Resources!

All the books and podcasts I love!

Hi there!

I’ve wanted to do this for a while, just to take a moment to share all of the wonderful, brave stories that have either helped me heal or helped inform the way I want to tell my own story.

This is by no means an all-inclusive list of every bit of content that has helped me through the years - far from it actually.

The deconstruction and cult recovery communities have a lot of overlap and are fairly small (though growing!) So, I hope that somewhere in all of this, no matter what point you are at, you are able to find a story that resonates with you.

Please note that if you purchase a book from the links below, I do receive 10% of the sales, which is pretty cool in this stage of my life.

Books dealing with Religious Trauma

This list is pretty long, so I’ll just share my top 5.

1. A Well Trained Wife by Tia Levings

   Tia was a part of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) and has done a lot of healing. If you’ve ever watched the TLC show, 19 Kids and Counting, you might already have some familiarity with the IBLP. Growing up homeschooled in a rural environment, the IPLP was everywhere without anyone really realizing what it was. In comparison to this tightly structured system, the things we did at JPAC felt like freedom to me. You can also follow her Substack.

2. Rift by Cait West

   Cait is also writing about her family’s experiences with the IBLP. The thing that I loved the most about Cait’s memoir was her connection to the natural landscape. She connects shifts in the earth and climate with the shifts in her life and thinking throughout the book. Its’s really sensitive and beautiful. For me, her story mirrors a lot of the feelings I had before JPAC, when I was homeschooled. You can follow her Substack too!

3. Dating Jesus by Susan Campbell

   Sometimes you read a something, and you realize that you couldn’t express before has finally been put into words. That’s how I felt reading Susan Campbell’s book. Susan describes her somewhat idyllic childhood in a fundamentalist church and eventual disillusionment. Yet, for all the sexism and abuse she knows exists in the church, she also can’t quite let go of it. There’s a repeated phrase that shifts in context througout the last chapter and it absolutely shook my bones…I’ll keep it a secret for future readers :)

4. Cultish by Amanda Montell

   Probably the book that has most informed my thinking about cults! As a word nerd, I love the way Amanda breaks down the linguistic tools that cult leaders use to manipulate their followers. I especially recommend checking out this book because in July, I’m going to be publishing a series here based around it! Like a mini-sorta-bookclub, I’ll be writing a little bit about what I learned from chapters and suppling real-life examples of cult behavior from JPAC.

5. Spiritual Sobriety by Elizabeth Esther

   Elizabeth writes about the American church’s proclivity to chase “the next big thing” - whether it be obtaining higher levels of purity by increasing rules, crafting intense emotional situations, or just trying to be as unique or off grid as possible as a type of addiction. She offers reflective questions and journal prompts at the end of each chapter that I found very helpful in the beginning of my journey. You can follow her on Substack, where I have recently enjoyed reading about her mental health journey.

Books on Nature

Because no book list from me would be complete without something to do with gardening.

1. The Well-Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart-Smith

   Y’all will remember my series Nature and The Soul was inspired by this book and other musing on nature’s role in my life!

2. Tell About Night Flowers by Julia Eichelberger

3. Soil by Camille Dungy

4. Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life by Marta McDowell

Books on Cajun Language and Culture

One of my new favorite subjects for writing is my father’s side of the family. I’m learning new ways to think about generational trauma, linguistics, and colonization.

1. French on Shifting Ground by Nathalie Dajko

2. A Cajun Girl's Sharecropping Years by Viola Fontenot

3. Language in Louisiana by Nathalie Dajko and Shana Walton

4. Acadian to Cajun by Carl A. Brasseaux

5. Dictionary of Louisiana French by Albert Valdman and Kevin J. Rottet et al.

My favorite podcasts!

1. Sound like a Cult, hosted by Amanda Montell

   Not your typical cult podcast, Amanda is satirical, funny and irreverent and I love it! She really proves that almost anything can be a cult if you take it too far.

2. Magical Overthinkers, hosted by Amanda Montell

   In case y’all can’t tell, I really love Amanda’s work! This one talks about cognitive biases and managing the expectations that that the modern world puts way too much emphasis on.

3. A Little Bit Culty, hosted by Sarah Edmonston and Anthony “Nippy” Ames.

   This couple talks about their escape from the infamous NXIM and have fellow cult survivors on the show each week.

4. Honoring the Journey, hosted by Leslie Neese

   I love how warm Leslie is. Her show typically interviews folks who left traditional Christianity in search of an individual faith.

5. Our Stigma, hosted by Seth Perry

   Seth is a pastor, and his work explores the routes the church can take to tackle America’s ongoing mental health crisis - across faiths. He advocates for culturally sensitive treatment among other issues that are so important.

I hope that you all feel inspired this list and maybe find some information that might be helpful in your journey! I would love to hear about any books or other media that have impacted you, so please feel free to comment! I’m always looking for new things to dig into :)