“In Final Girl Surviving Church and Childhood, Debbie McNulty offers a vision of hope and healing for the millions of humans who have lived with trauma, abuse, and zealously unyielding religious indoctrination. Witnessing her childhood fraught with pain and confusion culminate in personal strength and transformation in all it’s compelling detail, is a privilege. Each page is filled with brave, soulful, and riveting detail which this reader is thankful for. This is a must read for anyone with a heartbeat.” –Rebecca Colt Aslan, Author of Some Truths Lie Beneath
“Most children only have to contend with one monster in their lives—the one that lives in the closet or under the bed. Debbie McNulty had to face the Rapture Monster, the Family Dysfunction Monster, the Family Violence Monster, the Church Monster, and the Sexuality Monster. Her memoir, Final Girl: Surviving Church and Childhood, is a harrowing tale of a young girl who had to navigate her journey to becoming a young woman without the guidance and protection of those who should have been there when she most needed them. It’s a cautionary story, a must-read for those who care about young girls and supporting their journey towards being women. Parents, Pastors, and those who interact with young girls need to read this book!”–Amy Smyth Miller, author of Home: A Memoir of Family, Forgiveness, and Healing from Complex PTSD
“In her memoir, Final Girl Surviving Church and Childhood, Debbie McNulty details the fear instilled in her by her church, as well as the grooming and eventual molestation by a man she thought she could trust. However, the most painful part of this book is overall sense of loneliness—loneliness that was used against her in profound ways. This is a hard book to read—but worth the time and effort.” –Russell Gerney, author of The Methuselah Project