Uncultured

A Memoir

By: Daniella Mestyanek Young

Narrated by: Daniella Mestyanek Young

Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

"It’s a dark story that forced me to think more expansively about what constitutes a cult." —The New York Times' Ernesto Londoño

"Although this is Mestyanek Young’s first time narrating, listeners will appreciate hearing this deeply personal story told by the author herself. Share with fans of Tara Westover’s Educated and Deborah Feldman’s Unorthodox. Memoir readers will want to check this one out." —Library Journal

"A painful and propulsive memoir delivered in the honest tones of a woman who didn’t always think she’d live to tell her story." —The New York Times

This program is read by the author.

In the vein of Educated and The Glass Castle, Daniella Mestyanek Young's Uncultured is more than a memoir about an exceptional upbringing, but about a woman who, no matter the lack of tools given to her, is determined to overcome.

Behind the tall, foreboding gates of a commune in Brazil, Daniella Mestyanek Young was raised in the religious cult The Children of God, also known as The Family, as the daughter of high-ranking members. Her great-grandmother donated land for one of The Family’s first communes in Texas. Her mother, at thirteen, was forced to marry the leader and served as his secretary for many years. Beholden to The Family’s strict rules, Daniella suffers physical, emotional, and sexual abuse—masked as godly discipline and divine love—and is forbidden from getting a traditional education.

At fifteen years old, fed up with The Family and determined to build a better and freer life for herself, Daniella escapes to Texas. There, she bravely enrolls herself in high school and excels, later graduating as valedictorian of her college class, then electing to join the military to begin a career as an intelligence officer, where she believes she will finally belong.

But she soon learns that her new world—surrounded by men on the sands of Afghanistan—looks remarkably similar to the one she desperately tried to leave behind.

Told in a beautiful, propulsive voice and with clear-eyed honesty, Uncultured explores the dangers unleashed when harmful group mentality goes unrecognized, and is emblematic of the many ways women have to contort themselves to survive.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2022 Daniella Mestyanek Young (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"A tremendous story of grit and determination." —Julia Scheeres, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus Land

"Mestyanek Young searingly captures the fear and intensity that were her constant companions in the Children of God, and she draws smart parallels between the dogmatic 'indoctrination' she encountered in both the cult and the Army . . . Readers won’t be able to put down this harrowing and enthralling memoir." —Publishers Weekly (starred)

"Daniella Mestyanek Young’s searing memoir elegantly and intricately intertwines the worlds of religious cult and military, brilliantly displaying their similarities in a way that is as undeniable as it is disturbing. It is a brutal, necessary look at the inherent ways institutions attempt to confine women to limiting roles. Ultimately, it’s a story of resilience and Mestyanek Young’s ability to place one boot in front of the other in the face of the unimaginable." —Ryan Leigh Dostie, author of Formation and US Army veteran

Fascinating and introspective

I've seen the author's videos online, so I knew a bit about what to expect, but the specifics of her story and how she told it kept me hooked the entire book. I knew going in there would be criticism of the US/Army but when it started I still felt defensive. So it definitely gave me an opportunity to sit with why I had those feelings, but I am also mature enough to acknowledge everyone has a different reality, and she was sharing hers--intimately and openly. We should regularly question our own environment as much as we question the world around us and she didn't focus on criticism of the US but on both of the "worlds" she has experienced. My only criticism of the book is that the 2nd half didn't seem quite as introspective as the first. It felt a little more like a play-by-play of events which I understand was necessary to complete the story but it ended up feeling rushed compared to the pace of the first half. Definitely one of the best memoirs I have read and I have already recommended it to colleagues.

Incredible memoir

What an incredibly difficult story of strength and resiliency written with such insight and self awareness. Highly recommend!

Wow! Best book ever

This is such a true honest brave and compelling story of struggle bravery survival perseverance and the courage to learn, reflect and self develop. A story so inspiring to many and hopeful about human connection. Simply wow. Best read ever.

Beautifully written and narrated

Great read. A story of perseverance and strength, horror beauty and finding yourself- finally. Brava.

Life changing

Hearing Daniella read her story so eloquently brought me into her life experiences. This allowed me to process my own trauma from religious and spiritual abuse with her compassionate voice. Daniella is clearly knowledgeable in cult dynamics from her research as well as her experience.

Add this book to your list ASAP!

Thank you for telling your story so others have more language to tell their own.

Thank you for sharing your story

Intense, important and well enjoyed, I loved listening to the words the authors own voice on audible

Unmitigated Honesty

The narration was the most impressive part of this book (to me) because only the survivor can truly tell this kind of story with believability. Having my own childhood drama, I realize how outlandish and impossible some activities can sound when told to others, but hearing it in the author's voice, with her inflection and tone, added the concrete foundation that this was a lived reality. I can see this becoming required reading for areas of education and health in the future and I hope we will get another book in the coming seasons.

Shining a light on some of the most taboo topics no one speaks about

By far one of the best books I have read in years. Daniella’s story is one that brings hope to so many, shines a light on true evil that hides in the open, and a message that needs to be shared worldwide. Her bravery in exposing the atrocities she experienced and her ability to continue fighting is truly inspiring. I have never related to someone’s life story more than Daniella’s and I cannot thank you enough for being such a bright light and standing up for the truth.

Cults/women patriarchy, sex and women, oh my!

The compare and contrast of cults and the militaty and the coiIompare and contrast of patriarchy and women. Easy to listen so rare in a non fiction story.
Liked specific examples for women helpless and hopeless to know there is progress taking shape in the treatment and respect of women

Powerfully Unforgettable

Do not pass this one up. Insightful, telling and while horrifically traumatic, her positivity shines through. A beautiful lesson on growth all around.