Читать книгу Cult Sister - Lesley Smailes - Страница 5

Stories are the treasures of my heart. I am rich with treasure. This one I took out of my chest with care and trepidation. I had kept it a hidden secret for years. It is complicated and convoluted and not an easy one to tell. For a long time I hesitated to share it for fear that people would think me crazy. It’s the story of the life-changing ten years I spent journeying around the United States as a member of a controversial religious group, living out of a backpack, having home births and surviving in strange and glorious ways.

I have included many letters, mostly the ones I wrote home and asked my mom to save as a diary for me. These letters paint an idyllic picture, leaving out a lot of the unpleasant realities of the difficult life I had chosen. Here is the real story. Although I have changed many of the names, it is as true as I can remember.