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Undertow is Charlene’s engaging personal story of being recruited into a Bible-based cult, the destructive effects of following the cult’s authoritarian leader, and how difficult it was to escape.
In the beginning, Edge writes, “I only wanted to know, love, and serve God and understand the Bible. What harm could that possibly bring?”
After a personal tragedy left her bereft, teenaged Charlene turned away from family and friends and fell into the clutches of The Way International, a small sect led by the charismatic Victor Paul Wierwille. The Way—which eventually became one of the largest cults in America—held Charlene in its grip for seventeen years before she escaped.
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Gold Medal Winner. Florida Authors and Publishers Association President’s Book Awards recognized Undertow in the category of Autobiography/Memoir in 2017.
Listed in BookRiot’s “100 Must-Read Books About Life in Cults and Oppressive Religious Sects”
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Praise for Undertow
“While a variety of controversies ended up surrounding The Way, the author’s most astute portrayal concerns her participation in its research branch. … A frank, in-depth account of one woman’s struggles in a controlling organization.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A magnificently written life story that sheds light on the enticing ways of cult recruitment and indoctrination that engender conformity, obedience, and loss of self. … Edge’s prose captures the essence of cult life and the personal devastation of having to acknowledge not only corruption and plagiarized teachings but also a ‘sex ring’ at the top levels of leadership. An important and must-read book—more gripping than a mystery. Undertow will sweep you away.” —Janja Lalich, PhD, Professor Emerita of Sociology at California State University, Chico, author of Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults
“In Undertow Charlene Edge has written a brilliant and engrossing warning to the future by dissecting the past. … What she exposes to bright liberating daylight is just how our political and religious worlds actually function based on the mesmerizing enticement of belonging to an ‘in-group.’ —Frank Schaeffer, author of Crazy For God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back and New York Times best-selling author of Keeping Faith
The Story Behind Writing Undertow
To read the story of how and why Charlene wrote Undertow, click here.