Holy Ghost Girl

A Memoir

By: Donna M. Johnson

Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie

A compassionate, humorous story of faith, betrayal, and coming of age on the sawdust trail.

She was just three years old when her mother signed on as the organist of tent revivalist David Terrell, and before long, Donna Johnson was part of the hugely popular evangelical preacher’s inner circle. At seventeen, she left the ministry for good, with a trove of stranger-than-fiction memories. A homecoming like no other, Holy Ghost Girl brings to life miracles, exorcisms, and faceoffs with the Ku Klux Klan - and that’s just what went on under the tent.

As Terrell became known worldwide during the 1960s and ’70s, the caravan of brokendown cars and trucks that made up his ministry evolved into fleets of Mercedes and airplanes. The glories of the Word mixed with betrayals of the flesh, and Donna’s mother bore Terrell’s children in one of several secret households he maintained. Thousands of followers, dubbed “Terrellites” by the press, left their homes to await the end of the world in cultlike communities. Jesus didn’t show, but the IRS did, and the prophet-healer went to prison.

Recounted with deadpan observations and surreal detail, Holy Ghost Girl bypasses easy judgment to articulate a rich world where the mystery of faith and human frailty share a surprising and humorous coexistence.

Donna Johnson has written about religion for the Dallas Morning News and the Austin American Statesman. She won the Mayborn Creative Nonfiction Prize for Manuscript in Progress in 2007 for Holy Ghost Girl.

©2011 Donna Johnson (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“What a life!…Donna Johnson sorts through her story with great insight, compassion, and humor.” (Jeannette Walls, New York Times best-selling author of The Glass Castle)

loved the humor elements.

loved it! i love the humor in it. Only thing is wanted to know more details about what happened to individuals at the end.

Read it four times

Outstanding book, objective as she could possibly be. For an ex-Christian, this book helped me voice a lot of things I struggled with as a child.

Facinating, compassionate and compelling.

A story that will stay with you. This true story pulled me in and kept me hooked. It does a great job of showing you the inside of the traveling revival world, the personalities and motivations, the complexity. The story is told with honesty and compassion. Although much damage was done along the way, especially to the kids involved , the story ends with the families coming together with love and forgiveness.

An intriguing memoir with a dash of Pentecostal history.

As I sit here bawling through the last chapter I decided I had to leave a review. This was an “I’m just looking for something to read” selection. I quickly was engaged by the Holy Ghost Girl narrator’s story made even more vivid by the wonderful narrator. While the writing is exceptional, I have to believe I was more enchanted by listen to this wonderful performance than if I simply read it. Unusual topic? Pentecostal history? Revivals, healings and tents? DO NOT let any of that put you off reading this book. 5 stars!

Interesting....

This book gives one the behind the scenes look at the religious tent events. This one Minister seems authentic in his healing powers but a zealous none the less.
It brings to mind the quote "Do as I say, not as I do". The minister can sin by their own interpretation of the bible as justification but no one else can by doing the same. It is the children of the staff that suffer. The "Holy Ghost Child" gives brilliant insight into the life of a child who suffered through the Evangelist Tent Services.

Holy Ghost Girl

This book brought back memories because I too grew up in the same world the writer did. Perhaps we may have met by chance in one of the tent services. I knew David Terrell and many of the other characters such as Sister Waters and Preacher Woman. I love to say this was all made up but truth be told and it was and sometimes worse. But the truth is that many were as blind as her mother and many of the followers.

Crazy Interesting Story

Kept my interest and quickly listened to this Audible story. Sad how so many children get caught up in stupid choices of their parents. Donna was lucky that she saw the light.

Fantastic! Loved it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I have recommended it.
Anyone who knows me well, knows I can totally relate to so many things in this book!

What did you like best about this story?

Everything

What does Carrington MacDuffie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I listen to a lot of audiobooks while working. I have heard her narrate before, very nice.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Her "holy ghost" receiving experience :) cracked me up! Been there!

Any additional comments?

Great book! Great portrayal of the life and times of tent revivals!

You won’t regret listening

This audio book will captivate you. Whether you are laughing or cringing, the author’s matter-of-fact account of her life is spellbinding. The narrator gives a perfect reading.

Good Story

Enjoyed the twists and turns and emotional edge of the book. Stirs questions and provokes thinking about revivalism. Honest, not harsh.