Jehovah's Witnesses follow unusual, indefensible, and often repressive rules, such as the ban on blood transfusions, the ban on the celebration of any holidays, and the refusal to salute one's national flag. Why? Claiming to be Christian they are doctrinally unorthodox, denying Christianity's fundamentals. They claim that only Jehovah's Witnesses are led by God, all other faiths, they teach, are demon-inspired. Witnesses erroneously forecasted the end of all worldly systems by 1914. How did they rationalize that error? What did they learn from their mistake? In this revealing and poignant story, Dwight Hayes tells of his Witness upbringing, from house-to-house witnessing as a child, to presiding congregation overseer. Juxtaposing recent Holy Land experiences with his unfolding life's story, he recounts his gut-wrenching dilemma of a struggling conscience. In search of answers he cries out, "Jehovah God show me the real truth " His prayer is answered, both with blessings and suffering. This drama unravels the mystifying practices of Jehovah's Witnesses. It illuminates freedom's path to those suffering the harshness of authoritarian religion. The book is very well done. Hayes gives the reader interesting and intimate accounts from his childhood and on through his life wrapped among a great deal of information about the nature, beliefs, and operation of Jehovah's Witnesses. I highly recommend Banished. Having read it, you will have a much better understanding of the witnesses. T.C. Pickney, The Baptist Banner