Haart's indefatigable nature shines through in her writing style.
Are you a fan of Netflix’s My Unorthodox Life? Want to hear firsthand about Julia Haart’s ultra-Orthodox life and a time before the reality show when her name was not Julia Haart?
Written with probity and from a place of forgiveness, Haart’s incredible memoir Brazen details the process under which her parents became radicalised, the chains that bound her from childhood to adulthood, and finally how, after more than four decades of living in the ultra-Orthodox Judaism community, she broke free.
Through a process of self-reflection and sociological analysis of the inner workings of this religious sect, this La Perla fashionista critiques the most subtle ways in which piousness works and conditions people into self-abnegation. In engaging and stylistic narrative, Brazen is written with such ardency that it feels there are no placid moments. Whilst this can make for solid reading at first, it quickly becomes clear that this is who she is. Her personality shines through in her script.
Although in some ways the story is analytical and a self-help guide for those under oppression or freeing themselves from conditioning, it is all written under the guise of her journey. It is a suitable text for anyone and is as much a support book for the oppressed as it is a truly inspirational story that captivates an audience. This is because Haart is an articulate author who boldly uses an extensive vocabulary that perfectly describes feelings and situations.
The key tools that oppressors use to control their victims—be it systemic or otherwise— are all seamlessly blended into the text. These include making it too difficult to socialise with others that are not supportive of the controller, using financial dependency or limiting access to resources, restricting one’s education or social mobility, and of course, threatening the loss of loved ones.
She wisely notes that even once she decided to free herself of the sect, she continued to be oppressed by the repetition of patterns in her relationships with partners and associates. The various ways in which she deconditioned her mental, emotional, and social selves were courageous, bit by bit, and gradual. They left her lonely until she finally found her place. It is at this point that the book ends and the life she chose, or her rebirth, as she calls it, truly begins.
Reviewed by Rebecca Wu
This review is the opinion of the reviewer and not necessarily of Glam Adelaide.
Distributed by: Hachette Australia
Released: April 2022
RRP: $28.99
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