field notes for surviving a family cult Dowd, Michelle 1968- creator author Brand, Susan (Illustrator) illustrator text biography Autobiographies. ncu 2023 2023 First edition monographic eng

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280 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm "Michelle Dowd grew up on a mountain in the Angeles National Forest, born into an ultra-religious cult--the Field, as members called it--run by her grandfather, who believed that his chosen followers must prepare themselves to survive doomsday. Bound by the group's patriarchal rules and literal interpretation of the Bible, Michelle and her siblings lived a life of deprivation, isolated from Outsiders and starved for both love and food. She was forced to learn the skills necessary to battle hunger, thirst, and cold; she learned to trust animals more than humans; and most important, she learned how to survive by foraging for what she needed. And as Michelle got older, she realized she had the strength to break free. Focus on what will sustain, not satiate you, she would tell herself. Use everything. Waste nothing. Get to know the intricacies of the land like the intricacies of your body. And so she did." -- inside front jacket flap "A memoir of the author's experience growing up in an apocalyptic cult, with an emphasis on how understanding the natural world was her key to escape and survival"-- Michelle Dowd ; illustrations by Susan Brand "A memoir" -- Cover n-us-ca n-us--- Dowd, Michelle 1968- Christian sects California Biography Adult child abuse victims United States Biography Ex-cultists United States Biography Wilderness survival California Angeles National Forest (Calif.) 299/.93092 B 9781643751856 1643751859 2022040157 220913 20250626144845.0 1351210565