FAMILY TALES: A Circle of Murder and Madness

Other former members of the cult who had left on their own accord independently verified his claims of abuse. Lattin, an award-winning journalist and religious editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, has followed the Children of God for many years interviewing members and former members. Using these interviews to tell the story Lattin works his way from the cults origins to the tragic events that led to this murder suicide.

There is nothing remotely intriguing about these people, their cult, and the terrible things that they did, and still do in the name of god and their religion. Other than shock value the idea that this sort of religious abomination actually exists is terrifying. Aug 01, Jillian rated it liked it. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I just finished reading this book so much for summer reading: Although it is not the most well written book I have ever come across, which is surprising considering the author is a journalist, I found it incredibly interesting.

The cult sometimes known as The Family, Children or God or the Family International was a non-denominational religious group born out of the free love and political rebel I just finished reading this book so much for summer reading: The cult sometimes known as The Family, Children or God or the Family International was a non-denominational religious group born out of the free love and political rebellion of the 's.

As time wore on however, the cult's leader spiraled into insanity, alcoholism and perversion which culminated in his so-called Laws of Love. This principle advocated the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and prostitution for Jesus. This book provided some excellent insight into the methods used by those in the inner circle to assert absolute control over their legions of followers. I was struck by the condition of those that left the cult. Their utter hopelessness and inability to not only go mainstream, but to overcome the abuse they suffered.

The last chapter has thoughtprovoking discussion about abuse versus the perception of abuse. I found it interesting that although Ricky was made to have sex and simulated sex with adults and children, he did not recognize it as sexual abuse until his twenties when he entered the world of the Systemites and discovered for the first time that such behavior is out the norm in mainstream society. Overall, a decent read for anyone interested in cults and how cults operate.

This is a hard book to review. Due to the subject matter and that the book is not really that well written, even though the author is a journalist. I only gave it 2 stars, a rating of OK. In the last half of the 60s around the time of the Summer of Love, this cult started picking up momentum.

How anyone could believe some of it is hard to imagine, since unlike some This is a hard book to review. How anyone could believe some of it is hard to imagine, since unlike some cults around that time, drugs were not involved. It just shows you that some sickos can twist the Bible to their own meaning. Like a lot of groups around that time, it focused on "free love", but where it sways from a lot of groups is that it explains it as being sanctioned by God, Jesus, and the Bible.

Love thy neighbor as yourself. Another point, where it differs from many cults of that time is the free love includes all ages, which includes children, some as young as infants and toddlers. There was a point in the book, where I almost quit reading it. No wonder, the children born into the group who were able to break away from it in their late teens or twenties, had such high suicide rates. Unlike some books about radical religions, etc. The writing was also not very good either, for having been written by a journalist This book is disturbing.

I just want to say that straight out.

It deals with a bizarre cult known as The Family that got started in the late sixties and is still going today. The Family, at least at certain points in their history, have practiced some seriously icky stuff, including incest and child abuse. What makes the story interesting is that they started out as a fairly run-of-the-mill hippy "Jesus People"-style movement. They were, basically, evangelical fundamentalists. And then somehow, This book is disturbing.

Jesus Freaks: A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge

And then somehow, they went really off the rails and started predicting Armageddon and practicing things that no traditional Christian sect would countenance. The founders raised a generation of children within their community who, unsurprisingly, turned out to have serious issues. So much so that their 'chosen one', a kid they called Davidito who was supposed to be some sort of heavenly witness of the end times, ultimately set out to try and murder the leader.

Who, by the way, was also his mother. Needless to say, that doesn't end well. Since this is nonfiction, it's worth noting that everything doesn't get all wrapped up in a bow at the end.

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By virtue of their frequent international travels, the leaders of The Family have mostly managed to avoid answering in court for their crimes. Hopefully one day their victims will get the justice they deserve. This is not the easiest book to form an opinion on. The topic is probably one of the most heinous things to be written about - the systematic sexual, emotional and physical abuse of children under their brand of Christianity. The writing itself is average, but the topic overcomes the sub-par writing being such a There are strange gaps in the book's storyline that are puzzling, and distract from the on going disaster of the children's lives and the at times seemingly escalating depravity of the adult members of the group.

If not for such gaps I would rate it higher. Possibly the most distasteful and deplorable part of the entire book is that despite all the actions which have taken place, all the abuse, sexual and physical, the entire leadership has legally walked away clean as they covered their tracks, continually changed their names and moved from country to country.

These people are, basically, evil. They used religion as a means to exercise control over others to abuse them. This is a book about that. Jan 13, Gina rated it did not like it Shelves: I got a new textbook for a family class I'm teaching this semester. This book was listed in the references, and I read it to learn more. The story itself is fascinating covering some of the early history of Berg, the movem I got a new textbook for a family class I'm teaching this semester.

Unfortunately, this book is so poorly written and organized that I question its use as a source. The author is a journalist and has essentially taken a bunch of facts, strung together by quotes, and listed each with little regard for a timeline of any kind. Those sensitive to sexual issues for any reason should be warned that there are a few graphic depictions of sexual molestation discussed.

I'm still interested in this subject matter - would like a deeper history on the movement and a better analysis of the lack of criminal investigation and prosecution despite some of the publications by the church in the s. In looking for information on The Family, search elsewhere. Apr 20, Susan Bazzett-Griffith rated it really liked it Shelves: This book chronicles that story in a very thorough way, and is gripping, horrifying, and page-turning. After reading Lattin's book, I found myself looking up various documentaries about the cult on YouTube and was totally immersed in those as well.

The idea that such evil not only exists in the world, but that so many people can turn a blind eye to it and even endorse it is terrible. The lives of those who escaped seem uniformly tortured, with many committing suicide after some time on the outside, and the fact that the cult is still going strong is disheartening and disturbing, as how anyone, in this day and age of readily available information, could be swayed to join such a group, is simply disturbing. If you're interested in cults, this book is a quick, engrossing, and well-researched read.

Mar 24, Amanda rated it liked it. This is a very difficult book to rate so I will start with what's easiest. Considering that the author writes for The Atlantic I had expected better quality writing from him. I found that the writing lacked flow, repeated itself unnecessarily a few times and was disorganized in parts.

The actual story however was incredibly compelling and certainly made up for this.

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A family member had briefly been a member of this cult, originally called the Children of God, leaving once some of the more horrif This is a very difficult book to rate so I will start with what's easiest. A family member had briefly been a member of this cult, originally called the Children of God, leaving once some of the more horrifying ideology was made public to the group. Due to this learning more about the group's history was especially fascinating for me. Though I call the story compelling I don't want to mislead, it's like watching a trainwreck. The crimes committed by this cult at the highest level to some of the most vulnerable young children goes beyond belief.

This is some of the worst documented sexual abuse I have ever heard of starting for some of the children from birth. Before selecting this book please do keep this in mind as reading some of the accounts are very hard to stomach. Jun 11, Jennifer Daniel rated it it was ok Shelves: I am curious at what point does sanity and good sense leave you and you join a cult that endorses pedophelia? This story mainly dealt with the young man who was raised in "The Family" to be the messiah of the next generation.

Jesus Freaks: A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge by Don Lattin

Shockingly, a life time of sex abuse and witnessing what can only be described as perverted debauchery, he exploded in rage and murdered his former nanny. He then went on to take his own life. It was well written and the research was val Disturbing, sick, gross It was well written and the research was valid, I just had a hard time giving it more stars because the subject matter was so upseting. It is good to be aware of what these varied religious groups that are opperating are really endorsing.

You see a donation box or kids doing a carwash to raise money for mission work, you should have a firm understanding of where your money is going and if it is really supporting those causes or is it funding perverts. View all 3 comments. This may be why scholarly research, which is biased toward producing findings that support the reigning paradigms, ignores the anecdotal evidence in favor of dissenting theoretical views.

And these scholars are typically not published in the academic journals that would allow their theories to receive attention on a broader scale. Thus, the issue of why, how, and which cults engage in this type of abuse, and how to stop it, is rarely addressed in academic circles. The authors suggest veiled deceit on the part of the academic expert witnesses. Jesus Freaks, written by a renowned newspaper journalist well-versed in new religious movements and fundamentalist religious groups, provides a detailed life account of Ricky Rodriquez.

The book is recommended to anyone interested in cultic studies. The book chronicles the history of The Children of God. There were occasional inconsistencies with the names of characters, or perhaps the author was asked to change some names and not others. However, in a group that required new members to change their names on joining, encouraged name changes of members to disguise identity, and enforced frequent name changes of the top leaders where Ricky lived, it is remarkable that Lattin was able to keep pace with identities to the extent that he did. More importantly, he unravels the intricate processes involved in constructing a worldview that is as bizarre as it is hidden from all public scrutiny.

Whereas lawyers and expert witnesses have persuaded esteemed judges around the world to deny justice to its exploited and abused members, Lattin exposes not only the moral atrocities but also the criminal acts committed by its leaders. As noted earlier, it appears that the scholars who have dominated in academic publications largely overlook or discount abuse issues in these groups, especially in The Children of God.

Lattin writes in primarily chronological order with occasional flashbacks that might be difficult for a reader to follow. For example, when a new character is introduced, Lattin revisits earlier history of the group that allows the reader to gain a more in-depth understanding of the communal environment in which Ricky was raised. Lattin briefly recounts the histories of some of the other young adults he interviews—most have horrific stories of abuse. The author acknowledges that not all children born and raised in The Family had childhood experiences as damaging as did Ricky, who lived in the house of the leader, David Berg.

Such statements offer apologists fodder for their arguments. I first edited this sentence, but then realized that it probably should be deleted, for its point is opaque. However, this point seems to be a digression from the main point of the paragraph. I would delete the sentence. Without much effort, members of the second generation can be found who were able to live well-adjusted lives after leaving the cult and who may not think they needed to pursue justice and redemption.

Although Ricky and most of the second-generation ex-members interviewed in this book were indeed seriously abused by adult members, deserted by their own parents, and suffered lasting effects, it is possible to find second-generation members who left the group and who were able to live relatively well-adjusted, happy, and fulfilled lives.

Book Review - Jesus Freaks A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge

I recognize that in academic writing both sides of the cult debate tend to focus on accounts that favor their own perspectives. The so-called anti-cultists where I am categorized will promote the book to show how the group commits atrocities that must be acknowledged and analyzed in the literature. I will return to this point later. First I provide an overview of the main themes of the book. Long before Ricky is conceived, his mother, Karen Zerby, joins the newly formed group and soon becomes a personal secretary and mistress of its leader, David Berg.

Together with Berg, she has absolute power over the entire worldwide group and communicates with them through letters printed material sent to members only. Periodically, she and Berg order the systematic public ridicule and oftentimes physical torture of any members who question their authority. If such members are not repentant, they are excommunicated. Nobody believes that the dead men--Tommy Fielding, project supervisor for a new baseball stadium, and Jack Novak, attorney for the local drug runners--would be connected, but Stella Marz, head of the homicide division for the county prosecutor's office, soon discovers a link, and it isn't a pretty one.

Complicating matters is the fact that Marz and Novak were once lovers but separated when Marz realized that Novak was a nasty creep, morally and sexually. Politics also interferes with Marz's investigation. Her boss, Arthur Bright, is in a bruising campaign against the incumbent mayor, and it's widely assumed that Marz will become the county prosecutor if Bright is elected. The more she investigates, the more it looks like both murders are connected to the new stadium and the town's checkered past. While the stadium angle seems slim, Patterson has no trouble loading up his story with sexual strangeness, official corruption and other misdeeds.

Not as engaging as Patterson's "No Safe Place," but there are plenty of twists and kinks to get most readers through a day at the beach or a long night alone.

Main characters with recently deceased wives have been a mainstay of the genre in recent years, and thriller meister Greg Iles uses that theme for all it's worth in his latest. Penn Cage is a Texas-prosecutor-turned-novelist who is looking to get away from his work after his wife dies.

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Gathering up his daughter, Annie, he goes home to Natchez, Miss. The first thing he learns upon arriving in town is that his father is being blackmailed by redneck Ray Presley. Then, while being interviewed by the sexy publisher of the local newspaper, Cage mentions the year-old, unsolved local murder of black factory worker Del Peyton. The quote immediately gets the town up in arms, with blacks urging Cage to have the case reopened and whites warning him he's treading in dangerous waters.