Sex Cult Nun: Breaking Away from the Children of God, a Wild, Radical Religious Cult

In this outstanding debut, Jones recounts her upbringing in and escape from the infamous cult, the Children of God. Founded by her paternal grandfather, David Brandt Berg, in 1968, the group, later referred to as “the Family,” was notorious for its “radical practices,” which required members to become full-time missionaries, forgo income, and submit to the “Law of Love,” a doctrine which encouraged spouse sharing and sexual relations with children, and used female “disciples” as sex “bait” for followers. By the time Jones was born in Hong Kong in 1977—the seventh child in her parents’ polygamous family—the cult had fanned around the globe with around 10,000 members. In thrilling detail, she describes a childhood spent off the grid throughout Southeast Asia—where her family prepared for the “end times,” opting for prayer over education—and how, after years of struggling and incidents of sexual abuse, she emancipated herself at age 23 and, through self-taught study, was later accepted into Berkeley Law school. As Jones transports readers from Macau to Kazakhstan to the United States, Jones skillfully provides the mental framework to understand her past as an indoctrinated individual in hopes of helping others “stand up for themselves.” This remarkable account of self-liberation is not to be missed. Agent: Becky Sweren, Aevitas Creative Management. (Nov.)