If the Bough Breaks . . .

“Danielle Hensley takes us into a holy space: it is that intimate space between a person and their siblings and parents. This is a powerful, intimate, and deeply moving exploration in which all manner of emotions are shared. The reader has an extraordinary vantage point: one is looking right into the heart of a family divided by faith and politics. A remarkable journey; this is a book that is sure to become a classic of its kind.”


—Ian S. Markham, dean and president, Virginia Theological Seminary





“Danielle Hensley does what so many of us want to do but don’t: she tells hard truths, but manages to do so from a place of unconditional love. Speaking truth to power is not for the faint of heart. The stories and hard-won lessons she shares in this book will help readers to summon the courage to be brave in the face of injustice—even when the face is familiar (or familial). May we all be as brave and kind as she.”


—Cathleen Falsani, author of Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace





“With keen insight, limpid prose, and infinite patience, Danielle Hensley probes the challenge many of us are facing these days: How to deal with avowedly Christian family and loved ones who have succumbed to the cult of Donald Trump.”


—Randall Balmer, author of Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right





“A candid memoir of one woman’s political awakening and the local and personal consequences amid the tensions that have created national divisions. This is the story of the seeming impossibility of compromise on either side—and the resulting, tragic ‘divorce’ of a family.”


—Jill Peláez Baumgaertner, author of From Shade to Shine: Selected Poems