Sex Cult Nun: Breaking Away from the Children of God, a Wild, Radical Religious Cult
- Downloads：5266
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-24 02:19:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Faith Jones
- ISBN：0062952455
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Educated meets The Vow in this story of liberation and self-empowerment—an inspiring and crazier-than-fiction memoir of growing up in and breaking free from the Children of God， an oppressive， extremist religious cult。
Faith Jones was raised to be part an elite army preparing for the End Times。 Growing up on an isolated farm in Macau， she prayed for hours every day and read letters of prophecy written by her grandfather， the founder of the Children of God。 Tens of thousands of members strong， the cult followers looked to Faith’s grandfather as their guiding light。 As such， Faith was celebrated as special and then punished doubly to remind her that she was not。
Over decades， the Children of God grew into an international organization that became notorious for its alarming sex practices and allegations of abuse and exploitation。 But with indomitable grit， Faith survived， creating a world of her own—pilfering books and teaching herself high school curriculum。 Finally， at age twenty-three， thirsting for knowledge and freedom， she broke away， leaving behind everything she knew to forge her own path in America。
A complicated family story mixed with a hauntingly intimate coming-of-age narrative， Faith Jones’ extraordinary memoir reflects our societal norms of oppression and abuse while providing a unique lens to explore spiritual manipulation and our rights in our bodies。 Honest， eye-opening， uplifting， and intensely affecting， Sex Cult Nun brings to life a hidden world that’s hypnotically alien yet unexpectedly relatable。
Faith Jones was raised to be part an elite army preparing for the End Times。 Growing up on an isolated farm in Macau， she prayed for hours every day and read letters of prophecy written by her grandfather， the founder of the Children of God。 Tens of thousands of members strong， the cult followers looked to Faith’s grandfather as their guiding light。 As such， Faith was celebrated as special and then punished doubly to remind her that she was not。
Over decades， the Children of God grew into an international organization that became notorious for its alarming sex practices and allegations of abuse and exploitation。 But with indomitable grit， Faith survived， creating a world of her own—pilfering books and teaching herself high school curriculum。 Finally， at age twenty-three， thirsting for knowledge and freedom， she broke away， leaving behind everything she knew to forge her own path in America。
A complicated family story mixed with a hauntingly intimate coming-of-age narrative， Faith Jones’ extraordinary memoir reflects our societal norms of oppression and abuse while providing a unique lens to explore spiritual manipulation and our rights in our bodies。 Honest， eye-opening， uplifting， and intensely affecting， Sex Cult Nun brings to life a hidden world that’s hypnotically alien yet unexpectedly relatable。
Reviews
Caitlyn
，
lengthy memoir of faith jones who was born into the children of god。 Faith is truly an incredible person if you think of her leap of faith， to just leave with little money or support and her drive to have a better life。 she has a pretty remarkable life after little formal education she gets into georgetown and becomes a lawyer。 she shares her revelation of realizing the damage done by the cults terrible practices and how her family and other cult members and leaders find themselves violating bas lengthy memoir of faith jones who was born into the children of god。 Faith is truly an incredible person if you think of her leap of faith， to just leave with little money or support and her drive to have a better life。 she has a pretty remarkable life after little formal education she gets into georgetown and becomes a lawyer。 she shares her revelation of realizing the damage done by the cults terrible practices and how her family and other cult members and leaders find themselves violating basic human rights despite trying to be good people… it’s a good book if a little long。 it’s a bit dry but still an incredible story。 her writing is better than most authors who write about escapes from cults as she is very well educated。 。。。more
Ashley
，
I don't rate memoirs negatively but this one would be a max of 1。5 stars。 I hated reading this book。 I read a lot of memoirs and contrary to what may be obvious a good one isn't just a recounting of one's life from childhood onwards。 There should be some type of structure and self-reflection。 There's none of that until the very end and even then it's rather shallow。 The telling of her story was terribly tedious and repetitive。 I thought perhaps it as a writing style to write as a perspective of I don't rate memoirs negatively but this one would be a max of 1。5 stars。 I hated reading this book。 I read a lot of memoirs and contrary to what may be obvious a good one isn't just a recounting of one's life from childhood onwards。 There should be some type of structure and self-reflection。 There's none of that until the very end and even then it's rather shallow。 The telling of her story was terribly tedious and repetitive。 I thought perhaps it as a writing style to write as a perspective of a child but unfortunately the voice never seems to mature- even when talking about college and working as a lawyer。 I also often felt proselytized to。 The author frankly needs therapy but possibly is still held back by distrust of the medical establishment from her childhood。Tedious is the best adjective of the listening experience here。 The author has had a difficult life and her self-made success is remarkable and commendable but she should have had better editors that forced structure on this book。 。。。more
Kurt Pankau
，
I'll be honest， from the title I was expecting something a little lighter and more fun。SCN is Faith Jones's tell-all memoir about her childhood in and eventually break from a religious cult that embraced free love as a way to save people's souls。 In practice， this means reading about many forms of child abuse--sexual and otherwise--emotional manipulation， forced internment， and， of course， rape。 Not for the squeamish。 The cult， called The Family in the text， is based entirely around the pervy id I'll be honest， from the title I was expecting something a little lighter and more fun。SCN is Faith Jones's tell-all memoir about her childhood in and eventually break from a religious cult that embraced free love as a way to save people's souls。 In practice， this means reading about many forms of child abuse--sexual and otherwise--emotional manipulation， forced internment， and， of course， rape。 Not for the squeamish。 The cult， called The Family in the text， is based entirely around the pervy ideas of a charismatic old man who was himself molested as a child and has decided to pass that on to his entire flock， I guess。 Seriously， why do all of these cults involve one dude making excuses for why he can bone every woman （or girl） he sees？ Okay， I know why， but still。。。There are parallels here to Tara Westover's Educated， another memoir about a young woman growing up in a radical and abusive religious environment and breaking out of it to obtain a graduate degree。 And while the content is interesting--and genuinely shocking--the book is a bit lacking。 There's not really a narrative thrust or much narrative tension。 The prose is a bit floofy and overwrought， but the details of events are kept at a remove。 The chapters often feel like summaries rather than a series of scenes， which works in the early chapters when she's recounting being a child， but feels a little empty in the second half。 I don't want to make it sound like it's bad， just unseasoned and over-polished。Do I recommend it？ Maybe。 As a former religious person myself， I saw a lot of familiarity in the final few chapters where Jones abandons her faith， and I found that moving。 But most people don't have that as a touchstone。 So between that and SERIOUSLY ALL THE CONTENT WARNINGS I feel like the audience for this is narrow。 。。。more
Kayla
，
Big trigger warning on this book。 Many parts were hard to read。 But it gave me （even more） to chew on regarding how Christian churches approach teachings about sex and the shame that it creates。 The messaging the author grew up with seems vastly different on the surface from traditional Christian churches （don’t have sex / have all the sex） yet the results were the same - deep shame and trauma around sex。 Both are rooted in teachings that your body is not your own。 Will continue mulling over thi Big trigger warning on this book。 Many parts were hard to read。 But it gave me （even more） to chew on regarding how Christian churches approach teachings about sex and the shame that it creates。 The messaging the author grew up with seems vastly different on the surface from traditional Christian churches （don’t have sex / have all the sex） yet the results were the same - deep shame and trauma around sex。 Both are rooted in teachings that your body is not your own。 Will continue mulling over this one。 。。。more
Laura
，
3。5
Marika
，
Faith Jones was raised in the Children of God， a religious cult headed by David Berg。 Much has been written about this authoritarian cult and how its named changed as the world's perception of them evolved。 （The Family International， Children of God， Family of Love and The Family）David Berg was quite the character espousing flirty fishing， which is a takeoff of the phrase “Follow me， and I will make you become fishers of men，” which uses sex to bring new people into the fold。 The author is the g Faith Jones was raised in the Children of God， a religious cult headed by David Berg。 Much has been written about this authoritarian cult and how its named changed as the world's perception of them evolved。 （The Family International， Children of God， Family of Love and The Family）David Berg was quite the character espousing flirty fishing， which is a takeoff of the phrase “Follow me， and I will make you become fishers of men，” which uses sex to bring new people into the fold。 The author is the granddaughter of Berg's and details the sex abuse that she endured and the dysfunctional/abusive childhood that she had。 Faith Jones is not the first member to write about The Children of God， but she is one of the best。An interesting aside is that stars Rose McGowan and Joaquin Phoenix were born into the cult。 。。。more
Amy Baldwin George
，
Compelling story but reads like a book report。 As another review I read basically said 。。。 it's The Glass Castle but without the beautiful writing of The Glass Castle。 Compelling story but reads like a book report。 As another review I read basically said 。。。 it's The Glass Castle but without the beautiful writing of The Glass Castle。 。。。more
Shelby
，
CW: several instances of rape within a religious/familial institution
Jacqueline
，
I was hooked from the beginning。 I love a memoir describing a lifestyle I know nothing about。 The author did a great job balancing description and background while moving the narrative forward。 I would love to see the author speak。 I really enjoyed "getting to know her"。And I realize this review is a little "light and fluffy" for a memoir that deals with the incredibly heavy topic of child abuse。 I do not mean it to be flip。 She deals with the heavy topic with love， feeling， and empathy。 I was hooked from the beginning。 I love a memoir describing a lifestyle I know nothing about。 The author did a great job balancing description and background while moving the narrative forward。 I would love to see the author speak。 I really enjoyed "getting to know her"。And I realize this review is a little "light and fluffy" for a memoir that deals with the incredibly heavy topic of child abuse。 I do not mean it to be flip。 She deals with the heavy topic with love， feeling， and empathy。 。。。more
Jacquelyn Nair
，
This is a very hard book to read。 Triggers for just about everything you can imagine， so go in with a strong stomach。 Overall this is a harrowing but hopeful tale of a child turned girl turned woman who had to deal with her own loss of innocence and not even realizing it until later in life。 There are stomach turning moments but also wonderful moments of breakthrough where I found myself cheering for the lead voice。 The ending does drag and I wish I had more insight into how the rest of her fami This is a very hard book to read。 Triggers for just about everything you can imagine， so go in with a strong stomach。 Overall this is a harrowing but hopeful tale of a child turned girl turned woman who had to deal with her own loss of innocence and not even realizing it until later in life。 There are stomach turning moments but also wonderful moments of breakthrough where I found myself cheering for the lead voice。 The ending does drag and I wish I had more insight into how the rest of her family was doing （but admittedly， she's not seeking to tell their story or experience） but it's a strong story with a powerful message。 。。。more
Carmel
，
Rarely do I give one star to a book or tell others to be wary， but this will be one。 There have been comparisons to Educated by Tara Westover， but aside from the childhood trauma， I don’t see the similarities。 Westover’s book is lyrical （I can， and have， read her prologue hundreds of times）。 She writes her book as an educated adult reflecting on her childhood experiences。 Sex Cult Nun feels as though it written by a child （her parents are referred to as “mommy” and “daddy” and the interior of he Rarely do I give one star to a book or tell others to be wary， but this will be one。 There have been comparisons to Educated by Tara Westover， but aside from the childhood trauma， I don’t see the similarities。 Westover’s book is lyrical （I can， and have， read her prologue hundreds of times）。 She writes her book as an educated adult reflecting on her childhood experiences。 Sex Cult Nun feels as though it written by a child （her parents are referred to as “mommy” and “daddy” and the interior of her moms trailer has carpet in a “poop color”）。 I could see the stylistic choice of writing from a child’s perspective， but the topics here are not childish at all。 Rather， the sexual crimes perpetrated against children made me physically sick while reading。 I understand the need for “outing” these crimes， having others read them for the sake of healing and understanding， and to prevent such crimes from happening again。 But…wow。 It’s a lot。 （FWIW， I didn’t read this as trauma porn， or writing that people enjoy reading because it makes them feel emotions that they seek for one reason or another， but I can see that being a factor for some）。 My non-recommendation doesn’t come from a place of “don’t read this” but more that I can’t think of a single person who I would recommend this to。 。。。more
C。G。 Twiles
，
A fascinating account of a woman who was raised in the religious cult Children of God。 If it sounds familiar， you may be a River and/or Joaquin Phoenix fan （they and their siblings were also raised in it though the author， Faith Jones， never mentions them） or have heard the tragic story of Ricky Rodriguez， who videotaped himself getting ready to kill his former "nanny" for molesting him throughout his childhood， then killed himself。 （He could not find his mother to kill her as well。） The cult is A fascinating account of a woman who was raised in the religious cult Children of God。 If it sounds familiar， you may be a River and/or Joaquin Phoenix fan （they and their siblings were also raised in it though the author， Faith Jones， never mentions them） or have heard the tragic story of Ricky Rodriguez， who videotaped himself getting ready to kill his former "nanny" for molesting him throughout his childhood， then killed himself。 （He could not find his mother to kill her as well。） The cult is infamous for espousing that it is natural and "Godly" for children to have sex with adults。 The cult leader， David "Moses" Berg， sent out regular newsletters are essentially child pornography。 Female members were required to "flirty fish" - that is， prostitute themselves to anyone who could bring the group money， favors， or political power。 The cult also embraced philosophies that are still highly popular today， especially about dropping out of society。 Jones grew up in the Portuguese colony of Macau， a small island off China， with her father， who was David Berg's son， her biological mother and a second woman who also acted as her mother （polygamy was routine）， and several siblings （birth control was not allowed）。 When Jones was still young， the family moved to a rural Chinese village that didn't have electricity or plumbing and eventually settled what became one of the group's larger， more successful home bases。Jones is an intelligent and headstrong child who， while seeming to believe fully in most of the cult's teachings， and being a true believer in God and Jesus， nevertheless was confused about her squeamishness in not wanting to have sexual relations with adult men， which she began being pressured into around eleven years old。 When she shows no interest in this， her mother chastises her for being "unloving" and "unwilling to share。" （Share is code for having sex）。 Her father is a strict disciplinarian who isn't shy about using corporeal punishment。 It's a childhood that could， and did， undo many of those who grew up in it。 Jones was fortunate in that， despite being blood-related to Berg， who went by "Moses" and remained the cult's leader until his death， never lived with him。 Those children that did were subjected to crushing amounts of sexual abuse。Jones is able to sneak enough books and outside influences to eventually realize she wants to further her formal education （considered a waste of time by the cult， now called The Family）。 After years of bouncing around proselytizing in China， Russia， Kazakhstan， and America， Jones finally achieves her dream， attending Georgetown University， where she graduates summa cum laude。 She then becomes a successful lawyer。It's during her time in college that she starts to question the teachings she grew up with， and to realize the extent to which she had been gaslighted by her parents and every other adult in the cult， and to work to reclaim her body and her mind。Anyone interested in cults should definitely pick up this shocking， sad， and ultimately triumphant memoir。 I knock off a star because I found Jones' writing style a tad dry for my personal tastes。 It was difficult for me to know how Jones felt about anything as it was happening - other than two rapes she suffers as a young adult， which are vividly and harrowingly described。 But mostly while scenes were duly recorded， Jones doesn't have the flair to make an abuse memoir transcendent in the way that， say， Frank McCourt or Jeannette Walls does。 All of her insight comes in one chapter at the end as a long "now I see the light" info dump。 I feel it would have been a more powerful memoir if this reflection had been present throughout。 But still very compelling， and fans of "I had a helluva childhood" memoirs should run out and snatch this up。Thank you to Net Galley， Harper Collins， and Faith Jones for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Brooke
，
Disturbing， yet also really slow and too detailed！
Kajsa
，
I thought this was an great read， although the title was slightly misleading， and it didn't really live up to the hype。 It did remind me a lot of Educated， but it was a bit more "voyeuristic。" I thought this was an great read， although the title was slightly misleading， and it didn't really live up to the hype。 It did remind me a lot of Educated， but it was a bit more "voyeuristic。" 。。。more
Miguel
，
The title on this one seems to be a bit sensationalist given the author’s story herein。 It kept my attention throughout as the autobiographical story is pretty compelling and told in a breezy way。
Celia Joyner
，
More like a 3。5。 It was very interesting to learn of this cult， however I skimmed a big part of the book。 Too much of this book was spent on child sexual abuse。 Hard to read page after page after page。 Always interesting when the writer tells their story on Ted Talks。
meera
，
the last fourth of the book was tedious and honestly just saying the same thing over and over but the author’s bravery in writing and publishing this book is completely insane and i applaud her for that
Kim （gtkim）
，
3。5
Grace W
，
Read the trigger warnings on this book please
Marialyce （absltmom， yaya）
，
There are many things contained within these pages that will bother most adults who read this story。Faith Jones was born into a cult。 Her grandfather was the leader， revered as a god， and his word， that he claimed was the word of god， held sway throughout the cult。 Called the Children of God， these people were led to believe in the end of times， and secluded their children from the world because of sin。However， what went on in this organization defied the rules of how one should treat and rear c There are many things contained within these pages that will bother most adults who read this story。Faith Jones was born into a cult。 Her grandfather was the leader， revered as a god， and his word， that he claimed was the word of god， held sway throughout the cult。 Called the Children of God， these people were led to believe in the end of times， and secluded their children from the world because of sin。However， what went on in this organization defied the rules of how one should treat and rear children。 Faith and her family spent the early years of her life going from one place to another。 The children would go out pan handling while trying to spread the word of god。 Thousands of followers world wide followed the very words of Faith's grandfather even to the point of sexualizing the children， abusing them in god's name for infractions， and exploiting them。 The tales and stories of what occurred caused followers to move greatly， although Faith did spend a portion of her life in Macau。 The children， Faith included， did not attend school as it was though children only needed a sixth grade education。 Of course unapproved books were forbidden and yet Faith hoped for more learning。 She ultimately educated herself and after much thought， finally separated herself from the Children of God。What she and others endured was harrowing and yet they knew no better。 Encouraged to explore their sexual nature， they became pawns in a group that abused and raped them。 It's hard to wrap ones arms around this concept， and yet this was a "religion" that attracted the likes of the Phoenix family （River， Joachim and sisters Rain， Liberty， and Summer as well as Rose McGowen））Harrowing but uplifting that a child who grew up with this albatross of a family， in a cult， was able to succeed graduating from college and becoming a motivational speaker and author。 。。。more
Laurel
，
Really interesting reading the behind the scenes growing up in a cult’s “founding family” - I liked how she wrote honestly， not judging her family or the “System” - just relating the facts and her personal take on her experiences within the Family and gradually on the outside looking back on her time within the “Family。”Not to say it wasn’t tough reading sometimes though - what a life！！！！
Miya
，
TW TW TW TRIGGER WARNING。 Seriously。 This broke my heart and pissed me off。 I can't even。 The courage it takes to tell your story。。。so others can stand up and feel less alone。 It is so hard to read。 For anyone who is an abuse survivor please be in a good place when before reading this because it can be extremely triggering。 On the other hand I can see it being healing to others。 Either way it is an unbelievable story that deserves to be heard。 TW TW TW TRIGGER WARNING。 Seriously。 This broke my heart and pissed me off。 I can't even。 The courage it takes to tell your story。。。so others can stand up and feel less alone。 It is so hard to read。 For anyone who is an abuse survivor please be in a good place when before reading this because it can be extremely triggering。 On the other hand I can see it being healing to others。 Either way it is an unbelievable story that deserves to be heard。 。。。more
Porshai
，
As someone who doesn’t usually go for memoirs， this one was quite compelling。 I have listened to podcasts about The Family numerous times， but no one explains it like Faith did。 I am hesitant to recommended this to people mostly due to the sexually graphic nature of it， but it was truly profound。
Sam
，
A tragic and heartbreaking biography written in the style of a novel。 Having also been born and raised in the Children of God， much of what this author wrote was very familiar。 But my life experience was very different。 What I loved most about this book was how faith learned to take back her power。 She has explored morality through the lens of property law and concluded with one simple phrase。"I Own Myself。" A tragic and heartbreaking biography written in the style of a novel。 Having also been born and raised in the Children of God， much of what this author wrote was very familiar。 But my life experience was very different。 What I loved most about this book was how faith learned to take back her power。 She has explored morality through the lens of property law and concluded with one simple phrase。"I Own Myself。" 。。。more
Lauren Hopkins
，
Probably closer to 3。5 stars but I'll go with 4。 A super interesting and in-depth look at the Children of God cult from the granddaughter of leader David Berg， Faith， who was raised within the cult until she broke free in her early 20s。 Can be an uncomfortable read at times， but overall the author shares so much information about the inner workings of her time growing up in various homes belonging to The Family， mostly throughout Asia。 I do think some areas that could have used embellishment wer Probably closer to 3。5 stars but I'll go with 4。 A super interesting and in-depth look at the Children of God cult from the granddaughter of leader David Berg， Faith， who was raised within the cult until she broke free in her early 20s。 Can be an uncomfortable read at times， but overall the author shares so much information about the inner workings of her time growing up in various homes belonging to The Family， mostly throughout Asia。 I do think some areas that could have used embellishment were left bare， whereas other less compelling pieces of information were overly drawn out， but as a whole I was glued not only to the author's story and experiences， but to the message she shares in the epilogue about owning yourself。 Very powerful words。 。。。more
Petra is happy on the surface， despairing beneath
，
This is quite a long book and the writing is very basic， to the point of being tedious。 I'm failing to see where the 'nun' bit comes in。 Nuns take vows of chastity， and there is nothing chaste， innocent， or even fully clothed in this book！ I think it mighyt have to go on the 'put aside till later shelf'。 __________Great title， "Sex Cult Nun"。 I just had to get the book。 Should be pulp fiction rather than non-fiction but Children of God were a juicy bunch with their 'flirty fishing' girls having This is quite a long book and the writing is very basic， to the point of being tedious。 I'm failing to see where the 'nun' bit comes in。 Nuns take vows of chastity， and there is nothing chaste， innocent， or even fully clothed in this book！ I think it mighyt have to go on the 'put aside till later shelf'。 __________Great title， "Sex Cult Nun"。 I just had to get the book。 Should be pulp fiction rather than non-fiction but Children of God were a juicy bunch with their 'flirty fishing' girls having to prostitute themselves for Jesus。 。。。more
Mal
，
DNF。 I couldn't get past the animal death DNF。 I couldn't get past the animal death 。。。more
Lydia Pazienza
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I received this book in exchange for an honest review。 I came into this book knowing a lot about the Family， but it was nice to have a first person account of what it was like to be a part of it。 Overall， I enjoyed the book and it was well written， however I wish there was less focus on the early portions of Faith’s life and more focus on her later experiences。 I was surprised she didn’t discuss how her childhood experiences affected her faith currently。 I also understand her desire to discuss h I received this book in exchange for an honest review。 I came into this book knowing a lot about the Family， but it was nice to have a first person account of what it was like to be a part of it。 Overall， I enjoyed the book and it was well written， however I wish there was less focus on the early portions of Faith’s life and more focus on her later experiences。 I was surprised she didn’t discuss how her childhood experiences affected her faith currently。 I also understand her desire to discuss her accomplishments， because she came so far from a cult and with a minimal early childhood education， but she doesn’t have to justify her success， in my opinion。 I’m just glad she’s out and alright- if she didn’t make anything of her life I’d feel the same as her becoming a successful lawyer。 I will say that what faith learned about rape and abuse is very much “preaching to the choir”， but I recognize she had to overcome a lot of shame in order to acknowledge her trauma。 I hope she’s in therapy， just as I hope everyone is in therapy。 Overall， I recommend the book， but there are times where it runs a little slow or reads a little preachy。 。。。more
Aimee Dars
，
Faith Jones was born into the Children of God cult led by Moses David （aka David Berg）， her grandfather。 From his location in hiding， he provided his revelations through “Mo Letters，” regular communiques that instructed his 10，000 followers on daily living and spiritual teaching。 His fundamental philosophy was that God is love， and that the world would be ending soon so that followers needed to bring as many people as possible to Jesus before the End Times。 Formal schooling was unnecessary; memb Faith Jones was born into the Children of God cult led by Moses David （aka David Berg）， her grandfather。 From his location in hiding， he provided his revelations through “Mo Letters，” regular communiques that instructed his 10，000 followers on daily living and spiritual teaching。 His fundamental philosophy was that God is love， and that the world would be ending soon so that followers needed to bring as many people as possible to Jesus before the End Times。 Formal schooling was unnecessary; members need only learn what they needed to know to run a household。On its face， “God Is Love，” is hardly objectionable but David went further， equating love with sex。 Leaders of the group “shared” partners， children became sexually active very early， and sexual contact between adults and children was permitted， even encouraged。 “Flirty Fishing” was used to hook men who might be able to provide financial or other resources。Faith and her family， living in Macau， were true disciples， yet she resented that any man from the group could demand affection。 If she rejected the advances， she would be labeled “unyielding” and subject to punishment。Curiosity led her to books—many of which she had to keep hidden because they weren’t approved—and a love of learning pushed her to advocate for a home school high school curriculum， something unheard of in the community。 Her desire for independence and realization that she was completely at the mercy of the group’s leadership catalyzed her to leave the Children of God for the United States and college。 Her experiences in classes， on campus， and in relationships showed her the hypocrisy and abuses inflicted by the cult。Jones writes from the perspective of the age she is at the time of the narrative which gives the story a sense of honesty and immediacy， and to me made it even more heartbreaking。 Her particular coming of age story is poignant and interesting—an American with American parents who didn’t see the U。S。 until she was almost a teenager。 It’s also a revealing look inside the Children of God cult that illustrates how cult leaders gain and keep power。 Finally， it’s an inspiring account of how Jones reclaimed her sense of self， a model for other women who feel voiceless。Thank you to [partner] @bibliolifestyle and @williammorrowbooks for including me on the book tour and for a gifted copy of the book。 。。。more
Ben Sicnolf
，