Recs if you like A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology...

Books where cults are a significant part of the narrative. Some fiction, some non-fiction.

Memoirs from people who either are or were in religious movements or cults of any kind. This is not anti-religion, and includes memoirs of people still in their religions, and I am ALWAYS looking for more - please offer suggestions.

Books that feature religious trauma, cults, or high control groups that I've read or are on my tbr

These works (like Conspirituality and Doppelganger) show how high-control ideologies have moved out of the dark corners of the internet and into the mainstream by adopting the aesthetics of wellness, fitness, and motherhood. They teach us to recognize when the language of "liberation" is being used to build a new cage. This shit is insidious. The more you know

Suggestions from a girl who wrote her BA thesis on psychological manipulation and identity control in cults.

Moving beyond media spectacle and sensational narratives, these books examine the psychological, sociological, and historical frameworks that define high-control groups. Included are also non fiction books that provide insightful portrayals of cults and their impact on individual identity as well as group behavior.

non-fiction and memoirs about cults and high control groups/religions. some of these are on my tbr, some are books I've already read

Research material and references from the podcast. Relying heavily on lists made by others.