
of this secretive religion."—Associated Press
“This stunning memoir throws back the curtains on a cult-like
religion most of us know in name only, as well as the tragedies
[Scorah] survived as she forged a new life outside of it.
Both religious people and dedicated atheists will find a
lot to love in this stark, revelatory book.”—Woman's Day
“À la Tara Westover’s Educated, Scorah’s pensive, ultimately
liberating memoir chronicles her formative years as a Jehovah’s
Witness—a “life in waiting” that included a sham marriage, covert
missionary work in China, and eventual shunning by her religious
community—and captures the bewilderment of belief and the bliss of
self-discovery. Writing “stitched the narrative arc of my life back
together,” Scorah says; her book is a suture for anyone searching
to reconcile their past and present selves.”—O, The Oprah
Magazine
“In her impressive debut, Scorah recounts her years as a Jehovah’s
Witness in China, her decision to leave the faith, and her ongoing
spiritual questioning…Scorah’s prose is straightforward, and she
has a winning sense of humor about how much she’s changed…Scorah
provides a rare glimpse into the insular world of the Jehovah’s
Witnesses, and her accounts of expat life and leaving her faith
should give this candid memoir wide appeal.”—Publishers Weekly
(*starred review*)
"“An intriguing read about a mysterious religion….an eye-opening
account of how Jehovah’s Witnesses live and operate.”—Kirkus
Reviews
“Leaving the Witness is the fascinating and moving story of a woman
finding her true place in the world, away from the strict
requirements of her family and her religion. Amber Scorah navigates
her escape with courage, clarity, and humor. She is a strikingly
beautiful writer with the unique perspective and fresh sight that
can only belong to an outsider.”—Lisa Brennan-Jobs, author of Small
Fry
“Scorah's memoir is about a woman’s voice. How she can use that
voice to spread a doctrine. How she can reject that doctrine and
speak her own beliefs. How she can use that voice to create art,
and through that art, process the vicissitudes of her life. This
book is perceptive, empathic, fraught, honest and heartbreaking. It
is like nothing else you’ve ever read."—Heidi Julavits, author
of The Folded Clock
“Amber Scorah’s perfectly paced and sharply-written memoir opened
my eyes to inner and outer worlds I’d placed in my periphery.
Scorah’s gift is this wide-openness. She shares her guts, her
intelligent doubt, her pain, and forgives and allows it in her
reader. Her questions are answers. This is a book for the fearful
and the brave.”—Leanne Shapton, author of Swimming Studies
"Part love story, part heartbreaking tragedy, part Graham Greene
expat intrigue, part Orwellian groupthink exposé, Leaving the
Witness is a vivid and unflinching account of what it means to live
on the fringes of society. This is essential reading for those who
have ever found themselves on the inside hoping to get out—and
everyone else who has been on the outside wondering what it might
be like to get in."—Said Sayrafiezadeh, author of When Skateboards
Will Be Free
"Amber Scorah has written an unforgettable book. With warmth,
curiosity, and humor, Scorah examines how the experience of living
in a society that operates according to different rules, informed
by different values, can ultimately change the way we see
ourselves."—Katherine Zoepf, author of Excellent Daughters
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