This blog post contains links to 25 books-- mostly memoirs-- about religious abuse. And yes, I have read each of them (I am actually finishing one as I write this). You will find the link to the books below and if you want to read my reviews, click here on my Shelf labeled Religious Abuse in my Goodreads account. (I think you probably need to get into Goodreads first?).
TRIGGER WARNING: There is a whole load of horrible descriptions and information about various aspects of religious abuse that you may find disturbing and that may trigger you back to your own awful experiences of violence and/or manipulation. Please proceed at your own comfort and safety level. If you have undisclosed experiences that you might like to get help with, please speak to your family doctor or the contacts (for Canada) HERE or for the USA HERE
The ChurchToo Movement arrived pretty quickly on the heels of the MeToo Movement. In March 2017 on Twitter, Emily Joy Allison 'outed' her abuser who groomed her during her teens. The North American Evangelical Churches were rampant with sexual abuse and assault while presenting as the great purveyors of Purity. Emily Joy-- currently working on a Master's Degree in Theology with a concentration on religion, gender and sexuality at Vanderbilt University--wrote her first book exposing the "Purity Movement" and unearthing the damaging sexual violence and trauma of Church-related abuse. ChurchTwo: How Purity Culture Upholds Abuse And How To Find Healing.
While each of these books have a major theme of religious abuse, the form of the abuse takes may present in different ways with different protagonists in different religious constructs. In the books I have reviewed, almost all the writers are female victims. That certainly does not mean that women are the biggest victims of religious abuse, or does it? I'm not sure. It would seem that the Patriarchy is set up to be most punitive and harsh with women, children and other marginalized persons. Adherence to a patriarchal belief system appears to be a major marker for both religious persecutors and their victims. The abusers are generally those with some power over the victim: pastors, evangelists, teachers, other zealous "believers," parents, and often, "the religious system" made up of the fundamental beliefs, the hierarchy in place to lead, administer, recruit, and protect the system.
Of the 25 books, the vast majority are about living in an isolated, abusive, cultic "Christian" family or community of "believers". No, I do not believe that all of the denominations represented in these books are "cults", but it seems that fundamentalist, legalistic, patriarchal groups form more readily from out of the larger conservative religious communities when differences of opinion and reformative change is on the table. But still, not all the books describe abuse with smaller cult groups, the results of schisms. Some abuse actually is condoned within the larger Church proper.
CHURCH-TOO Movement
The ChurchToo Movement arrived pretty quickly on the heels of the MeToo Movement. In March 2017 on Twitter, Emily Joy Allison 'outed' her abuser who groomed her during her teens. The North American Evangelical Churches were rampant with sexual abuse and assault while presenting as the great purveyors of Purity. Emily Joy-- currently working on a Master's Degree in Theology with a concentration on religion, gender and sexuality at Vanderbilt University--wrote her first book exposing the "Purity Movement" and unearthing the damaging sexual violence and trauma of Church-related abuse. ChurchTwo: How Purity Culture Upholds Abuse And How To Find Healing.
A steady stream of disclosures of grooming and abuse by prominent religious leaders has been running ever since Emily Joy stepped forward.
If you were groomed and / or assaulted by a religious leader-- priest, pastor, teacher, counselor, praise team member, elder, another person with more power than you have-- you might be interested in The Hope of Survivors; a confidential place to start your healing with others who have also experienced Clergy Sexual Abuse. The facilitators are experienced, educated and empathetic. They have useful and important information that will help you move forward
25+ BOOKS ABOUT RELIGIOUS ABUSE
The Way, The Truth by J. Wium Growing up and away from the 2x2 sect with its unexplained support of CSA predators
Shunned: How I Lost My Religion and Found Myself by Linda A. Curtis Exiting with grace from the Jehovah's Witness Organization.
Run, Hide, Repeat: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Pauline Dakin This book sticks in my head because it identified the perpetrator as having "delusional personality disorder" which seems to be the disorder of some people I know. Not nice for the victims.
Banished: Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church by Lauren Drain A braver young woman you would be hard pressed to find! 14-minute video interview
Chasing Eden: A Memoir by Cherilyn Christin Clough Her parents believe God wants them to be isolated from the World.
Exodus: A Memoir by Deborah Feldman At age 23, Deborah Feldman left her abusive Hasidic Jewish marriage.
Fatty Legs: A True Story by
21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob and Cindy Joseph
Sins of the Mother: A Heartbreaking Story of A Woman's Struggle To Escape Her Past, and The Price Her Family Paid by Irene Kelly Inside story on the cruel Irish industrial orphanages
I Am Hutterite: The Fascinating True Story of a Young Woman's Journey to Reclaim Her Heritage by Mary-Ann Kirkby
A House in the Sky- A Memoir by Amanda Lindhout Pretty shocking how a single (for the most part) journalist was held hostage and raped for over a year in the "world's most dangerous country" (Somalia) and was able to express compassion and forgiveness about her assailants.
The Betrayal: the Shattering Sex Discrimination Case of Silver Vs. Pacific Press Publishing Association by Marikay (Silver) McLeod A feminist heroine of the struggle for equal pay for equal work in the Seventh-day Adventist publishing industry.
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafizi Staying one step ahead of the Morality Squad in Islamic Iran
Sin Bravely: A Memoir of Spiritual Disobedience by Maggie Rowe Crazy-making "Christianity"
Beautifully Broken: A Memoir by Reema Sukurmarin Is grooming and assault made easier for a trusted clergy when the victim was not considered of value by her #Adventist father?
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga Brought to you by the Residential School System
Daughter of Gloriavale: My Life in an Abusive Cult by Lilia Tarawa Hard to leave a cult when your whole life is bound up in it-- when your Grandfather is the revered Cult leader
Women Talking, A Novel by Miriam Toews "This amazing, sad, shocking but touching novel, based on a real-life event, could be right out of The Handmaid's Tale" (Margaret Atwood, Twitter)
One Church, Many Tribes by Richard Twiss "a rallying cry for the Church to work as one so that the lost may learn to walk in life with beauty, along the path of the Waymaker"
Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys: A Native-American Expression of the Jesus Way by Richard Twiss "For Twiss, contextualization is not merely a formula or evangelistic strategy, but rather a relational process of theological and cultural reflection within a local community. Native leaders reframe the gospel narrative in light of post-colonization, reincorporating traditional practices and rituals while critiquing and correcting the assumptions of American Christian mythologies."
Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up In A Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeff by Elissa Wall with Lisa Pulitzer
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover Sometimes "homeschooled" is code for "religious abuse and educational neglect"
I Am Malala, the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot By the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
Support your Public Library and/or School Library system. If a book is in your library, the author will receive a small royalty payment when you borrow the book (in Canada). If the book is NOT in your library, you can request that the library purchases it. They will be most willing to do this if the book is trendy and/or is still being printed and is published by a recognized publisher (not self-published or by an obscure publisher). The book will also need publishing registration. You can also often donate new books with publishing registration. Talk to your librarian. Get a library card and borrow books and other items from your public or school library.
You will also find these books in: tiny libraries (you can read them free and return them there)
Thrift Stores: like Value Village and your local Habitat for Humanity Re-Store or Salvation Army Thrift Store or the Store run by your local Women's Shelter etc. When you buy a book (or other item) in these stores, you generally support a charity at the same time!
Support your local book merchants: Can't get the book at any of the above places? Check out your local small bookstores-- they will order in-print books for you as well if they don't have them in stock. Keep your local economy vibrant.
If you choose to purchase books from the following two links, I will receive a small commission as an affiliate. None of that cost is added to your purchase. I really appreciate your support for this site and the content we provide. Thank you!
Kindle Books about religious abuse. (affiliate)
AMAZON.com (affiliate)
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