Fleeing Oz

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Published by: How the Hell Did I End Up Here? Publications
Release Date: May 13, 2015
Pages: 192
ISBN13: 978-1511695046

 
Overview

When you look around and realize that the people filling the pews in your church represent traits you find reprehensible, you can do two things. You can keep your head down and become like them. Or you can follow author Eleanor L. Tomczyk’s example, reexamine everything you believe, and write a hilarious memoir about losing your religion.

And that’s precisely what she does. Fleeing Oz chronicles Tomczyk’s journey from a wide-eyed, eager believer to a battered but not beaten refugee of the culture wars.

From her early days as an African-American girl living on a cult-like communal farm with a bunch of white kids, to her final escape from organized religion right before Barack Obama’s election in 2008, Tomczyk tells her story with grace. Far from cruel or mocking, Tomczyk resists the temptation to do unto others as they have done unto her, choosing instead to use humor where others might use hate.

An edgy coming-of-age tale about a baby boomer who wants to follow God without getting crushed by God’s people in the process, Fleeing Oz will cause anyone who’s ever struggled with faith, doubt, and disillusionment to stand up and say “amen.”

Praise

“This book took guts to feel, to believe, and to put in print. It is raw beauty, love, emotion, pain, and healing all in one.”
—A. Gaudreaux, Freelance writer/editor

“Though I’ve never been invested in the Church personally, I found the overall story compelling for its insight into how subtly (and then quite drastically) well-intended initiatives and institutions can deteriorate and corrupt those within. But I think my favorite aspects of the book had to do with the author’s treatment of race, namely the problem of maintaining a strong racial (and feminine) identity in the face of a predominately white- (and male-) privileging dogma. In fact one of my favorite lines in the book came rather early in the narrative: ‘It is easy to be color-blind when the people of color within a group naïvely abandon their ethnic identity to fit in, easy to share everything when you don’t own anything, and easy to love when that love hasn’t been tested.’”
—Virginia Garnett, PhD, author of “The Podium in Print: The popular lecture in American literary culture, 1865–1914.”

“Eleanor Tomczyk’s recounting of her persistent and often painful spiritual journey through many blind alleys and dead ends is told with an amazing sense of humor that lightens her tale and allows one to laugh, as well as get angry, in the face of corruption and distortion displayed by many of the religious groups she encounters. Even as she experiences disappointments along the way, there is a sense of hope and a connection with her God that is present as she searches for truth, solace, and peace of mind. Ms. Tomczyk delves honestly into deep emotional and personal issues of a universal nature in a manner that is both funny and sincere.”
—Dorothy Longo, Operations Officer, Baha’i International Community

Discussion Questions

  1. Why do you think the author chose to write Fleeing Oz?
  2. Why do you think she was motivated to write such things?
  3. Did Fleeing Oz make you more aware of a particular issue? If so, what issue or issues?
  4. Was there a specific passage or section in the book that left an impression with you—good or bad? Share the passage and its effect.
  5. Was there something especially surprising about the author’s story? What was it and why?
  6. Was there a lesson that could be taken away from the author’s life? What was it, and why is it important?

Excerpt