Mass weddings. Matching ceremonies where people meet their future spouses for the first time. Desperate flower-sellers approaching bar customers late at night. Isolated farms where young men and women are rapidly transformed into fanatical devotees of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. All these are well-known aspects of life in the Unification Church, often called the "Moonies." In Heartbreak and Rage: Ten Years Under Sun Myung Moon, a Cult Survivor's Memoir, K. Gordon Neufeld recalls his participation in all of these events in a powerful and engrossing, yet sometimes wistful and tender, memoir. Even when he was rejected by the woman Moon chose for his bride, and by the church to which he was dedicated, he refused to give up. This is an unforgettable story of persistence, devotion, love and loss. Now, in this new second edition of his memoir, Neufeld brings the reader up to date, by recounting the wonderful life and love he has found following publication of the first edition. Though the first edition ends on a pensive, yet slightly sad note, the second edition is much more reassuring, showing that even the most difficult circumstances, once endured, can lead to a life of creative fire and redeeming love.
Why would an aspiring young writer of fiction and poetry such as author K. Gordon Neufeld join an extreme religion like the Unification Church of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon? How did Neufeld's involvement in this group impact his creative writing, and how did writing impact his involvement? After leaving the group, how did Neufeld process his experiences through creative writing? Finally, what value can writing have for other survivors of extreme religions? These are the questions this book explores, while providing samples of Neufeld's creative writing from 1973 to 2013. The four questions are explored in a series of four academic papers presented at conferences of the International Cultic Studies Association. The sample writings range from highly intense personal reflections to zany and irreverent spoofs, and include many sensitive, thoughtful short stories and poems. This collection will be of interest to academics wanting to understand the psychological roots and effects of cultic involvement, and also to general readers who just want to read a good story.
A woman follows her guru on a wearying trek through the wilderness. A teenage girl who will soon be married in a polygamous sect makes a break for freedom. These are just two stories in this startling collection by K. Gordon Neufeld, author of "Heartbreak and Rage"and "Cult Fiction.
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