GIRLS IN THE CULT

About the Book

Girls in the Cult is a journey into understanding the Old Order Mennonite religion. The book provides answers for "free thinkers" who ask: Why would people of a religion systematically program their children to fear the outside world? Why would the people of a religion limit a child's education to eighth grade? Why would people of a religion make their members live in the past? What could prominent Dr. Erik Erikson and his "Eight Stages in Life" say about the people of my childhood religion? How does the “Amish in the City” television show fit into this book?

Girls in the Cult is a first-hand account of my Old Order Mennonite childhood. As a little girl, I asked my mother who I was. Her reply that we were just pilgrims passing through this world on our way to our heavenly home didn't satisfy me. Years later I searched to learn the answer, which comprises this book. My surprising self-discovery is told with clarity, honesty, and in good old-fashioned storytelling.

About the Author

Esther Royer Ayers grew up as an Old Order Mennonite. She is the author of Rolling Down Black Stockings, a memoir, Flights of the Herons, a fiction, and Girls in the Cult, a self-discovery book, among many others. She has won writing contests and has been published in various magazines. Please visit her website www.EstherRoyerAyers.com.