Recs if you like Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith...

Fiction and non-fiction that examines how the Christian cultural hegemony and belief system has been co-opted as a tool of oppression and exploitation throughout history. Speculative works included, so long as the underlying narrative and commentary directly engages with some aspect of religious control as a primary theme. Always open to suggestions! (Please note that this List aims to critique Christianity as a worldwide institution, not to promote hate against individual practitioners)

microhistory: the intensive historical investigation of a well defined smaller unit of research (such as an event, community, individual or a settlement); it aspires to "ask large questions in small places"

i love when historical nonfiction is hyperspecific so

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

Do you listen to True Crime Poscasts on a Friday night with your cat? Think you could solve the Unsolved?

Books featuring True Crimes of the Past and Present.

Nonfiction or “inspired by” allowed, but no straight up fiction. Suggestions welcome!

Books that focus on “fun fact” histories, people, concepts, crimes, developments and snapshots from human history.

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

Who doesn’t love a good ole fashion cult?

Contains fiction & nonfiction.

To find horror it seems we need look no further than our fellow human beings. All these true crime books have themes ranging from the detriment of patriarchal norms in institutions and family dynamics, systemic racism, corporate and personal greed, homophobia, failures in the justice system and/or stigma of mental health and substance abuse treatment.

true crime and true crime adjacent.

This list contains 1 book from each of the 50 states (author or topic), Presidents & First Ladies, other American authors & works of note. The good, the bad, the ugly - a lot has happened in 250 years.

Ideas for the 'Road Trip' and 'Traipsing Through Regions' squares of the board :) and maybe at a push, the 'Biomes' square too!

Books are set in regions from around the world, countries around the world or states of the USA (outside of the heavily populated NYC/CA)

This is a list of books for the Read The States Challenge. Read any on each of the state lists and be awarded the pride of knowing you have read all across the US!

religious nonfiction that borders on cult studies

Accessible, interesting and compulsively readable non-fiction across a variety of genres for the non-fiction curious — compiled by someone who barely reads non-fiction. 😉

This list is started only with books I've read, but I'm open to recs!

nothing but the best here

Books about true crime