Deborah Laake (April 19, 1952 – February 6, 2000) was a

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...

at the ''

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation in 2022 of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885, by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ' ...

'' in the 1980s and later a staff writer, columnist,

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

, and executive at the ''

Phoenix New Times ''Phoenix New Times'' is a free digital and print media company based in Phoenix, Arizona. ''Phoenix'' ''New Times'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, arts, cannabis, as well as longform narrative journalism. A ...

''. She was famous for her 1993 book entitled '' Secret Ceremonies: A Mormon Woman's Intimate Diary of Marriage and Beyond'', a candid and critical account of her experiences growing up and marrying as a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church).

Biography

Laake was born Deborah Elsbeth Legler in Phoenix, Arizona. She was raised as a member of the LDS Church and attended

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

. After she stopped practicing the religion, she published the book ''Secret Ceremonies''. In the book she describes her childhood, her marriage, her divorce and the temple ceremonies in the LDS Church. She also blames the church "for her inability to enjoy marital intercourse, for her three failed marriages, for her attempted suicide, and for the two months she spent in a psychiatric institution". The book was a commercial success; it spent 15 weeks on the ''New York Times'' best-seller list and over 500,000 copies were printed. Writing in

Religion News Service Religion News Service, branded as RNS, is a news agency founded in 1934. It covers religion, ethics, spirituality and moral issues, and publishes news, information, and commentaries on faiths and religious movements to newspapers, magazines, bro ...

, Jana Riess characterizes ''Secret Ceremonies'' as a "go-for-the-jugular exposé" typical of the

ex-Mormon Ex-Mormon or post-Mormon refers to a Religious disaffiliation, disaffiliate of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Ex-Mormons—sometimes referred to as exmo or postmo—may neither believe in nor affiliate with the LDS ...

memoirs of her era. Shortly after the book's publication Laake was

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

for

apostasy Apostasy (; ) is the formal religious disaffiliation, disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is contrary to one's previous re ...

because of her criticisms and also for her "detailed revelation of top-secret Mormon temple ceremonies". In 1994, Laake was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

. In 2000, she committed suicide by "ingesting an overdose of pills" in Charleston,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. At the time of her death; Laake was being actively treated for depression. According to her friend and former coworker Terry Green Sterling, this depression was severe and it began several years prior to the suicide.

Awards

She received various awards throughout her career. In 1983, she won a special citation from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

for her feature writing. Also in 1983, the Columbia School of Journalism gave Laake a special award for her short story "Wormboys". In 1987 she won

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

's feature column writing award. In 1988, she was elected Arizona's "Journalist of the Year" and won the National Headliner award in 1991.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laake, Deborah 1952 births 2000 suicides 2000 deaths American columnists People excommunicated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Brigham Young University alumni Critics of Mormonism The Dallas Morning News people Drug-related suicides in South Carolina American women columnists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers Mormon memoirists American women non-fiction writers