Cult Following

'A harrowing-but-moving story' - Stylist 'Raw, brave and vulnerable. Told with such clarity and purpose' - Maxine Mei-Fung Chung 'A brave and deeply moving story of fierce spirit' - Dakota Johnson Bexy Cameron was in her late twenties when the dark events of her past finally caught up with her. Bexy was born into the Children of God, one of the world's most notorious cults. She was 9 years old when she experienced her first exorcism, held in a secret commune deep in the British countryside. At 10, she was placed on Silence Restriction, forced to be silent for a whole year. Even from an early age, she knew what was happening was not right. At the age of 15, she escaped, leaving behind her parents and 11 siblings. Haunted by her past, Bexy set off on a road trip across America, embedding herself in the underbelly of religious cults, living with children who, like her, are born into the worlds their parents and cult leaders have created for them. It is a journey of meth cooks, monks, Jesus Freaks, soap-making Armageddonists, surveillance vans and finally, confronting her parents and herself.

'A harrowing-but-moving story' - Stylist 'Raw, brave and vulnerable. Told with such clarity and purpose' - Maxine Mei-Fung Chung 'A brave and deeply moving story of fierce spirit' - Dakota Johnson Bexy Cameron was in her late twenties when the dark events of her past finally caught up with her. Bexy was born into the Children of God, one of the world's most notorious cults. She was 9 years old when she experienced her first exorcism, held in a secret commune deep in the British countryside. At 10, she was placed on Silence Restriction, forced to be silent for a whole year. Even from an early age, she knew what was happening was not right. At the age of 15, she escaped, leaving behind her parents and 11 siblings. Haunted by her past, Bexy set off on a road trip across America, embedding herself in the underbelly of religious cults, living with children who, like her, are born into the worlds their parents and cult leaders have created for them. It is a journey of meth cooks, monks, Jesus Freaks, soap-making Armageddonists, surveillance vans and finally, confronting her parents and herself.

From the author of Cursed Objects and The United States of Cryptids, an eye-popping compendium of the most infamous, audacious, and dangerous cults in history. How do smart, normal people end up enmeshed in extreme cults? Weird history expert J. W. Ocker strives to answer that question in Cult Following. Everything you ve ever wanted to know about history s most notorious cults and the psychology of the people who join them is packed into this accessible, engaging volume. Walk in the footsteps of the followers who were lured into such sinister groups as: Branch Davidians: Led by David Koresh, this cult was waiting out the apocalypse in 1993 when the FBI infamously raided their compound in Waco, Texas. Los Narcosatanicos: This cult of drug traffickers in 1980s Mexico was led by Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, who believed he possessed magic powers and committed human sacrifice. The Seekers: The infiltration and study of this, the earliest known UFO cult, by psychologists inspired the term cognitive dissonance. Ho No Hana Sanpogyo: The founder, Hogen Fukunaga, claimed to be able to tell someone s fortune by examining their feet. Breatharianism: Breatharians believe that humans can live on air alone. Their founder, Wiley Brooks, claimed to have gone without food for nineteen years. NXIVM: This twenty-first-century cult attracted several Hollywood actresses and engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, and racketeering under the guise of personal development seminars. In Cult Following, Ocker sheds light on the terrifying attraction of cults, demonstrating the elasticity of belief, the desperateness of belonging, and the tragedy of trust.

From the author of Cursed Objects and The United States of Cryptids, an eye-popping compendium of the most infamous, audacious, and dangerous cults in history. How do smart, normal people end up enmeshed in extreme cults? Weird history expert J. W. Ocker strives to answer that question in Cult Following. Everything you ve ever wanted to know about history s most notorious cults and the psychology of the people who join them is packed into this accessible, engaging volume. Walk in the footsteps of the followers who were lured into such sinister groups as: Branch Davidians: Led by David Koresh, this cult was waiting out the apocalypse in 1993 when the FBI infamously raided their compound in Waco, Texas. Los Narcosatanicos: This cult of drug traffickers in 1980s Mexico was led by Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, who believed he possessed magic powers and committed human sacrifice. The Seekers: The infiltration and study of this, the earliest known UFO cult, by psychologists inspired the term cognitive dissonance. Ho No Hana Sanpogyo: The founder, Hogen Fukunaga, claimed to be able to tell someone s fortune by examining their feet. Breatharianism: Breatharians believe that humans can live on air alone. Their founder, Wiley Brooks, claimed to have gone without food for nineteen years. NXIVM: This twenty-first-century cult attracted several Hollywood actresses and engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, and racketeering under the guise of personal development seminars. In Cult Following, Ocker sheds light on the terrifying attraction of cults, demonstrating the elasticity of belief, the desperateness of belonging, and the tragedy of trust.