In the tradition of Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven, Don Lattin's Jesus Freaks is the story of a shocking pilgrimage of revenge that left two people dead and shed new light on The Family International, one of the most controversial religious movements to emerge from the spiritual turmoil of the sixties and seventies.
Some say The Family International-previously known as the Children of God-began with the best intentions. But their sexual and spiritual excesses soon forced them to go underground and follow a dark and dangerous path. Their charismatic leader, David "Moses" Berg, preached a radical critique of the piety and hypocrisy of mainstream Christianity. But Berg's message quickly devolved into its own web of lies. He lusted for power and unlimited access to female members of his flock-including young girls and teenagers-and became a drunken tyrant, setting up re-indoctrination camps around the world for rebellious teenagers under his control.
Thousands of children raised in The Family would defect and try to live normal lives, but the prophet's heir apparent, Ricky "Davidito" Rodriguez, was unable to either bear the excesses of the cult or fit into normal society. Sexually and emotionally abused as a child, Ricky left the fold and began a crusade to destroy the only family he ever knew, including a plot to kill his own mother.
Veteran journalist Don Lattin has written a powerful, engrossing book about this uniquely American tragedy. Jesus Freaks is a cautionary tale for those who fail to question the prophesies and proclamations of anyone who claims to speak for God.
About the Author :
Don Lattin is one of the nation's leading journalists covering alternative and mainstream religious movements and figures in America. His work has appeared in dozens of U.S. magazines and newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle, where he covered the religion beat for nearly two decades. Lattin has also worked as a consultant and commentator for Dateline, Primetime, Good Morning America, Nightline, Anderson Cooper 360, and PBS's Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. He is the author of Jesus Freaks: A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge, and Following Our Bliss: How the Spiritual Ideals of the Sixties Shape Our Lives Today, and is the coauthor of Shopping for Faith: American Religion in the New Millennium.
Review :
"Jesus Freaks is a page-turner and a heart-stopper, a descent into an inner circle of hell in the the guise of hippie heaven. It is also an intimate tale of a family scandal compounded of sexual exploitation and betrayal, psychological terror, and cold-blooded murder. Above all, Don Lattin's gripping and masterful book is an eye-opening account of how religious true belief can go terribly and tragically wrong." - Jonathan Kirsch, author of A History of the End of the World
"Jesus Freaks recounts a religion slipping into the abusive madness of its leader, with deadly consequences for generations. Using primary documents and interviews with key people who witnessed the madness unfold, Don Lattin has written a compelling account of a religion that damaged thousands and witnessed the fatal crimes of a man once touted as its future prophet." - Stephen Kent, professor of sociology, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada
"A tragic and gripping story with powerful and chilling detail that leaves the reader disturbed, but full of insights into how Berg built his church. The story moves quickly, and the depth of research, the drama of the writing and the book's strong organization are impressive." - Tim Reiterman, author (with John Jacobs) of Raven -- The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and his People
"Jesus Freaks is a gripping, lucid, and heart-wrenching account of life inside a well-known religious cult surrounded by controversy since the 1960s. A must-read for anyone who wants to better understand the potential dangers of too much power and too much faith, this book provides an in-depth, insightful, and often startling look at one home-grown manifestation of rigid fundamentalism combined with righteous fanaticism. In today's environment of religious extremism, global terrorism, and the growing international sex trade, this is a book not to be ignored." - Janja Lalich, author of Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults
"Most people have heard of Jonestown and Waco. Now, thanks to Don Lattin's reportorial skill, they will know about the horrors of The Family - an international cult immersed in child molestation, deception and authoritarian control. Lattin, a veteran religion reporter, paints a horrifying picture of what happens when abuse is cloaked in religiosity, and the devastating impact on a generation of children held hostage to that abuse." - Judy Muller, Associate Professor of Journalism, USC Annenberg School for Communication
"Don Lattin has written a gripping and masterful account of a toxic, sex-soaked cult that espoused free love and instead spawned frightening violence. Jesus Freaks is a spectacular read, and with it Lattin, one of the country's foremost religion journalists, has shown himself to be as adept as Bugliosi and Krakauer at plumbing the depths of group fanatacism." - David McCumber, managing editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"Don Lattin deserves enormous credit for resaerching the story of Berg and The Family." - Bookslut.com
"Eminently readable. A treasure trove for those curious about aberrant cultic enterprises." - Booklist
"Don Lattin's pulsating page-turner mixes religion, sex and 60s weirdness in a heady brew. His well-researched account of the Children of God deftly places this new religious movement in the mainstream of alternative American spirituality." - Diane Winston, Knight Chair in Media and Religion at the University of Southern California, and author of Red Hot and Righteous: The Urban Religion of the Salvation Army
"Don Lattin draws on his long experience as a religion reporter to paint a disturbing picture of a fringe movement steeped in sex and domination. Jesus Freaks is both terrifying and fascinating." - Jim Willse, Editor, The New Jersey Star-Ledger
Riveting exploration of one example of religion gone terribly wrong. - Kirkus Reviews
"Don Lattin has written a book that will sear its way into your mind like a late August California sunset. As you follow the twisted lives of David Brandt Berg and the people involved in the Children of God, you can't help but wonder: is this a simple tale of perverted values and pathological excess, or is this the inevitable consequence of giving free reign to the spirit..." - Harold Rabinowitz, editor, Encyclopedia of Religion in America.
