AWAKENING OF A JEHOVAH'S WITNESS: Escape From the Watchtower Society
Author: Diane Wilson
(Foreword and Appendix by Jerry Bergman, Ph.D.)
This tale of mind control, the use of fear to manipulate vulnerable people, and final escape from a suffocating cult environment is a revealing exposé of a secretive contemporary sect, as well as a true psychological thriller. Diane Wilson spent twenty-five precious years of her life, first becoming indoctrinated by the dogma of the Watchtower Society, and then struggling to free herself from its pervasive, intimidating clutches. In this probing, brutally honest assessment, Wilson describes how a childhood of psychological abuse and lack of self-confidence rendered her vulnerable to the seductive doctrines of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Yet as time went on and the society demanded rigid control over every aspect of her life, even her every thought, Wilson began to rebel. Her gradual awakening, at first unconsciously through physical and psychological ailments, and then consciously as a caring therapist helped her rediscover her true self, is a fascinating story. 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 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.
Diane Wilson (Morgan Hill, CA) now works as a professional Sign Language Interpreter for the Deaf.
327 pp. - ISBN 1-57392-942-5 Hardcover - $28 (6" x 9') - Publication: Prometheus Books: January 31, 2002
see San Jose Mercury News | 05/18/2002 | Ex-Jehovah's Witness tells of her `escape'
See Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com for reviews!
An interview for my book on the Meria Heller Show today is available at any time day or night for those who want to listen to it. The URL below will take you directly to the interview (just cut and past the URL) :
http://audio.netradiolive.com:8080/ramgen/meria/sunday052602.rm
When you go to this URL, you will see a blank screen for about 45 seconds, (no one told me this so I thought my computer was malfunctioning) and then you will hear music for about 4 minutes. You can fast forward thru the music by moving the marker on the dial with your mouse. The interview is one hour long.
