Rating: 
Summary: A profound, deeply moving story of courage and hope.
Review: "In the Shadow of the Moons" is a deeply moving true story of courage and hope in the face of impossible odds. Beautifully written, this book should be recommended reading at seminaries and in classes on religion. Nansook Hong, in my opinion, is a modern day saint, who endured fourteen years at the hands of a monster and lived to tell the tale. As a 23 member of Ms. Hong's former church, I know first hand the difficulties that she endured. She was faced with the wrenching decision to leave the religion that she was born into, and the family that she had always believed were perfect in the eyes of God. People who have never been members of an authoritarian, messianic religious movement may have a hard time understanding why she stayed in a living hell for 14 years. This is not a typical case of spousal abuse; it is what happens when followers of a religion practice blind devotion and worship a man instead of God. It is a testimony to Ms. Hong's character and faith that tried her best to make this marriage work, although it was doomed from the start. The book is though provoking and disturbing. Indeed, it brought me to tears. Her courage to leave the luxuries of the emperor's palace to live a normal life with her five children is inspiring. It tells us that even in the face of the deepest adversity and impossibly difficult questions, there is always an answer; there is always hope. God bless this sweet and courageous young woman. May she find happiness in her life.
Rating:
Summary: Two thumbs UP!
Review: A truly courageous story of a young woman's flight from the clutches of the dysfunctional Moon family. Her courage will inspire women to believe that they destine they own futures and hopefully church members will heed the call. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: courageous memoir with shocking impact
Review: Add this book to the cult survivor library but put an asterisk by it. Never before has someone so high up in the Moonies had the passion, courage and spirit of generosity to reveal the truth. Perhaps only former members and those familiar with cults will comprehend the magnitude of this achievement. Stories of abuse and lurid behaviour make for fascinating reading, and Ms.Hong tells it bluntly but not without a lingering deeply ingrained respect for Mr. Moon. Despite her gutty declaration that he is a fraud, he is always referred to as "The Reverend" or "Father" . My point is that this book calls for a sequel sometime to know about the author's development and success(hopefully :), not mere survival, following this ordeal. Cult memoirs often end at the point the protagonists real life begins.... as mundane as it may seem in comparison, there is more to the survivor's story. As more people leave this and other abusive groups, the "epilogues" will prove most valuable.
Rating: 
Summary: A necessary, though tainted expose.
Review: As a 23-year member of the Unification Church I usually refuse to discuss the church with anyone who cannot give me at least a 15-minute dissertation on the theory of restoration through indemnity and its application to providential history. In other words, I don't like to treat ignorance with respect, and there is much ignorance out there concerning the Unification Church, its theology and its people. That said, I will engage Miss Hong, for she has written a valuable work. The veneration of the True Family, even its adoration, has been a big problem for the church in the west. We do not easily swallow idolatry over here. The Divine Principle teaches that the ideal of creation is a man and woman united in marriage raising children centered on God. We call it the Four-Position Foundation, and we believe it is the very thing God had in mind when he created man. That Rev. Moon has obviously had so much trouble establishing the ideal (well known by church members for some time, incidentally) should make church members feel less troubled by their own struggles. We are all very much in the same boat, trying to raise moral children in a morally relativistic world. It will be healthy, and perhaps purgative, both for church members and Rev. Moon's children, to know finally and definitively that there is nothing special about the True Family. There is one area where I feel Miss Hong does a disservice to Rev. Moon and to the legions of conscientious people who at one time or another have found meaning in his words. He is not a fraud or a con-man, and I believe Miss Hong knows this. He may not be the messiah; he may well be deluded and suffering from a messiah complex. But anyone who has witnessed his incredible work ethic, his marathon prayer sessions or his interminable lectures (still going strong at 78) must know he believes in his mission. There are easier ways to rip people off. To Unificationist ears honed to the sound of bigotry, such charges betray the hand of the anti-cult movement in Miss Hong's book. But she gets three stars from me for publicly exposing Hyo-Jin's depredations and for giving the church an opportunity to reavaluate its approach to embodying the standards set forth in the Principles of Creation. The alternative is oblivion.
Rating: 
Summary: "Must read" for anyone who's heard of the Unification Church
Review: As a former member of the Unification Church I feel called to offer some comment about what is a very pivotal book in the saga of the Unification Church. "In the Shadow of the Moons" gives a perspective of what life was like for the wife of the eldest son of Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Nansook tells of how she became involved with the Unification Church and how she met and married Rev. Moon's eldest son, Hyo Jin. She relates of the abuse she suffered at Hyo Jin's hands, and explains how and why she fled from (yet still remains affected by) "the shadow of the Moons" For context, the book contains an accurate synopsis of the religious beliefs of the Unification Church. In addition, her epilogue offers a well written (and probably true) prediction on the future of the Unification Church. I appreciated this book for several reasons. First of all it is an "insider's" account. Many people have criticized the Unification Church from the outside but this book gets you as close as you can get to the inside. That fact alone makes it worth buying. Second, the book makes public many issues which a number of Unification Church members have struggled with in private for a long time. As such, it forces these problems to the surface where there is an opportunity for them to be addressed and resolved. Thirdly, her book allowed me to understand the Moon family and the Unification Church a bit better. This new understanding was very beneficial, for it assuaged some bitter feelings I had as a result of my Unification Church experience. Who would be interested in this book? Unfortunately, this book will surely be of interest to voyeurs and those who thrive on scandal and the tabloid press. There is plenty of content to satisfy such readers. More importantly though, anyone involved with a religion, present and former members of the Unification Church, and anyone even remotely familiar with the church would find their money well spent for the insights revealed in Nansook's book. Again I say, this book is a must read for anyone who has ever been touched by or heard of the Unification Church. Hopefully, a lot of good will come from it.
Rating:
Summary: "Must read" for anyone who's heard of the Unification Church
Review: As a former member of the Unification Church I feel called to offer some comment about what is a very pivotal book in the saga of the Unification Church. "In the Shadow of the Moons" gives a perspective of what life was like for the wife of the eldest son of Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Nansook tells of how she became involved with the Unification Church and how she met and married Rev. Moon's eldest son, Hyo Jin. She relates of the abuse she suffered at Hyo Jin's hands, and explains how and why she fled from (yet still remains affected by) "the shadow of the Moons" For context, the book contains an accurate synopsis of the religious beliefs of the Unification Church. In addition, her epilogue offers a well written (and probably true) prediction on the future of the Unification Church. I appreciated this book for several reasons. First of all it is an "insider's" account. Many people have criticized the Unification Church from the outside but this book gets you as close as you can get to the inside. That fact alone makes it worth buying. Second, the book makes public many issues which a number of Unification Church members have struggled with in private for a long time. As such, it forces these problems to the surface where there is an opportunity for them to be addressed and resolved. Thirdly, her book allowed me to understand the Moon family and the Unification Church a bit better. This new understanding was very beneficial, for it assuaged some bitter feelings I had as a result of my Unification Church experience. Who would be interested in this book? Unfortunately, this book will surely be of interest to voyeurs and those who thrive on scandal and the tabloid press. There is plenty of content to satisfy such readers. More importantly though, anyone involved with a religion, present and former members of the Unification Church, and anyone even remotely familiar with the church would find their money well spent for the insights revealed in Nansook's book. Again I say, this book is a must read for anyone who has ever been touched by or heard of the Unification Church. Hopefully, a lot of good will come from it.
Rating:
Summary: Revalatory Eye-opening account of life with Moon family
Review: As a general reader of religious literature, I found Ms Hong's account of her experiences with Rev Moon and his family an eye opening reading experience. It reveals the dangers inherent when there is a combination of religion and abuse of power. Proclaiming high ideals of family values, it's a pity the Rev Moon didn't bother to instil those same values among his own children. After all, as the Bible states: A tree is judged by the fruit it bears
Rating:
Summary: Great Non-Fiction Account of Religious Group
Review: Being a former follower of the Rev Moon, I took get interest in Nansook Hong's account of her struggles coming to the realization that the life she was living was both dangerous and against her inner feelings of truth. She faced the dilemma of "throwing away" 29 years of her life and starting over again in a different set of beliefs. Those who have done this life transformation can understand the difficulty she faced. She does an excellent job protraying the emotions and purgatory she faced with her deep religious upbringing in Rev Moon's church and her gradual realizations that life in the church was not the "kingdom of heaven". She clearly protrayed how dysfunctional families are dangerous to children. This lesson can be applied in the church or outside the church's confines. I highly recommend this book to any one who has left or is thinking of leaving a religious group.
Rating:
Summary: Candid, moving and heart wrenching
Review: Born and raised in the Unification Church, those of us whom have left to seek a higher level of existance can relate to the trauma of leaving a religious cult. Those on the outside can finally begin to understand the ties that bind in such misuses of faith. Ms. Hong's account is both believable and horrifying, in that she accurately relates events of her fourteen years of dedication to a monster of an abusive husband and father and mother-in law, and bares her soul to all in a noble effort to dispell the mask this family hides behind. Some may view her as a greedy, vengeful woman, looking for some means to get back at the Moons for their terrible abuse, but as an insider, I say bravo for her courage, something so many ex-members have not been able to muster. I only hope that this will be the beginning of a passage out of darkness for so many members of the Unification Church, who, in their blind faith to the Moon family, have lost so much of themselves along the way. For all those who have been wavering on the fringes of the church, too afraid to leave, but too confused to stay, may this be the push they need to find help and break away. Ms. Hong has an important message for anyone who yearns to understand more about this opulent family, claiming to be the messiah. She is neither vindictive, nor greedy. Ms. Hong tells the TRUTH behind all this betrayal, something the members THOUGHT they had found all along.
Rating:
Summary: A very deeply moving story of love and courage
Review: From the beginning,Nansook Hong tells a story that can break your heart.She grew up believing in Reverend Moon,with the sweet innocent faith of a child.When she was only 15,Reverend Moon selected Nansook to be the wife of his eldest son.She writes that her faith began to be shattered,when she saw the true reality of life in Reverend Moon's family.Nansook began a very lonely journey of life,living with a brutal husband who did not love her;and a family that failed to live according to the high ideals of love that Reverend Moon has always preached to the world.Her only joy in life was her children,and a continuing faith in God through all adversity. I have been a Unification Church member for many years,and reading Nansook's book has been a devastating experience for me.Through the spiritual pain that I now feel,I believe what Nansook has written.We must always face the truth,if we are ever going to have any kind of a really decent life.By writing her book,Nansook has given a gift of much needed truth to everyone. Nansook's story is often sad and heartbreaking,but it is ultimately an inspiring story of deep love and personal courage in the face of great danger. From her book,we can learn the absolute necessity of always striving to have a responsible and a caring heart.This is a very vital,important book. I give it my highest recommendation. END
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