The Oracle's Daughter: The Rise and Fall of an American Cult

ISBN: 166801887X

Author: Hill, Harrison

Condition: New

Terrifying, gripping, all true. I couldnt put it down. -Stephen KingExcellent...told with rare sensitivity...Hill is an extremely skilled writer, and his conscientious, measured reporting is a gift...The immediacy with which Hill portrays [his subjects] conflicted longings gives the book the propulsive feel of a novel. -The New York Times Book ReviewA deeply compelling (Booklist) chronicle of the rise and fall of a woman-led cult-and the enduring allure of extremism across Americas turbulent religious history.On a cool fall night in 1999, twenty-six-year-old Sarah Green crept out of her house, retrieved a backpack from its hiding place, and ran for her life. She was escaping not just the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps, a paramilitary religious cult based in the New Mexico desert, but also the cruelty of the cults leader-her mother, Deborah.In this incredible new book (CrimeReads), Harrison Hill traces the extraordinary twists and turns (NPR) of the groups development, from its early days as an outgrowth of the 1960s counterculture, through its descent into conspiracy-fueled abuse, to the explosive trial that would lead to its downfall. The Oracles Daughter is the story of three women-Deborah, the groups founder and self-proclaimed oracle; Maura, one of its first members; and Sarah, Deborahs daughter-bound together by a punitive, baroque set of radical beliefs and practices, including exorcism, kidnapping, and the horrific mistreatment of those who fell out of the leaders favor.Though ACMTC was radical in its beliefs and deprivations, its history provides a window into the broader sweep of American faith. The Oracles Daughter also explores the fascinating world of cults-and gives a bracing sense of how mainstream the fringe can get (Oprah Daily).