Review: Matches in the Gas Tank: Trial by Fire in the Armstrong Cult by Carla Powers
Reviewed by Lauren K.
Matches in the Gas Tank is a commanding memoir about religion and family. The emphasis of the book lies not on the inner workings of the Radio Church of God, but instead on the inner workings of the Powers family and how the church influenced and ultimately had a hand in destroying them.
Carla Powers tells her story in a careful, yet poignant way. She is not quick to pass blame on the church but instead shows the error of their ways and their teachings in regards to her family and herself. Despite Herbert W. Armstrong’s, the church’s founder and leader, looming influence, Carla does not fill the book only with his words and views. This memoir is one of a woman coming to terms with her lack of a relationship with her alcoholic and non-existent father.
Carla has overcome poverty to become a successful lawyer in Texas, far from her sheltered beginning in the Radio Church of God. When she receives the call that her father is dying, she is instantly thrown into the memories she has worked long and hard to forget. As she goes to the hospital, she joins her mother and two brothers, Steve, who still thinks fondly of their father and Dan, who never even knew him, and the four of them push through the memories and hurt to figure out care for the man laying the hospital bed. This is the very man that almost destroyed them all, individually and as a family.
Powers’ memories are vibrant and clear. She remembers details with amazing accuracy yet does not overwhelm the reader with useless information. You can feel her pain in listening to her parents argue, feel her shame when the ministers come to inspect the house, and ultimately feel her triumph when she realizes the lessons she learned and that her upbringing helped shape her into the strong woman she became. For those looking for an intimate look into a fanatical religious movement, this is not that type of story; this book is for anyone looking for a success story, one of a woman who started with almost nothing and came out with so much.
In addition to working on her own personal writing, editing Messy Magazine, and writing for multiple sites, Lauren is also currently pursuing her MFA in English. More of her work can be found at goldiesays.wordpress.com.
This book was provided free of any obligation by Bright Sky Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
Category: Memoirs, Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality
I was going to start my comment off with the EXACT same sentence as Sharon: I love a good memoir. There’s something about being able to look into someone else’s life and see how other people live that really makes you appreciate your own.
It’s strange to look back at your childhood as an adult and clearly see how much you took for granted because you didn’t realize other people lived differently. Too, you don’t realize the choices you could have made, because as a child, you didn’t always realize you did have a choice. Children tend to blindly follow their parents choices and beliefs, of course.
I like that we know going in that Carla ends up to be a successful lawyer – it makes me feel better about reading her humble beginnings. Easier to think “Hey, she gets through this.”
That any of us survives childhood without being horribly injured or psychotic is one of the great mysteries of life.
Wow … With the recent appearance of novels and memoirs looking at the impact of fanatical movements on people, especially children, it’s “cool” (if I can use that word in this context) to see a memoir success story of a girl who grew to a woman who overcame it. I can’t imagine being in one of those environments, and how hard it must be to fight against the ‘status quo’ and move onwards and upwards to create a separate, new life for yourself … especially having to come back and face the ghosts in your closet when coming back to a deathbed … The title is amazing for this content: especially, to me anyway, the subtitle ‘Trial by Fire’ …
I love a good memoir as long as it is well written and is going somewhere with the story. This story sounds interesting. Religion is always imposed on children and therefore not a choice they have made. I think sometimes people remember their religious teachings as more extreme than they actually were. I wonder about the statement the reviewer made about ministers coming to inspect the house. I am really curious now as to WHAT WERE THEY LOOKING FOR?
One of my grandmothers followed a radio religious program when I was a child, probably because she lived in the countryside of Iowa and driving to church would have been a ways to go. She gave me a subscription to the church’s junior newsletter, which came in the mail each week with a Bible lesson. I enjoyed reading the paper and doing the lesson. I never listened to the radio broadcast. I had forgotten all about the radio newsletters until I read this review. Thanks for bringing back a sweet memory.
Forgot to say that I love the book’s title! Would be a great title for a blog!
Sounds promising. I am always fascinated by the workings of fanatical religions and the families that follow them so, even though this book is more about the family than the religion they follow, I think we will get a look at how this families religion affected them and the way they interacted with each other. There are plenty of stories out there about disfunctional families who end up having to have contact due to illness, age, etc., but if this is well written it could be very captivating. Will see!