Thirty Years A Watchtower Slave (Direction books) [Paperback]

William J. Schnell (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Baker Pub Group; Abridged edition (June 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801079330
• ISBN-13: 978-0801079337
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,402,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book is well worth reading., February 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Thirty Years A Watchtower Slave (Direction books) (Paperback)

"Thirty Years" is well worth reading not only for those looking for an "insider" history of the Jehovah's Witnesses, but also for those interested in spiritual narratives in general. Schnell, clearly a man of integrity and strong spiritual feelings, experienced his time as a member of this millennial group -- during the formative and crucial years between the end of the bible students and the creation of the theocratic Jehovah's Witnesses -- as a painful struggle away from and then back to God. It is well written and a good, quick read, and the determinedly personal tone Schnell takes gives it a truly human flavor. It gives great insight into the personal experiences of living in a religion that is moving away from individual conscience and towards totalitarian conformity. I highly recommend it.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An important book that should have been better, December 30, 2000

By 

Jan Haugland (BERGEN, - Norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thirty Years A Watchtower Slave (Direction books) (Paperback)

Schnell's book has a unique position in the literature about the JW religion: He is one of the few insiders from the Rutherford era who left them movement, and writes from personal experience. Yet, his writing gave me real problems: his obvious disgust with the Watchtower movement makes almost every paragraph a pain to read. He sounds bitter and negative. He no doubt had a good reason to, but this detracts from the quality of his book.

Also, Schnell rarely documents his claims, which may make many readers doubt his claims. Having used Schenll along with many other sources writing my master thesis on 'Judge' Joseph Rutherford (2nd President of Watchtower Society and de facto founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses), I have to say that I have yet to find any outright errors in his book. This obviously tells us that Schnell was a honest author.

But I can't help feeling that his book could have been so much better and more important if he had concentrated on facts, on documenting his claims, and cut down on the negative comments. Raymond Franz' books, written decades later, tells us what "Thirty Years a Watchtower Slave" could have been.

15 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat dated, but still the BEST book on J.W.s!, January 24, 2000

By 

al ellefson (the high desert, SW Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thirty Years A Watchtower Slave (Direction books) (Paperback)

This remains the best book available that deals with this hidden nature of the Watchtower Society. Some would argue that it has become badly dated, and there is some truth in that contention, as the Society has changed in many ways since Schnell was involved.

What is remarkable, though, is Schnell's insight into the basic J.W. mindset, which has changed not a WHIT! In fact, in a particularly vivid scene in this book, Schnell approaches his Watchtower "elders" with an inquiry as to why Society money is NEVER spent to help the poor and sick in the spirit of the New Testament scriptures. The frustrated, blame-shifting reply from these Pharisses is identical to the one I recieved from a "door-knocker" just months ago.

Also, Schnell is correct that the key to the Society's earthly, fleshly success is not in its stand on "scripture only" as some have assumed, but in its virulent trumping of the "God's-ONLY-organization-on-earth" lie. He is futher correct that this altogether mystical and un-biblical assumption of "Brooklyn-as-Zion" and all its attendant apostacy is THE Achilles heel of the average Graceless, mindlessly legalistic, door-knocking "slave" on the rolls. These poor, hapless creatures are sent, not to the drunkards, down-trodden and hopeless (in whom the organization has little or no interest) but to the doors of professing Bible believers ONLY, that they might gain weak minds already predisposed to submit to harsh "biblical authority."

I praise God for Schnell and his testimony and pray that people will find and read this book.

Al