Cult, A Love Story: Ten Years Inside a Canadian Cult and the Subsequent Long Road of Recovery
The gripping true-life story of one young woman’s accidental journey into a cult.
And her escape a decade later.
It’s rarely obvious when a group is a cult. Most cults don’t advertise themselves as such: they are groups of people who look and act just like you and me. Not dangerous. Not deranged. At least, not at first.
The slide toward complete control of your personality, your thoughts, and your life is slow and virtually unnoticeable. Until it’s too late.
In this award-winning memoir, Alexandra Amor shines a light on cults so that others might learn from her heartbreaking experience. Amor gracefully and sensitively explains how ordinary and intelligent people get seduced into joining cults, why they stay despite the emotional and psychological abuse, and what the long process of recovery looks like once someone leaves a cult.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, audiobook and large print.
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Listen to a sample from the audiobook, narrated by the author (that’s me!)
A deep and personal dive into the psychology of cults
Alexandra’s memoir gives readers an intimate look at what being seduced into a cult looks like, including the very gradual indoctrination and manipulation that happens when a cult uses tools like isolation and love bombing on a new member.
Using Robert Lifton’s Criteria for Thought Reform the author explains for the layman how and why it is that intelligent people can join cults, and why leaving a cult can be so profoundly difficult.
An examination of cult recovery
The final third of the book shares the journey of cult recovery and what that can look like, including the layers of grief, guilt, and confusion that a victim must navigate.
Amor explores the complex processes that cult survivors go through in order to rebuild their identities after a cult experience and heal the shame and trust issues that come with being a cult survivor.
Who this book is for
Cult, A Love Story was written specifically for fellow cult survivors. Amor shares that when she was initially on her journey of cult recovery in the very early 2000s there weren’t many memoirs the subject. So when she was ready, she wrote the book she had wanted to read.
This award-winning memoir is also perfect for therapists and the family members of cult survivors or cult members who are trying to understand how someone can become ensnared in a cult.
Cult, A Love Story is well-suited to fans of Educated, Troublemaker, and Beyond Belief who are interested in personal stories of a cult experience and what the complicated transition away from this type of coercive control entails.
FAQ
Is this book about a real cult?
Yes, this is a first-hand memoir about Alexandra Amor’s ten years inside a high-control spiritual group in Canada during the 1990s.
Why do people – especially intelligent people – join cults?
Joining a cult is not something that only unworldly or unintelligent people do. Ordinary, thoughtful people can slowly become involved in manipulative groups through emotional influence, love bombing, idealism, and psychological pressure. Cult, A Love Story explores how this happens by unflinchingly detailing the author’s journey.
Does this book discuss recovery after leaving a cult?
Yes. It was very important to the author to share the complex and challenging emotional and psychological journey that cult survivors go through when they leave a high-control situation. The final part of the book takes a deep dive into the author’s experience of recovery and what that looked like for her.
What is the name of the cult Alexandra Amor was involved in?
The group that Alexandra became involved with didn’t have an official name. It started out as a meditation class and then gradually the coercive control the leader of the group was applying to her followers worsened.
Is the cult Alexandra Amor was involved in still operating?
Not really. The cult leader died in 2013. There are still a few of her followers who believe in her teachings but for the most part the group has disintegrated.
Where can I learn more about Alexandra Amor and her cult experience?
A couple of good resources where Alexandra is interviewed are episode 6 of the How We Escaped podcast, and episode 9 of the Project Hope podcast.
Who should read this book?
This book is for readers interested in cult psychology, coercive control, trauma recovery, memoir, and the process of rebuilding identity after manipulation and experience with a high-demand situation.
The book is used as part of the curriculum in a class about the study of cults at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa and it is ideal as an educational resource for university students.
