23 November 2008 THE PATRON SAINT OF BUTTERFLIES by Cecilia Galante, Bloomsbury, April 2008, 292p., ISBN: 1-59990-249-4

"We're all looking for someone." -- The Moody Blues (1968)

Psychological definition of "Cult" [from Wikipedia]

"Studies of the psychological aspects of cults focus on the individual person, and factors relating to the choice to become involved as well as the subsequent effects on individuals. Under one view, an important factor is coercive persuasion which suppresses the ability of people to reason, think critically, and make choices in their own best interest.

"Studies of religious, political, and other cults have identified a number of key steps in this type of coercive persuasion:

1. People are put in physically or emotionally distressing situations;

2. Their problems are reduced to one simple explanation, which is repeatedly emphasized;

3. They receive unconditional love, acceptance, and attention from a charismatic leader;

4. They get a new identity based on the group;

5. They are subject to entrapment (isolation from friends, relatives, and the mainstream culture) and their access to information is severely controlled."

Honey -- "'Why're you walking funny?' Winky asks. 'You hurt yourself?'

"For an eighth of a second, I wonder what would happen if I broke down and told Winky what Emmanuel and Veronica did to me this morning. But I dismiss the thought just as quickly. What good would telling Winky do? It's not like he'd be able to do anything about it. I don't even know if he could comprehend the details. And, oddly enough, the Regulation Room has been Mount Blessing's dirty little secret for so long that talking about it would feel really weird. I mean, even Agnes and I barely talk about it."

There are plenty of online resources and opinions regarding what cults are and why people become involved in them. But there don't seem to be easy or definitive answers as to why a particular person finds him or herself drawn into such a extreme situation.

Agnes and Honey, the two fourteen year-old alternating narrators of THE PATRON SAINT OF BUTTERFLIES, have had no choice about being a part of Mount Blessing, the religious cult and commune outside of Fairfield Connecticut that is under the control of founder Emmanuel and his "second in command" Veronica. Agnes, her little brother Benny, and Honey were all born at Mount Blessing and have literally never ventured beyond shouting range of the cult's buildings. Honey is the daughter of a single mom who ran away and inexplicably left her three week-old daughter behind at Mount Blessing; Agnes and Benny are the offspring of Believers. As with all children born there, the three spent their early years being raised in a community nursery away from parental influence. Now Agnes and Benny share their parents' quarters while Honey lives in the loft of the Milk house, home to the mysterious, outward seemingly mentally challenged Winky Martin.

Agnes is obsessed with living the life of a saint; Honey with getting away from Mount Blessing; Winky with maintaining the large butterfly garden that Honey adores and with watching Yankees games on the funky, contraband, black and white portable television he keeps hidden from all but Honey.

Agnes -- "Emmanuel never punishes us unless we really deserve it. Honey may not think so, but kissing a boy -- with your tongue no less -- is definitely a sin. A carnal one, too, if you want to get really technical about it, which is one of the worst kinds."

Shortly after the two lifelong friends are severely beaten by Emmanuel in the Regulation Room for Honey's "carnal" transgression with a peer, Agnes and Benny's paternal grandmother Nana Pete arrives from Texas for an unexpected visit and gets a drift of the brutal punishment system that has previously been unknown to her. THE PATRON SAINT OF BUTTERFLIES is the suspenseful story of what happens next.

"Your mind is not dirty so don't let no one wash your brain" -- Inka Inka

That the author spent her own childhood in a religious commune adds an incredible degree of authenticity to this thriller of a story. But it is not just in such drastic circumstances that individuals willingly give over their freedom of choice to charismatic figures and/or authority figures. THE PATRON SAINT OF BUTTERFLIES is a significant middle school read that leaves you thinking about thinking for yourself.

Richie Partington, MLIS

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