Greetings all

Just received the new Prometheus Books catalog.
' Awakening of a Jehovah's Witness-Escape from the Watchtower Society Diane Wilson, Forward and Appendix by Jerry Bergman,Ph.D'
The catalog gave it some major space.
I'll convey the blurb as written.

'This tale of mind control,the use of fear to manipulate vulnerable people,and final escape from a suffocating cult enviornment is a revealing expose of a secretive contemporary sect,as well as a true psychological thriller. Diane Wilson spent 25 precious years of her life,first becoming indoctrinated by the dogma of the Watchtower Society,and then struggling to free herself from it's pervasive,intimidating clutches.
What she reveals about the goings on within the closed Watchtower Society will shock the average person who assumes the polite,well-dressed people who pass out leaflets are much like any other conservative religious group. Wilson contends that membership in the Jehovah's Witnesses requires obedience bordering on psychological enslavement and the complete suppression of individuality. Her engrossing memoir will be of great interest to former Witnesses,students of cult phenomena,and anyone who has ever had contact with jehovah's Witnesses...
Catalog says not available till January.
Just thought I'd pass this along.
Tina

Jehovahs Witnesses,Proudly Serving Their Corporate Masters!

((((((tr))))))))
yw! Well being Wilsons story,Im gonna give it a go too. As she has written it. I'm interested in a womans view/experience/perspective in the org.
Yes,I've seen that about Bergman as well. Since he only did the forward and appendix,hope fully that's the only part of the story he was involved with.Guess we'll see.
Also at least this is getting out to the general public,which is great! luv,T

Jehovahs Witnesses,Proudly Serving Their Corporate Masters!

This tale of mind control,the use of fear to manipulate vulnerable people,and final escape from a suffocating cult enviornment is a revealing expose of a secretive contemporary sect,as well as a true psychological thriller.

It sounds like a new "30 years a Watchtower slave" forthcoming. We'll have to wait and see but I'm afraid this will be the tipical I'm-a-resented-apostate type of book. Paul Kurtz's lapsuses are rare but have happened in the past (like publishing a book by one of those "Primal Scream" crackpot theorists).

JJ

Well, daaayum, larc. How will we know it's you?

As for Barbara Grizzuti Harrison's book - I enjoyed it a lot. To read about another woman's viewpoint of growing up, then being an adult in the WTBTS, was quite interesting. Her interaction with her mother over men (including her father) was well worth noting.

waiting

Waiting,

In Bergman's book, my name appears at the end of the preface.

Tina,

I don't have Harrison's book, but my local library does. Perhaps, you could get the book through inter-library loan.

Waiting,

I first read the manuscript for Bergman's book at Leonard Cretean's house in San Diego. From that, I found out that Bergamn lived in Ohio. So I contacted him and we met midway between his house and mine for dinner. It was at that time that he asked me to write the preface. As I stated, that although the book has some flaws, I think it served a useful purpose, to wit (as Rutherford used to say), to highlight the problem of mental illness among the Witnesses.

If anyone has the book and would scan in the preface, I would appreciate it. If not, I may type it in by hand in a few days on a new thread.

Now, you know the rest of the story.

Fred,

As I finally told my first husband "If you puke one more time on the rug - clean it up yourself." Then I threw a bucket of wet diapers at the hungover jerk.

Sooooooo, if you're gonna vomit - get your own rag and start sloppin', boy - 'cause you made the mess - you clean it. You leave too much puke around here as it is.

waiting