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Removing from Category:American women writers (parent category) using Cat-a-lot
{{About|the author and life coach|the serial killer Martha Jule Beck|Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- For more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]]. -->
| name = Martha Beck
| image =
| imagesize =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Martha Nibley
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|11|29}}
| birth_place = [[Provo, Utah]]
| occupation = [[Sociologist]], [[life coach]], [[author]], [[Public speaker|speaker]]
| alma_mater = [[Harvard University]]
| website = {{URL|MarthaBeck.com}}
| spouse = John Beck (1983–2004)
| children = 3
| partner = Karen Gerdes
}}
'''Martha Nibley Beck''' (born November 29, 1962) is an American [[sociologist]], [[life coach]], best-selling [[author]], and [[Public speaker|speaker]] who specializes in helping individuals and groups achieve personal and professional goals. She holds a bachelor's degree in East Asian Studies and master's and Ph.D. degrees in sociology, both from [[Harvard University]]. Beck is the daughter of deceased [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS Church]] scholar and [[Apologetics|apologist]], [[Hugh Nibley]]. She received national attention after publication in 2005 of her best-seller, ''Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith'' in which she recounts her experiences of surviving [[sexual abuse]]. In addition to authoring several books, Beck is a columnist for ''[[O, The Oprah Magazine]]''.
==Biography==
===Early life and education===
Martha Nibley was born in [[Provo, Utah]], in 1962, the seventh of eight children of [[Hugh Nibley]] and Phyllis Nibley, and raised LDS in a prominent Utah family. Her father was a professor at Brigham Young University. She received a [[bachelor of arts|BA]] degree in [[East Asian studies]], along with an [[Master's degree|MA]] and a [[Ph.D.]] in [[sociology]] from [[Harvard University]].<ref name="Leaving">{{cite book|isbn=978-0-307-33599-9|publisher=Three Rivers Press|title=Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith|year=2006|last=Beck|first=Martha N}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=March 2013}}
===Career===
During her academic career, Beck worked as a research associate at [[Harvard Business School]], studying career paths and life-course changes. Before becoming a life coach, she taught sociology, [[social psychology]], [[organizational behavior]], and [[business management]] at Harvard and the [[American Graduate School of International Management]]. She has published academic books and articles on a variety of social science and business topics.Her non-academic books include the ''New York Times'' bestsellers ''Expecting Adam'' and ''Leaving the Saints'', as well as ''Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live'', ''Steering by Starlight'', and ''Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaiming Your True Nature''.
Beck has also been a contributing editor for popular magazines, including ''[[Real Simple]]'' and ''[[Redbook]]'', and has been a columnist for ''O, the Oprah Magazine'' since July 2001. Her latest book, ''The Martha Beck Collection: Essays on Creating Your Right Life, Volume 1'', includes essays from her ''O, the Oprah Magazine'' column. Beck is president of Martha Beck, Inc., which offers a life coach training and certification program based on Beck's books and experience for individuals looking to acquire life coaching skills and tools. In addition to life coach training, Martha Beck, Inc., offers live events, products, and resources related to life coaching strategies.
===Personal life===
Beck met John Christen Beck, a fellow Mormon from [[Utah]], during her undergraduate studies at Harvard. They married in the LDS [[Salt Lake Temple]] on June 21, 1983, in [[Salt Lake City, Utah]], and they eventually had three children together.<ref name="Divorce">{{cite court|litigants=Martha Nibley Beck v. John Christen Beck|vol=FC 2003-006435|reporter=SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA MARICOPA COUNTY|date=2003|url=http://www.courtminutes.maricopa.gov/docs/Family%20Court/112004/m1601998.pdf|accessdate=2007-04-24}}</ref>
After the birth of their second child, Adam, who had been diagnosed with [[Down Syndrome]] prior to his birth, Beck returned with her husband and children to Utah to be closer to family and support. ''Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth and Everyday Magic'' is Beck's story about her decision to give birth to and raise Adam.<ref name="Adam">{{cite book|title=Expecting Adam|last=Beck|first=Martha N|publisher=Platkus Books|year=2001|isbn=978-0-7499-2190-3}}</ref>
In 1990, soon after the birth of her third child, Beck, as a part-time faculty member at [[Brigham Young University]] (BYU) in Provo, Utah, taught a course on the sociology of gender in the Department of Social Science. During her time as part-time faculty member at BYU, five faculty members were excommunicated from the [[LDS Church]] as a consequence of public writings that were deemed critical of the church; the group became known as the [[September Six]]. She and husband John Beck also made critical public statements about both the excommunications and other church and BYU matters, which led to first John, then Martha herself, leaving the LDS Church in 1993.<ref name="Leaving"/><ref>{{cite news |title= MORMON INQUISITION? LDS Leaders Move To Repress Rebellion |url= http://www.utlm.org/newsletters/no85.htm |date=November 1993|last= Tanner |first= Jerald and Sandra |authorlink= Jerald and Sandra Tanner |newspaper= Salt Lake Messenger |publisher= Utah Lighthouse Ministry |issue= 85 |accessdate= 2013-08-18 }} {{Unreliable source?|date=August 2013}}</ref>
Since leaving the LDS Church, both Martha Beck and her now ex-husband subsequently came out publicly as [[gay]]. In 2003, Beck separated from her husband, divorcing him in 2004.<ref name="Divorce"/> She now lives with her partner Karen Gerdes, a social worker and professor, and her son, Adam, on her North Star Ranch in [[San Luis Obispo County, California]].<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://marthabeck.com/bio/|title = Bio - Martha Beck|website = Martha Beck|language = en-US|access-date = 2016-03-03}}</ref>
==Controversies==
===''Breaking the Cycle of Compulsive Behavior''===
Beck's first book, coauthored with her husband, John Beck, ''Breaking the Cycle of Compulsive Behavior,'' treated homosexuality as one of several "compulsive behaviors," like bulimia.<ref>{{cite book|title=Breaking the Cycle of Compulsive Behavior|last=Beck|first=Martha Nibley|author2=Beck, John C|year=1990|publisher=Deseret Book Company|isbn=978-0-87579-290-3}}</ref><ref name="Wyatt"/> However, both Martha Beck and her now-ex-husband subsequently came out publicly as [[gay]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Beck |first=Martha |url= http://www.leavingthesaints.com/whatnext.html |title= Discussions with Martha Beck: What Comes Next |website=Leaving the Saints Book Website |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050702010439/http://www.leavingthesaints.com/whatnext.html | archive-date=2 July 2005 |dead-url=yes |accessdate= 7 April 2017 }}</ref> and have stated that they no longer consider homosexuality a form of compulsive behavior.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.affirmation.org/news/2005_08.shtml |title= LDS Couple Who Dubbed Homosexuality "Addiction" Come Out |date= 27 February 2005 |last= Clark |first= Jason |publisher= [[Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons]] |accessdate= 2007-04-24 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20120724211141/http://www.affirmation.org/news_2005/2005_08.shtml |archivedate= 2012-07-24 }}</ref>
===''Leaving the Saints''===
In 2005, she received national attention for her bestselling<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/books/bestseller/0327besthardnonfiction.html |title=The New York Times Books Best-Seller Lists—Hardcover Nonfiction|date=March 27, 2005 |work= |accessdate=2011-04-19}}</ref> book, ''Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith''.<ref name="Leaving"/> According to [[Sunstone (magazine)|Sunstone magazine]],<ref name="Lyon">{{cite news |url= https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/136-62-68.pdf |title= An Exhaustive Memoir of Reading "Leaving the Saints" |last= Lyon |first= Tania R |year= 2005 |publisher= [[Sunstone (magazine)|Sunstone Magazine]] |pages= 70–75 |accessdate= 2013-08-20 }}</ref> the book may have originally been conceived as a [[novel]], loosely based on her life (with a male main character), but was changed to recount her personal experiences, with the encouragement of her publishers. Ultimately released in March 2005, the book is a narrative in which Beck describes [[Repressed memory|recovered memories]] of alleged [[sexual abuse]] by her father,<ref name="Wyatt">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/24/books/a-mormon-daughters-book-stirs-a-storm.html |title=A Mormon Daughter's Book Stirs a Storm |work=New York Times |last=Wyatt |first=Edward |date=24 February 2005 |accessdate=7 April 2017}}</ref> prominent [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS]] academician [[Hugh Nibley]]; her experiences teaching at [[Brigham Young University]]; [[cultural dissonance]] and anomalies in [[Utah]]; her spiritual journey leaving the LDS Church.<ref name="Leaving"/>
Articles were published in response to the book, including a critical essay by the Mormon author, [[Boyd Jay Petersen]]. Petersen, Beck's brother-in-law and Nibley's biographer,<ref>{{cite book |last=Peterson |first=Boyd Jay |authorlink=Boyd Jay Petersen |title=Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life |publisher=Greg Kofford Books |location= |year=2002 |pages= |isbn=1-58958-020-6 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref> stated: "Throughout this book, as with her other books, it is obvious that she distorts the record as much as or more than she reports it, jumps to conclusions more than provides evidence leading to conclusions, and blurs fact and fantasy."<ref name="BoydResponse">{{cite web|url=http://www.fairlds.org/Reviews/Rvw200504.html|title=Response to "Leaving the Saints"|last=Peterson |first=Boyd Jay |authorlink=Boyd Jay Petersen |year=2005|publisher=FAIR: Defending Mormonism|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050318112810/http://www.fairlds.org/Reviews/Rvw200504.html |archive-date=18 March 2005 |dead-url=yes |accessdate=7 April 2017}}</ref> Beck responded to some of these criticisms by stating that she began having memories of her traumatic events prior to the use of any therapy (including hypnosis), that her vagina had scarring that may have been the result of sexual abuse, and that her memories were vivid and intrusive.<ref name="Record">{{cite web |title=Setting the Record Straight: Physical Evidence & Memories From My Childhood |url=http://leavingthesaints.com/settingrecord.htm |last=Beck |first=Martha |year=2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050702004513/http://www.leavingthesaints.com/settingrecord.htm |archive-date=2 July 2005 |dead-url=yes |accessdate=7 April 2017}}</ref>
Some members of Nibley's surviving family also challenge Beck's allegations by pointing out inconsistencies in her descriptions of events to various media sources<ref name="BoydResponse"/> and her use of self-hypnosis to intentionally recover the memories.<ref name="family"/><ref name="BoydResponse"/> Rebecca Nibley, Beck's sister, reported that Marsha Beck encouraged her to attempt to recover her own memories of abuse, without success.<ref name="Wyatt"/> Beck acknowledged consulting [[recovered-memory therapy|recovered-memory therapist]] and [[self-hypnosis]] advocate [[Lynne Finney]], although only after recovering her memories of abuse.<ref name="Wyatt"/> Hugh Nibley's family claimed that Beck's experiences of sexual abuse recounted in her book were false<ref name="family">{{cite web |last1=Nibley |first1=Paul |last2=Mincek |first2=Christina Nibley |last3=Nibley |first3=Tom |last4=Nibley |first4=Michael |last5=Nibley |first5=Alex | last6=Nibley |first6=Rebecca |last7=Petersen |first7=Zina Nibley |title=Nibley family response to Martha Beck's Leaving the Saints |date=22 February 2005 |url=http://www.hughnibleydefense.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050301080425/http://www.hughnibleydefense.com/ |archive-date=1 March 2005 |dead-url=yes |access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="Jackson">{{cite journal |last=Jackson |first=Kent P. |title=Leaving the Facts and the Faith |work=FARMS Review |volume=17 |issue=1 |date=2005 |p=107–121 |issn=1550-3194 |url=http://publications.mi.byu.edu/publications/review/17/1/S00007-5176abed7fd465Jackson.pdf |access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="Wyatt"/> and expressed "outrage" after the book's publishing.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/600109810/Nibley-siblings-outraged-over-sisters-book.html |title=Nibley siblings outraged over sister's book |first=Dennis |last=Lythgoe |publisher=Deseret News |date=2005-02-05| accessdate=7 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="Reid"/> They furthermore expressed their dismay that Martha Beck has refused to speak with them, while claiming the reverse was true.<ref name="family"/><ref name="As Things Stand">{{cite web|url=https://www.fairmormon.org/archive/publications/as-things-stand-at-the-moment-responding-to-martha-becks-leaving-the-saints|title=As Things Stand at the Moment: Responding to Martha Beck's Leaving the Saints|last=Peterson|first=Boyd Jay|authorlink=Boyd Jay Petersen|date=6 August 2005|website=FairMormon|accessdate=7 April 2017}}<!-- presented at FAIR Conference 6-7 August 2005 --></ref>
Although most of the criticism from LDS church members in support of Nibley centered around Beck's allegations of sexual abuse, a substantial portion of the book involves a discussion of the LDS Church and its policies. BYU professor [[Robert L. Millet]] criticized Beck's portrayals of Nibley as "nonsense," "ludicrous," and "paranoia," saying that she "seems to be a magnet for improbable happenings" and "equate[s] weird anomalies in Mormon culture with the norm."<ref>{{cite journal | last=Millet |first=Robert L. | authorlink=Robert L. Millet | title=They Leave It, But They Can't Leave It Alone: The memoir of a disaffected Mormon | journal=Books & Culture | publisher=[[Christianity Today]] | date=July 1, 2005 | url=http://www.booksandculture.com/articles/2005/julaug/12.33.html | accessdate=7 April 2017}}</ref> Kent P. Jackson describes her description of Mormon culture as "outlandish", saying "Beck's depictions of the church and BYU are so far removed from reality that it is clear that from the start she ruled out BYU faculty, other academics, and informed Latter-day Saints as potential readers. There was obviously no attempt made to establish credibility with those groups. ... this book was written for those who like stories about people victimized by powerful men and powerful institutions. Yet those who really know what she has written about will have a very hard time believing anything in the book."<ref name="Jackson"/> He proceeds to list a number of claims Beck made in the book which he asserts can be verified as false with readily available public information.<ref name="Jackson"/> Dan Wotherspoon, editor of the independent Mormon magazine [[Sunstone (magazine)|Sunstone]], similarly states "She says a lot of things in there that anyone who lives in Utah will just know is wrong."<ref name="Reid">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/07/AR2005050700981.html |title=Daughter's Denunciation of Historian Roils Mormon Church |last=Reid |first=T. R. |work=Washington Post |date=8 May 2005 |pages=A03 |accessdate=7 April 2017}}</ref>
==Works==
;Books
{{ref begin}}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha Nibley |author2=Beck, John C |year= 1990 |title= Breaking the Cycle of Compulsive Behavior |publisher= [[Deseret Book Company]] |location= [[Salt Lake City]] |isbn= 978-0-87579-290-3 |oclc= 20799870 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2|year= 1997 |title= Breaking Point: Why Women Fall Apart and How They Can Re-create Their Lives |location= New York |publisher= [[Times Books]] |isbn= 978-0-8129-6375-5 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2|year= 1999 |title= Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic |publisher= Times Books |isbn= 978-0812929805 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2001 |title= Finding Your Own North Star |location= New York |publisher= [[Crown Publishers]] |isbn= 978-0-8129-3218-8 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2003 |title= The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life |publisher= Crown Publishers |isbn= 978-0-609-60990-3 }}
<!-- * {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2005 |title= Wisdom from Finding Your Own North Star |publisher= Peter Pauper Press |isbn= 978-1-59359-979-9 }} - This is a mini gift book with excerpts from Finding Your Own North Star, and is not a distinct work -->
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2005 |title= Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith |publisher= Crown Publishers |isbn= 9780609609910 |oclc= 55494925 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2007 |title= The Four Day Win: End Your Diet War and Achieve Thinner Peace |location= Emmaus, Pennsylvania |publisher= [[Rodale Books]] |isbn= 978-1-59486-607-4 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2009 |title= Steering by Starlight: The Science and Magic of Finding Your Destiny |publisher= Rodale Books |isbn= 978-1-60529-864-1 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2011 |title= Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaim Your True Nature to Create the Life You Want |location= New York |publisher= [[Free Press (publisher)|Free Press]] |isbn= 1-4516-2448-4 }}
* {{Cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2013 |title= The Martha Beck Collection: Essays on Creating Your Right Life |type= [[self-published]] |volume= Volume 1 |location= San Luis Obispo, California |publisher= Martha Beck, Inc |isbn= 978-0989306706 }}
* {{Cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2016 |title= Diana, Herself: An Allegory of Awakening |type= [[self-published]] |location= San Luis Obispo, California |publisher= Cynosure Publishing |isbn= 978-1944264000 }}
{{ref end}}
;Thesis
*{{Cite thesis |last= Beck |first= Martha Nibley |year= 1994 |title= Flight from the iron cage: LDS women's responses to the paradox of modernization |type= Ph.D. |publisher= Harvard University |oclc= 32034090 }}
;Multimedia
Beck is also creator of a number of non-book products, primarily digital recording services that offer education and various life coaching strategies.
* ''The "Wild New You" eCourse'' - a product based on a four-week live telecourse covering Beck's book, ''Finding Your Way in a Wild New World''.
* ''Starlight Seminar-Leading Your Life DVD Set'' - A five-DVD set of Martha's one-day seminar based on her book, ''Steering by Starlight''.
* ''Martha Beck's 'What Do I Want To Be When I Grow Up?' Workbook and CD Set'' - Set of 5 CDs and a 126-page workbook of Martha's six-week live telecourse of the same name.
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
* {{Official website|http://marthabeck.com/}} at MarthaBeck.com
* {{citation |url= http://www.oprah.com/contributor/martha-beck |title= Martha Beck: Life coach |work= ''Oprah.com'' }}
* {{citation |url = http://www.newleafspeakers.com/?page_id=18 |title = Martha Beck, PhD, Best-selling author, Columnist for O, The Oprah Magazine |work= ''NewLeafSpeakers.com'' }} — Beck's professional speakers' agency
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, Martha}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:American columnists]]
[[Category:Former Latter Day Saints]]
[[Category:American self-help writers]]
[[Category:American sociologists]]
[[Category:Brigham Young University faculty]]
[[Category:People excommunicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Lesbian writers]]
[[Category:LGBT writers from the United States]]
[[Category:LGBT Latter Day Saints]]
[[Category:LGBT people from Utah]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Mormonism-related controversies]]
[[Category:Life coaches]]
[[Category:Women columnists]]
[[Category:American women non-fiction writers]]
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- For more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]]. -->
| name = Martha Beck
| image =
| imagesize =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Martha Nibley
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|11|29}}
| birth_place = [[Provo, Utah]]
| occupation = [[Sociologist]], [[life coach]], [[author]], [[Public speaker|speaker]]
| alma_mater = [[Harvard University]]
| website = {{URL|MarthaBeck.com}}
| spouse = John Beck (1983–2004)
| children = 3
| partner = Karen Gerdes
}}
'''Martha Nibley Beck''' (born November 29, 1962) is an American [[sociologist]], [[life coach]], best-selling [[author]], and [[Public speaker|speaker]] who specializes in helping individuals and groups achieve personal and professional goals. She holds a bachelor's degree in East Asian Studies and master's and Ph.D. degrees in sociology, both from [[Harvard University]]. Beck is the daughter of deceased [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS Church]] scholar and [[Apologetics|apologist]], [[Hugh Nibley]]. She received national attention after publication in 2005 of her best-seller, ''Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith'' in which she recounts her experiences of surviving [[sexual abuse]]. In addition to authoring several books, Beck is a columnist for ''[[O, The Oprah Magazine]]''.
==Biography==
===Early life and education===
Martha Nibley was born in [[Provo, Utah]], in 1962, the seventh of eight children of [[Hugh Nibley]] and Phyllis Nibley, and raised LDS in a prominent Utah family. Her father was a professor at Brigham Young University. She received a [[bachelor of arts|BA]] degree in [[East Asian studies]], along with an [[Master's degree|MA]] and a [[Ph.D.]] in [[sociology]] from [[Harvard University]].<ref name="Leaving">{{cite book|isbn=978-0-307-33599-9|publisher=Three Rivers Press|title=Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith|year=2006|last=Beck|first=Martha N}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=March 2013}}
===Career===
During her academic career, Beck worked as a research associate at [[Harvard Business School]], studying career paths and life-course changes. Before becoming a life coach, she taught sociology, [[social psychology]], [[organizational behavior]], and [[business management]] at Harvard and the [[American Graduate School of International Management]]. She has published academic books and articles on a variety of social science and business topics.Her non-academic books include the ''New York Times'' bestsellers ''Expecting Adam'' and ''Leaving the Saints'', as well as ''Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live'', ''Steering by Starlight'', and ''Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaiming Your True Nature''.
Beck has also been a contributing editor for popular magazines, including ''[[Real Simple]]'' and ''[[Redbook]]'', and has been a columnist for ''O, the Oprah Magazine'' since July 2001. Her latest book, ''The Martha Beck Collection: Essays on Creating Your Right Life, Volume 1'', includes essays from her ''O, the Oprah Magazine'' column. Beck is president of Martha Beck, Inc., which offers a life coach training and certification program based on Beck's books and experience for individuals looking to acquire life coaching skills and tools. In addition to life coach training, Martha Beck, Inc., offers live events, products, and resources related to life coaching strategies.
===Personal life===
Beck met John Christen Beck, a fellow Mormon from [[Utah]], during her undergraduate studies at Harvard. They married in the LDS [[Salt Lake Temple]] on June 21, 1983, in [[Salt Lake City, Utah]], and they eventually had three children together.<ref name="Divorce">{{cite court|litigants=Martha Nibley Beck v. John Christen Beck|vol=FC 2003-006435|reporter=SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA MARICOPA COUNTY|date=2003|url=http://www.courtminutes.maricopa.gov/docs/Family%20Court/112004/m1601998.pdf|accessdate=2007-04-24}}</ref>
After the birth of their second child, Adam, who had been diagnosed with [[Down Syndrome]] prior to his birth, Beck returned with her husband and children to Utah to be closer to family and support. ''Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth and Everyday Magic'' is Beck's story about her decision to give birth to and raise Adam.<ref name="Adam">{{cite book|title=Expecting Adam|last=Beck|first=Martha N|publisher=Platkus Books|year=2001|isbn=978-0-7499-2190-3}}</ref>
In 1990, soon after the birth of her third child, Beck, as a part-time faculty member at [[Brigham Young University]] (BYU) in Provo, Utah, taught a course on the sociology of gender in the Department of Social Science. During her time as part-time faculty member at BYU, five faculty members were excommunicated from the [[LDS Church]] as a consequence of public writings that were deemed critical of the church; the group became known as the [[September Six]]. She and husband John Beck also made critical public statements about both the excommunications and other church and BYU matters, which led to first John, then Martha herself, leaving the LDS Church in 1993.<ref name="Leaving"/><ref>{{cite news |title= MORMON INQUISITION? LDS Leaders Move To Repress Rebellion |url= http://www.utlm.org/newsletters/no85.htm |date=November 1993|last= Tanner |first= Jerald and Sandra |authorlink= Jerald and Sandra Tanner |newspaper= Salt Lake Messenger |publisher= Utah Lighthouse Ministry |issue= 85 |accessdate= 2013-08-18 }} {{Unreliable source?|date=August 2013}}</ref>
Since leaving the LDS Church, both Martha Beck and her now ex-husband subsequently came out publicly as [[gay]]. In 2003, Beck separated from her husband, divorcing him in 2004.<ref name="Divorce"/> She now lives with her partner Karen Gerdes, a social worker and professor, and her son, Adam, on her North Star Ranch in [[San Luis Obispo County, California]].<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://marthabeck.com/bio/|title = Bio - Martha Beck|website = Martha Beck|language = en-US|access-date = 2016-03-03}}</ref>
==Controversies==
===''Breaking the Cycle of Compulsive Behavior''===
Beck's first book, coauthored with her husband, John Beck, ''Breaking the Cycle of Compulsive Behavior,'' treated homosexuality as one of several "compulsive behaviors," like bulimia.<ref>{{cite book|title=Breaking the Cycle of Compulsive Behavior|last=Beck|first=Martha Nibley|author2=Beck, John C|year=1990|publisher=Deseret Book Company|isbn=978-0-87579-290-3}}</ref><ref name="Wyatt"/> However, both Martha Beck and her now-ex-husband subsequently came out publicly as [[gay]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Beck |first=Martha |url= http://www.leavingthesaints.com/whatnext.html |title= Discussions with Martha Beck: What Comes Next |website=Leaving the Saints Book Website |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050702010439/http://www.leavingthesaints.com/whatnext.html | archive-date=2 July 2005 |dead-url=yes |accessdate= 7 April 2017 }}</ref> and have stated that they no longer consider homosexuality a form of compulsive behavior.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.affirmation.org/news/2005_08.shtml |title= LDS Couple Who Dubbed Homosexuality "Addiction" Come Out |date= 27 February 2005 |last= Clark |first= Jason |publisher= [[Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons]] |accessdate= 2007-04-24 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20120724211141/http://www.affirmation.org/news_2005/2005_08.shtml |archivedate= 2012-07-24 }}</ref>
===''Leaving the Saints''===
In 2005, she received national attention for her bestselling<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/books/bestseller/0327besthardnonfiction.html |title=The New York Times Books Best-Seller Lists—Hardcover Nonfiction|date=March 27, 2005 |work= |accessdate=2011-04-19}}</ref> book, ''Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith''.<ref name="Leaving"/> According to [[Sunstone (magazine)|Sunstone magazine]],<ref name="Lyon">{{cite news |url= https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/136-62-68.pdf |title= An Exhaustive Memoir of Reading "Leaving the Saints" |last= Lyon |first= Tania R |year= 2005 |publisher= [[Sunstone (magazine)|Sunstone Magazine]] |pages= 70–75 |accessdate= 2013-08-20 }}</ref> the book may have originally been conceived as a [[novel]], loosely based on her life (with a male main character), but was changed to recount her personal experiences, with the encouragement of her publishers. Ultimately released in March 2005, the book is a narrative in which Beck describes [[Repressed memory|recovered memories]] of alleged [[sexual abuse]] by her father,<ref name="Wyatt">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/24/books/a-mormon-daughters-book-stirs-a-storm.html |title=A Mormon Daughter's Book Stirs a Storm |work=New York Times |last=Wyatt |first=Edward |date=24 February 2005 |accessdate=7 April 2017}}</ref> prominent [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS]] academician [[Hugh Nibley]]; her experiences teaching at [[Brigham Young University]]; [[cultural dissonance]] and anomalies in [[Utah]]; her spiritual journey leaving the LDS Church.<ref name="Leaving"/>
Articles were published in response to the book, including a critical essay by the Mormon author, [[Boyd Jay Petersen]]. Petersen, Beck's brother-in-law and Nibley's biographer,<ref>{{cite book |last=Peterson |first=Boyd Jay |authorlink=Boyd Jay Petersen |title=Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life |publisher=Greg Kofford Books |location= |year=2002 |pages= |isbn=1-58958-020-6 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref> stated: "Throughout this book, as with her other books, it is obvious that she distorts the record as much as or more than she reports it, jumps to conclusions more than provides evidence leading to conclusions, and blurs fact and fantasy."<ref name="BoydResponse">{{cite web|url=http://www.fairlds.org/Reviews/Rvw200504.html|title=Response to "Leaving the Saints"|last=Peterson |first=Boyd Jay |authorlink=Boyd Jay Petersen |year=2005|publisher=FAIR: Defending Mormonism|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050318112810/http://www.fairlds.org/Reviews/Rvw200504.html |archive-date=18 March 2005 |dead-url=yes |accessdate=7 April 2017}}</ref> Beck responded to some of these criticisms by stating that she began having memories of her traumatic events prior to the use of any therapy (including hypnosis), that her vagina had scarring that may have been the result of sexual abuse, and that her memories were vivid and intrusive.<ref name="Record">{{cite web |title=Setting the Record Straight: Physical Evidence & Memories From My Childhood |url=http://leavingthesaints.com/settingrecord.htm |last=Beck |first=Martha |year=2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050702004513/http://www.leavingthesaints.com/settingrecord.htm |archive-date=2 July 2005 |dead-url=yes |accessdate=7 April 2017}}</ref>
Some members of Nibley's surviving family also challenge Beck's allegations by pointing out inconsistencies in her descriptions of events to various media sources<ref name="BoydResponse"/> and her use of self-hypnosis to intentionally recover the memories.<ref name="family"/><ref name="BoydResponse"/> Rebecca Nibley, Beck's sister, reported that Marsha Beck encouraged her to attempt to recover her own memories of abuse, without success.<ref name="Wyatt"/> Beck acknowledged consulting [[recovered-memory therapy|recovered-memory therapist]] and [[self-hypnosis]] advocate [[Lynne Finney]], although only after recovering her memories of abuse.<ref name="Wyatt"/> Hugh Nibley's family claimed that Beck's experiences of sexual abuse recounted in her book were false<ref name="family">{{cite web |last1=Nibley |first1=Paul |last2=Mincek |first2=Christina Nibley |last3=Nibley |first3=Tom |last4=Nibley |first4=Michael |last5=Nibley |first5=Alex | last6=Nibley |first6=Rebecca |last7=Petersen |first7=Zina Nibley |title=Nibley family response to Martha Beck's Leaving the Saints |date=22 February 2005 |url=http://www.hughnibleydefense.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050301080425/http://www.hughnibleydefense.com/ |archive-date=1 March 2005 |dead-url=yes |access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="Jackson">{{cite journal |last=Jackson |first=Kent P. |title=Leaving the Facts and the Faith |work=FARMS Review |volume=17 |issue=1 |date=2005 |p=107–121 |issn=1550-3194 |url=http://publications.mi.byu.edu/publications/review/17/1/S00007-5176abed7fd465Jackson.pdf |access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="Wyatt"/> and expressed "outrage" after the book's publishing.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/600109810/Nibley-siblings-outraged-over-sisters-book.html |title=Nibley siblings outraged over sister's book |first=Dennis |last=Lythgoe |publisher=Deseret News |date=2005-02-05| accessdate=7 April 2017}}</ref><ref name="Reid"/> They furthermore expressed their dismay that Martha Beck has refused to speak with them, while claiming the reverse was true.<ref name="family"/><ref name="As Things Stand">{{cite web|url=https://www.fairmormon.org/archive/publications/as-things-stand-at-the-moment-responding-to-martha-becks-leaving-the-saints|title=As Things Stand at the Moment: Responding to Martha Beck's Leaving the Saints|last=Peterson|first=Boyd Jay|authorlink=Boyd Jay Petersen|date=6 August 2005|website=FairMormon|accessdate=7 April 2017}}<!-- presented at FAIR Conference 6-7 August 2005 --></ref>
Although most of the criticism from LDS church members in support of Nibley centered around Beck's allegations of sexual abuse, a substantial portion of the book involves a discussion of the LDS Church and its policies. BYU professor [[Robert L. Millet]] criticized Beck's portrayals of Nibley as "nonsense," "ludicrous," and "paranoia," saying that she "seems to be a magnet for improbable happenings" and "equate[s] weird anomalies in Mormon culture with the norm."<ref>{{cite journal | last=Millet |first=Robert L. | authorlink=Robert L. Millet | title=They Leave It, But They Can't Leave It Alone: The memoir of a disaffected Mormon | journal=Books & Culture | publisher=[[Christianity Today]] | date=July 1, 2005 | url=http://www.booksandculture.com/articles/2005/julaug/12.33.html | accessdate=7 April 2017}}</ref> Kent P. Jackson describes her description of Mormon culture as "outlandish", saying "Beck's depictions of the church and BYU are so far removed from reality that it is clear that from the start she ruled out BYU faculty, other academics, and informed Latter-day Saints as potential readers. There was obviously no attempt made to establish credibility with those groups. ... this book was written for those who like stories about people victimized by powerful men and powerful institutions. Yet those who really know what she has written about will have a very hard time believing anything in the book."<ref name="Jackson"/> He proceeds to list a number of claims Beck made in the book which he asserts can be verified as false with readily available public information.<ref name="Jackson"/> Dan Wotherspoon, editor of the independent Mormon magazine [[Sunstone (magazine)|Sunstone]], similarly states "She says a lot of things in there that anyone who lives in Utah will just know is wrong."<ref name="Reid">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/07/AR2005050700981.html |title=Daughter's Denunciation of Historian Roils Mormon Church |last=Reid |first=T. R. |work=Washington Post |date=8 May 2005 |pages=A03 |accessdate=7 April 2017}}</ref>
==Works==
;Books
{{ref begin}}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha Nibley |author2=Beck, John C |year= 1990 |title= Breaking the Cycle of Compulsive Behavior |publisher= [[Deseret Book Company]] |location= [[Salt Lake City]] |isbn= 978-0-87579-290-3 |oclc= 20799870 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2|year= 1997 |title= Breaking Point: Why Women Fall Apart and How They Can Re-create Their Lives |location= New York |publisher= [[Times Books]] |isbn= 978-0-8129-6375-5 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2|year= 1999 |title= Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic |publisher= Times Books |isbn= 978-0812929805 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2001 |title= Finding Your Own North Star |location= New York |publisher= [[Crown Publishers]] |isbn= 978-0-8129-3218-8 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2003 |title= The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life |publisher= Crown Publishers |isbn= 978-0-609-60990-3 }}
<!-- * {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2005 |title= Wisdom from Finding Your Own North Star |publisher= Peter Pauper Press |isbn= 978-1-59359-979-9 }} - This is a mini gift book with excerpts from Finding Your Own North Star, and is not a distinct work -->
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2005 |title= Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith |publisher= Crown Publishers |isbn= 9780609609910 |oclc= 55494925 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2007 |title= The Four Day Win: End Your Diet War and Achieve Thinner Peace |location= Emmaus, Pennsylvania |publisher= [[Rodale Books]] |isbn= 978-1-59486-607-4 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2009 |title= Steering by Starlight: The Science and Magic of Finding Your Destiny |publisher= Rodale Books |isbn= 978-1-60529-864-1 }}
* {{cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2011 |title= Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaim Your True Nature to Create the Life You Want |location= New York |publisher= [[Free Press (publisher)|Free Press]] |isbn= 1-4516-2448-4 }}
* {{Cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2013 |title= The Martha Beck Collection: Essays on Creating Your Right Life |type= [[self-published]] |volume= Volume 1 |location= San Luis Obispo, California |publisher= Martha Beck, Inc |isbn= 978-0989306706 }}
* {{Cite book |last= Beck |first= Martha |author-mask= 2 |year= 2016 |title= Diana, Herself: An Allegory of Awakening |type= [[self-published]] |location= San Luis Obispo, California |publisher= Cynosure Publishing |isbn= 978-1944264000 }}
{{ref end}}
;Thesis
*{{Cite thesis |last= Beck |first= Martha Nibley |year= 1994 |title= Flight from the iron cage: LDS women's responses to the paradox of modernization |type= Ph.D. |publisher= Harvard University |oclc= 32034090 }}
;Multimedia
Beck is also creator of a number of non-book products, primarily digital recording services that offer education and various life coaching strategies.
* ''The "Wild New You" eCourse'' - a product based on a four-week live telecourse covering Beck's book, ''Finding Your Way in a Wild New World''.
* ''Starlight Seminar-Leading Your Life DVD Set'' - A five-DVD set of Martha's one-day seminar based on her book, ''Steering by Starlight''.
* ''Martha Beck's 'What Do I Want To Be When I Grow Up?' Workbook and CD Set'' - Set of 5 CDs and a 126-page workbook of Martha's six-week live telecourse of the same name.
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
* {{Official website|http://marthabeck.com/}} at MarthaBeck.com
* {{citation |url= http://www.oprah.com/contributor/martha-beck |title= Martha Beck: Life coach |work= ''Oprah.com'' }}
* {{citation |url = http://www.newleafspeakers.com/?page_id=18 |title = Martha Beck, PhD, Best-selling author, Columnist for O, The Oprah Magazine |work= ''NewLeafSpeakers.com'' }} — Beck's professional speakers' agency
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, Martha}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:American columnists]]
[[Category:Former Latter Day Saints]]
[[Category:American self-help writers]]
[[Category:American sociologists]]
[[Category:Brigham Young University faculty]]
[[Category:People excommunicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Lesbian writers]]
[[Category:LGBT writers from the United States]]
[[Category:LGBT Latter Day Saints]]
[[Category:LGBT people from Utah]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Mormonism-related controversies]]
[[Category:Life coaches]]
[[Category:Women columnists]]
[[Category:American women non-fiction writers]]
