Books & Media That Changed My Life for the Better oN MY JOURNEY from Fundism to freedom

Born In Polygamy: A True Crime Autobiography
by Rebecca Kimbel  | May 14, 2020

Escape Prisons of the Mind
by Kaziah May Hancock  | Apr 12, 2022

“Read the best books first,
or you may not have
a chance to read them at all.”
– Henry David Thoreau

“If you are going to get anywhere in life,
you have to read a lot of books.”
– Roald Dahl

“Despite the enormous quantity of books,
how few people read!
And if one reads profitably,
one would realize how much stupid stuff
the vulgar herd is content to swallow every day.”
– Voltaire

“There are worse crimes than burning books.
One of them is not reading them.”
– Joseph Brodsky

“Employ your time in improving yourself
by other men’s writings
so that you shall come easily
by what others have labored hard for.”
– Socrates

“You don’t have to burn books
to destroy a culture.
Just get people to stop reading them.”
— Ray Bradbury

“When the student is ready,
the teacher comes.“

I’m grateful to the following writers, “teachers” whose work helped me escape, step-by-step….as I was ready….the totalist, high-demand cult I was raised in; then helped me develop a badly-needed new foundation and bulwark to better survive, thrive, and traverse my brave new world.

In the past, as in the present, I’ve always taken from what I read and hear what I’m ready for….what speaks to me. But have never found any one person who knows everything or has all the answers;
wherefore, the need for many authors/creatives:
It takes a village to raise a child.
It takes a world to raise a person.

Therefore, I’m grateful to the planet’s amazing output of print and audio-visual materials that have helped me build a bridge from my past to the present.

I’m still looking for further insight; and always wishing I had more time to study, learn, and take advantage of the many materials creative human beings continue to produce.

Here’s hoping you find, as I have over the years, some of the following material useful in your life’s “spiral staircase”—your authentic self’s journey toward self-actualization, individuation, and enlightenment:

*BOOKS and AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIAL THAT MOST BENEFITED ME IN MY JOURNEY FROM FUNDISM TO FREEDOM, INDIVIDUATION, & ENLIGHTENMENT *

Recovering Agency:
Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control …
Luna Lindsey

The Power of Positive Thinking:
10 Traits for Maximum Results
Norman Vincent Peale

Books by Ayn Rand
(At age nineteen, Rand helped me see through the mind-controlled Mormon mysticism I was raised with. Nevertheless, I don’t adhere to this cult leader’s full philosophy.

Psycho-Cybernetics:
The Classic Guide to a New Life
Maxwell Maltz

No Man knows My History:
The Life of Joseph Smith 
Fawn Brodie

An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins 
Grant Palmer 

Leaving the Witness:
Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life
Amber Scorah

Leaving the Saints:
How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith
Martha Beck

Naked Mormonism:
Podcast
Bruce Blankenagel

Producer Rebecca Kimbel:
YouTube
(Ex-Mormon-Fundamentalist Interviews )

Combating Cult Mind Control:
The Guide to Protection, Rescue and
Recovery from Destructive Cults
Steven Hassan

When Prophecy Fails
Leon Festinger, Henry W. Riecken, and Stanley Schachter 

Snapping:
America’s Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change
Flow Conway and Jim Siegelman

*Books/ audio-visual material that most helped me regain purpose, meaning, healing, spirituality; and belief in a Higher Power*

Dr. David Viscott’s works, including
Taking Risks:
How to Conquer the Fears That Hold You Back 
(See Libraries, YouTube, Search Engines for more of Viscott’s work)

Care of the Soul:
A Guide for Cultivating Depth and
Sacredness in Everyday Life 
Thomas Moore

12-Step-Programs;
(Includes meetings, workshops,
print-outs, audio material, books, and more)

Genesis:
Spirituality in Recovery from Childhood Traumas
Bowden and Gravitz

Toward a Psychology of Being
Abraham Maslow

Man’s Search for Meaning
Victor Frankl

The Biology of Belief:
Unleashing the power of consciousness,
matter, and miracles
and
Spontaneous Evolution:
Our Positive Future and a Way to Get …
Bruce H. Lipton, PhD

The Shadow Effect:
Illuminating the hidden power of your true self
Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford, and Marianne Williamson

Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life
Armstrong, Karen

What’s So Great About America
D’Souza, Dinesh 

What’s So Great About Christianity
D’Souza, Dinesh 

  Godforsaken:
Bad things happen;
Is there a God who cares? Yes, here’s proof
D’Souza, Dinesh

The Opposite of Fate:
A book of musings
Tan, Amy

The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt
Roosevelt, Eleanor

* Recommended Miscellaneous Books
and Audio-Visual Material:*

Mind Over Meds:
Know when drugs are necessary,
when alternatives are better–
and when to let your body heal on its own
Andrew Weil, MD

The Day After Roswell – June 6, 2017
(A breathtaking exposé that reads like a thriller, The Day After Roswell is a stunning depiction of just what happened in Roswell, New Mexico all those years ago and how the effects of this mysterious unidentified aircraft crash are still relevant today.)
William J. Birnes and Philip Corso 

Dr. Mary’s Monkey:
How the Unsolved Murder of a Doctor, a Secret Laboratory in New Orleans and Cancer-Causing virus and AIDS origination… 
 Edward T. Haslam and Jim Marrs

The Trillion-Dollar Conspiracy:
How the New World Order, Man-Made Diseases,
and Zombie Banks Are Destroying …
 Jim Marrs

Obama’s America:
Unmaking the American Dream 
D’Souza, Dinesh 

Garrison Keillor:
(American author, storyteller, humorist, musician,
voice actor, and radio personality)
 Minnesota Public Radio(MPR) show A Prairie Home Companion 
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Garrison_Keillor

*NOTE:
Most books are/were available
in print & audiobook at Libraries,
amazon.com or wherever books are sold.