Thanks again to Jake for this Book Exchange gift! I tore right through this one, as it hits a lot of my interest areas and is well written. Sex Cult Nun details Faith Jones’ life growing up in the Children of God/The Family cult during the 80s and 90s. Having watched several documentaries and read about this group before, this was less of a shocking book for me than for someone who has no knowledge about the Children of God. For me, it was more like watching a horror movie in slow motion when I already know that the killer is coming. Jones is a very solid writer and this is a very readable book. There were no bits that I was having to work my way through, and I felt that she really pushed herself to write an emotionally honest memoir, which can often be so difficult for people to do. I really respected the transparency in this book.
Jones’s paternal grandfather was the leader of the Children of God, which meant that her family enjoyed a certain amount of fame and slight leeway within the group. It was very interesting to read about this cult from the point of view of a direct relation and to see the family history playing out. I had never known the details of David Berg’s upbringing and family background, and the thread of religious missionary work added some depth to my knowledge base. However, her connection to the cult’s leader doesn’t mean that she was treated humanely or gently, as she details an incredible amount of sexual, physical, and emotional child abuse throughout her childhood. Indeed, her family seems to be on the outskirts of the power structure, especially as she grows older.
What I appreciated the most about this book was her incredible strength of spirit and her powerful message of self-healing. She is able to work her way out of the group through her desire for knowledge, and she never sugar coats the incredible amount of effort she had to put forth. Her life is a testament to the power of education and perseverance. I especially liked the last chapters in which she details her approach to start dealing with her deep wounds. Overall, I thought this was well worth a read for anyone who is interested in high control groups, or in positive narratives of dealing with childhood trauma. My only qualm is the title, which I think is kind of misleading — it was definitely a sex cult, but the nun part is really questionable. I know that publishers usually suggest the title, so maybe that was their idea? In any case, it doesn’t detract from the message inside.
Warnings for: sexual, physical, and mental child abuse, rape, suicide, cult abuse, just all abuse. It’s a tough read as she is very transparent about what was done to her. People with trauma histories might really want to avoid this one.
