14 absorbing nonfiction books about cults and high control religious groups

A unique sub-genre that offer insights about some of the darker corners of the human experience.

Accounts of cults, high-control groups, and sects comprise a unique sub-genre and offer insight into some of the darker corners of the human experience. While I would never hope to share these experiences, I’m drawn to memoirs and accounts of those who’ve spent time in these groups for what they reveal about human behavior and communities. Exploring these events on the page is also intellectually engaging, as I ponder the circumstances that led to each individual’s involvement and how they tried to overcome social, emotional, and practical barriers to break free.

What’s the dividing line between a cult or high-control group, and a commune or intentional community? What makes groups that started out with good intentions devolve into harmful, high-control organizations? For those who join cults and sects as adults, influenced by a charismatic leader or idea only to end up in abusive, violent, or even fatal scenarios, I’m always curious about the first few steps that lead them past the point of no return. These are the types of questions that are often explored in the pages of books, histories, and documentaries of groups from the Manson Family to the Heaven’s Gate cult and from Twin Flames Universe to offshoots of established religious denominations.

Much like the true crime genre, reading cult memoirs can sometimes feel a bit voyeuristic. Yet I think there is a lot to learn in these stories. While I’ve never found myself in what I’d consider a cult, I’ve had chapters in my life where specific groups or ideas have had an outsized influence on my life and choices. Reading these memoirs helps me to think more critically about the ideas placed before me while also building my empathy for those who’ve walked these dark roads themselves. I commend all of the survivors who have chosen to speak out about their experiences.

I’m not alone in finding these accounts and memoirs uniquely thought-provoking and satisfying: there are hundreds of cult memoirs, documentaries, and podcasts exploring so many stories of high-control groups, how people fell into these patterns, and what went wrong along the way. Personally, I’ve leaned into books or documentaries, rather than podcasts, as I find that these longer-format presentations allow more time and space for sensitivity for the survivor’s experience. Today I’m sharing a selection of books I’ve especially enjoyed that explore both groups you may be familiar with, and others that are less well known. I’d love to hear your recommendations of other titles that would shelve well with the ones I’ve included below. Please share those suggestions in the comments section below!

14 absorbing nonfiction books about cults and high control religious groups

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Educated: A Memoir

Author: Tara Westover

A striking memoir illustrating the power of knowledge, Tara Westover shares about growing up in a Mormon survivalist family. She was isolated, abused, and prevented from receiving an education. When one of her brothers broke away and was accepted to college, Westover saw a possible pathway out and started on a journey that would ultimately take her all the way to Harvard and beyond. I was fascinated by her story yet found myself wanting to know more about what happened next; I hope she returns to writing and shares more of her experiences in another book someday. Content warnings apply. More info →

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief

Author: Lawrence Wright

In this deep dive behind the scenes of the Church of Scientology, Wright draws from hundreds of personal interviews with former members, as well as those still involved with the Church. He paints a complicated, maddening, and fascinating picture of its founder L. Ron Hubbard and his successor, David Miscavige. If you’re curious about Scientology, this work of investigative nonfiction is a great place to begin. It was also turned into a Netflix documentary about a decade ago. Content warnings apply. More info →

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

Author: Amanda Montell

With a unique blend of wit, humor, and deep research, Montell explores the idea of cults and how they captivate us as individuals, members, or societal observers. From Scientology to SoulCycle, social media to true crime documentary obsession, Montell asks the question of what makes a cult, how and why people join, and whether truly anyone is susceptible to their appeal. This was a fresh take on the concept of cults, while also exploring some of the most notorious examples. I found it entertaining and educational. Content warnings apply. More info →

Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While also in an Actual Cult!)

Author: Bethany Joy Lenz

Actress and musician Bethany Joy Lenz shares how she found herself wrapped up with a small high control group while in search of love, community, and confidence in this recent memoir. Over time, she gave away her autonomy, was convinced to marry someone she didn’t love, and lost most of her hard-earned money due to the manipulations of the group’s leadership. Many of the cult accounts I’ve read follow those born into a community; Lenz’s account of how she was slowly brought in as a young adult and subsequently convinced that her situation was normal offered unique insight into how people can be influenced by strong personalities and group pressure. I listened to it on audio, as narrated by the author, which enhanced my experience. Content warnings apply. More info →

A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy

Author: Tia Levings

Tia Levings was newly married when she and her husband were recruited into the fundamentalist “Quiverfull” movement, which advocates for large families and is guided by a long list of strict principles of behavior. What Levings initially saw as an encouraging community of fellow mothers and families soon became a secretive world of pain and abuse. This memoir shows how she came to recognize the threat to her and her children and she leveraged the new technology of the internet—and the communities of support it offered her—to make her escape. I first discovered Levings through her educational and entertaining videos on social media; you may also recognize her from her appearance in the Amazon documentary Shiny Happy People. Content warnings apply. More info →

Surviving Centrepoint: My years in New Zealand’s most infamous cult

Author: Rachel C. King

In this memoir, which was originally published under a pseudonym, Rachel King tells the harrowing story of her family’s move to the Centrepoint Community north of Auckland. Originally a hippie commune built founded by ‘spiritual leader’ Bert Potter, the Community became something much darker, featuring strict hierarchies of control, sexual abuse and assault, and drug use. I appreciated King’s inclusion of not only her years of trauma within the Community, but her efforts to fight back. The book follows King’s court battle against her abusers and the ultimate action that shut down the Centerpoint Community. I saw this book on the shelf in a New Zealand bookstore and it sparked my curiosity; it’s a difficult read but gives a unique perspective about a cult many of us in North America may not have heard of. Content warnings apply. More info →

Rajneeshpuram: Inside the Cult of Bhagwan and Its Failed American Utopia

Author: Russell King

In this nonfiction account, King explores the rise and fall of the Cult of Bhagwan—also known as Osho—and the compound built in Oregon in the mid-1980s. Through interviews, personal accounts, and other historical sources, King takes a close look at Bhagwan (Osho), his second-in-command Sheela, and the devastated community left in their wake. While nonfiction, in places this reads almost as a thriller, detailing an idea gone terribly wrong, high-control relationships, election fraud and financial abuse, and a bioterrorism attack. I first learned of Rajneeshpuram from the 2018 Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country. I appreciated the chance to experience a more detailed exploration of all that happened with the Cult of Bhagwan through this book. Content warnings apply. More info →

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith

Author: Jon Krakauer

This investigation of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) communities in North America features the meticulous research and storytelling aplomb of Krakauer’s outdoor adventure works. Framing his story around a double murder committed by two FLDS brothers, Krakauer highlights the isolated communities across the west who have rejected the mainstream LDS Church, choosing to practice polygamy, child marriage, and other abusive actions. I read this nearly twenty years ago when it was first published, and it still sticks in my mind as one of the most fascinating and insightful books in this category that I’ve read. I also find it works well in conversation with the personal memoirs from women who have escaped these communities. Content warnings apply. More info →

Uncultured

Author: Daniella Mestyanek Young

Daniella Mestyanek Young grew up in Brazil, not just a member of The Children of God but a child of the leadership. In this memoir, she recounts her abuse as a child, leading up to her escape at fifteen years old. Young’s journey was not over yet: she pursues a long-denied education and joins the Army as a way to build a new future for herself. Yet Young struggles in this move from one high control group to another (albeit of a very different type), and questions how the hierarchies and regimentation of the military are impacting her on her healing journey. I’ve found many cult memoirs end shortly after the victim’s escape; Young’s stands apart in offering a close look at what her journey out looked like and the struggles she encountered along the way. I listened to this memoir on audio, as narrated by the author, and recommend this format. Content warnings apply. More info →

Counting the Cost

Author: Jill Duggar

Jill Duggar, one of the eponymous children of the popular TV show 19 Kids and Counting, tells her story (alongside her husband Derick) in this memoir. Growing up within a large family that followed the teachings of the high control religious organization Institute in Basic Life Principles, Duggar was subject to legalistic expectations rooted in patriarchal systems of control and strict gender roles. But the control went further than that, from financial manipulation to the now well-documented abuse by her older brother (which she touches on, but does not explore in detail in this memoir). As someone who was entertained by this show in my younger years, I really enjoyed Duggar’s accounting and applaud her choice to speak out and make different choices from her family and church, as well as her honest conversations about pursuing therapy and learning to advocate for herself and set boundaries with family members who had harmed her in the past. Content warnings apply. More info →

Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church

Author: Megan Phelps-Roper

Megan Phelps-Roper grew up in the Westboro Baptist Church, which made headlines for picketing funerals of soldiers during the wars of the early 2000s and for their violently homophobic rhetoric. Phelps-Roper grew up holding those picket signs and explaining to others how God’s truth aligned with these hateful statements. As a member of a loving family, she never questioned her beliefs….until one day, she did. I appreciated Phelps-Roper’s ability to capture the nuance of loving her family while knowing she needed to leave them and start a new life. I also found her stories of reconciliation with some of the people she’d hurt along the way to be quite powerful. I discovered this memoir while listening to a podcast hosted by the author, and it offered an interesting insight into a group that I distinctly recall from the headlines. Content warnings apply. More info →

Waco Rising: David Koresh, the FBI, and the Birth of America’s Modern Militias

Author: Kevin Cook

This 2023 title exploring the raid on the Branch Davidians’s compound draws on survivor accounts and recollections from law enforcement officials who were on the scene. Cook’s history is a can’t-put-it-down, detailed account of what happened at the Waco, Texas compound in 1993. Like many of my generation, I have a general recollection of Waco on the news, but knew few of the details until watching the Netflix documentary a few years back. Cook’s release added additional context and nuance to my understanding of this tragedy. Content warnings apply. More info →

Cartwheels in a Sari: A Memoir of Growing Up Cult

Author: Jayanti Tamm

This memoir explores one woman’s experiences with Sri Chinmoy, a spiritual leader who taught yoga, advocated celibacy, and became a widely followed teacher of meditation in New York before his organization and leadership were plagued by accusations of sexual misconduct and other abuses. Tamm shares her account of time spent with the man who counted among his fans Sting, Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, and others. From her birth into the organization, when Chinmoy claimed she would become the “perfect disciple,” to her banishment from the group at the age of 25, she takes the reader through her realization of Chinmoy’s hypocrisy. After observing his failure to abide by harsh restrictions required of group members, such as abstaining from sex, alcohol, caffeine, meat, and owning pets, as well as emotional and social abuse toward members of the group, Tamm was banned. I learned a lot about a group that I’d never heard of before, and appreciated Tamm’s willingness to share her story. Content warnings apply. More info →

Destroying the World to Save It: Aum Shinrikyo, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global Terrorism

Author: Robert Jay Lifton

Drawing on firsthand accounts, Lifton explores the inner workings of Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese cult that attacked Tokyo subways with sarin nerve gas, before turning a lens to other cults and high control groups across the years and around the world. So many books on cults and sects are narrowly focused on American experiences; I appreciated this broader take and opportunity to learn more about the Aum Shinrikyo cult, of which I knew nearly nothing before reading. While a bit dated—it was published in 2000—Lifton’s history is a solid addition to the shelf of any curious reader. Content warnings apply. More info →

Do you have any favorite books about cults or high control religious groups? Please share in the comments.

About the author

Holly Wielkoszewski is our What Should I Read Next Media Production Specialist. Her go-to genres are Fantasy and Sci-Fi. You can follow Holly on her Substack: A Liminal Life.

14 absorbing nonfiction books about cults and high control religious groups

46 comments

Faith says:

July 30, 2025 at 9:43 am

I too have a fascination with this subject. Thanks for the book recs. I usually watch the documentaries and do not know where to begin with books.
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 30, 2025 at 11:33 am
  
  Thanks Faith, I hope you find some good ideas in today’s post & comments!
Lindsay says:

July 30, 2025 at 9:46 am

Thanks for the recs, Holly! I’ve read three of these and now have additional books added to my TBR. Cult stories are fascinating to me! It’s my favorite sub-genre of memoir, for sure. I’ll add The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner as a suggestion.
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 30, 2025 at 11:34 am
  
  I’ve heard so many people recommend The Sound of Gravel and yet it’s somehow escaped me so far. I’ll be sure to check it out!
  - Paula says:
    
    July 30, 2025 at 6:28 pm
    
    The Sound of Gravel is fascinating. I listened to the book read by the author. Very gripping and tragic story.
- Bethany says:
  
  August 4, 2025 at 2:27 pm
  
  I was going to recommend the same book!
liz wright says:

July 30, 2025 at 9:50 am

The book that had the most impact on me was The Exvangelicals:Loving, Living and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 30, 2025 at 11:34 am
  
  Oh, thank you for the suggestion!
Megan Z says:

July 30, 2025 at 10:11 am

The witness wore red is a fascinating and sad account of polygamous/fundamentalist Mormonism. I read it after watching Keep sweet: pray and obey documentary on Netflix. It ties in a bit to Under the banner of Heaven.
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 30, 2025 at 11:34 am
  
  I will check this out, thank you Megan.
  - Pamela Karol says:
    
    July 30, 2025 at 1:44 pm
    
    Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman is a great read regarding Hasidic Jewish communities in NYC.
- Kristi C says:
  
  July 30, 2025 at 11:51 am
  
  Stolen Innocence ties into them as well. Her and the “…Red” author are half(?) sisters. I think The Polygamist’s Daughter is related to Under the Banner of Heaven too. If I remember correctly, the author’s father had a hand in those murders?
  
  Both “Stolen” and “Polygamist’s” are very interesting and ,of course, a bit hard to read due to the difficulties of the children’s lives.
Catherine Barrett says:

July 30, 2025 at 10:21 am

I recently read Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming and it would be a great addition to this list! It’s categorized as YA but it read like adult nonfiction to me. I assume an adult book about Jonestown might be more graphic and explicit, but this one was well done researched and written, eye opening and thought provoking. Highly recommend!
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 30, 2025 at 11:34 am
  
  Oh, fascinating: I love the idea of a YA take on such a difficult story.
- Courtney Barnett Ivaska says:
  
  July 31, 2025 at 3:17 pm
  
  Here to say this!
Carol L Fosdick says:

July 30, 2025 at 10:35 am

Thanks for the recs. I have read some and look forward to reading more!
Cathy B says:

July 30, 2025 at 10:37 am

Holly, the 2 that came to mind that I’ve read, (besides Educated), are Hollywood Park, by Mikel Jollett and The True Happiness Company, by Veena Dinavahi. Can’t say I “enjoyed” them, but they were fascinating. Both 4-star reads for me.
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 30, 2025 at 6:12 pm
  
  Thanks for these recommendations, Cathy!
Naomi says:

July 30, 2025 at 10:47 am

I would add

The Polygamist’s Daughter by Anna LeBaron
The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner
The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 30, 2025 at 6:12 pm
  
  Thank you Naomi!
Janna Steele says:

July 30, 2025 at 11:13 am

Cultish is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. I recommend it frequently. Looking forward to exploring other books on this list.
Claire says:

July 30, 2025 at 11:24 am

I read a few years ago Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett the frontman for the group The Airborne Toxic Event. He was raised in the Synanon Cult. Cult memoirs are not my thing, but I’m glad I read this one.
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 30, 2025 at 6:13 pm
  
  Oh interesting, thanks for putting that one on my radar.
Elizabeth says:

July 30, 2025 at 12:32 pm

Leaving the Saints by is Martha Beck’s memoir about leaving the Mormon church and understanding the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. A courageous exploration of how she found the strength to do so and how she recovered.
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 30, 2025 at 6:13 pm
  
  Thanks for the recommendation, Elizabeth—I haven’t read that one yet!
Karla Teague says:

July 30, 2025 at 12:32 pm

I live in Oregon, and have actually been to what was once Rashneeshpuram (and is now a beautiful camp owned by Young Life). The sad truth is that this has happened before in Oregon, in the Corvallis area, 1903-1905. In all my Oregon history classes (I took a few), this was never mentioned.
The book I read about it is Brides of Eden by Linda Crew. The book itself is fiction, published in 2001, but after I read it I went looking for more and found a non-fiction e-book titled Holy Rollers: Murder and Madness in Oregon’s Love Cult by T. McCracken and Robert B. Blodgett. It includes photos and links to newspaper articles. Fascinating and sad.
I have a few of yours on my TRB shelf, so thanks for the nudge.
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 30, 2025 at 6:14 pm
  
  Fascinating—thanks for sharing this one, Karla. I will check it out!
- Bethany says:
  
  August 4, 2025 at 2:30 pm
  
  I just put the two books you mentioned on hold at my Oregon library. Thanks for the suggestions!
Gaylene says:

July 30, 2025 at 12:38 pm

This is such a thought-provoking sub-genre. Thank you for including the non-American and non-Christian titles. I’ve definitely added them to my TBR. I think it’s good to read and think about how we can be susceptible to extremism and what we can do to recognize and protect ourselves from it.
These are some books in the cult sub-genre that I’ve read and recommended. The memoirs by Carolyn Jessup and Shannon Harris are good. Jessup detailed getting away from FLDS in Escape and revisited it in Triumph: Life after the Cult–a Survivor’s Lessons, where she talks about the Yearning for Zion Ranch raid and her pain over her older daughter’s decision to remain FLDS. Harris left a high-control Christian church when her husband’s ministry crumbled, and her descriptions of the levels of control are uncomfortable.
In fiction, I’d recommend The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, a YA novel, and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, which has cult and dystopian elements.
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 30, 2025 at 6:15 pm
  
  Thanks, Gaylene! I’ve read Jessup’s first memoir but not her follow-up, and I’ll look into the memoir from Harris, too.
Erin P says:

July 30, 2025 at 3:50 pm

Cult memoirs are guilty pleasure! Thanks for sharing. I added a few.od these to my TBR. I have a few that I can reccomend as as well: Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life
Book by Sarah Edmondson, Troublemaker by Leah Rememi, A Billion Year Contract: My Escape from Scientology by Mike Rinder,and Bad Morman by Heather Gay. Have a great of the summer all!
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 30, 2025 at 6:16 pm
  
  Thanks for all of these recs, Erin!
Laura says:

July 30, 2025 at 4:05 pm

A lighter memoir that was interesting but also made me laugh quite a bit is “Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home”.
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 31, 2025 at 9:41 am
  
  Thanks Laura – I’ve heard of that one but haven’t read it yet.
- Bethany says:
  
  August 4, 2025 at 2:33 pm
  
  I just borrowed the audio from Libby. Thanks for the recommendation!
Shirleen says:

July 30, 2025 at 4:40 pm

Cults Like Us: Why Doomsday Thinking Drives America by Jane Borden and Bunker by Bradley Garrett. These are not cult memoirs but they do give a lot of background and there are some really interesting people. Both are wonderful reads. I have read Garrett’s book twice and although it’s more about doomsday preppers you will see the cult ideas (especially the us versus them)come through. It seems as though cults are really an integral part of our national identity and so many people are attracted to them for so many different reasons.
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 31, 2025 at 9:42 am
  
  Oh, I will have to add both of these to my TBR! Thank you Shirleen.
Laura says:

July 30, 2025 at 8:49 pm

The Witness Wore Red by Rebecca Musser is a page-turner and the audio version of Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini is also really good. Love books like these!
- Holly Wielkoszewski says:
  
  July 31, 2025 at 9:42 am
  
  Thank you Laura!
Audrey says:

July 31, 2025 at 9:28 am

I really enjoyed The Polygamists Daughter by Anna Lebaron
April says:

July 31, 2025 at 9:59 am

Wow, what a great list of fascinating reading. I second “Educated” and “Unfollow” and would add “Troublemaker” and “The Polygamist’s Daughter.”
Corene says:

July 31, 2025 at 11:21 am

Thank you so much for this list! As someone who was raised in a fundamentalist Christian church that most of my family still attend, I have found encouragement in many of these memoirs. One I haven’t seen on the list is “Leaving the Witness” by Amber Scorah, about leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Lauren says:

July 31, 2025 at 6:35 pm

For any Survivor fans – Parvati Shallow just released her memoir “Nice Girls Don’t Win,” which talks about her childhood in a cult and how it affected her as an adult (and why it made her a good Survivor player!).
Nancy White says:

August 4, 2025 at 12:19 pm

I have found this conversation fascinating. I don’t think I’ve read many in this subgenre, but I do have some of these on my shelves. In reading Ben Shattuck’s short story collection, The History of Sound this week, I realized one of the stories fits into this area perfectly. The story is called The Children of New Eden and takes place in 1696 – a time period I would not have thought for cults. I would highly recommend the entire collection
Melanie says:

August 4, 2025 at 12:33 pm

Sex Cult Nun by Faith Jones is wild but worth a read. She grew up in and left the Children of God cult. Content warnings galore.
Lyndsey says:

August 6, 2025 at 12:11 pm

Rachel Jeffs book “Breaking Free: How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and My Father, Warren Jeffs” is another fascinating read.

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14 absorbing nonfiction books about cults and high control religious groups

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