From Jonestown and the Manson murders to the recent trial of NXIVM, cults have long inspired fascination, fear, and curiosity about how members fall under their sway. These six cult narratives—in both fiction and nonfiction, from memoir to comedy—offer very different perspectives, and some compelling answers.
All titles featured are included in the Audible Plus catalog.
Escape from Jonestown
Forty years ago, on Nov. 18, 1978, 914 members of a 'utopian' society deep in the Guyana jungle, known as Jonestown, drank a lethal elixir of Flavor-Aid and cyanide. Tim Carter was in the inner circle of the Peoples Temple and its charismatic leader, Jim Jones, one of the most infamous villains in cult history. Carter was lucky: He escaped into the jungle. In this gripping six-part podcast, he tells his story.
Meeting Manson
Once upon a time Rolling Stone contributing editor Erik Hedegaard became the last mainstream media journalist to interview Charles Manson in the flesh. But the story he wrote in 2013 didn’t begin to capture the strange and lingering effect Manson would have on his life. Now, in this Audible Original, you’ll hear about the making of that story, including audio of the phone calls Hedegaard received from Manson and interviews he conducted with Los Angeles District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi, as well as conversations he had with Manson Family members.
NXIVM on Trial
Dig into this expert discussion from the Times Union on major developments in the saga of Keith Raniere and NXIVM, the shadowy upstate New York organization that has been at the center of a federal investigation into alleged extortion, sex trafficking, and more.
The Polygamist's Daughter
'My father had more than 50 children.' So begins the haunting memoir of Anna LeBaron, daughter of the notorious polygamist and murderer Ervil LeBaron. With her father wanted by the FBI for killing anyone who tried to leave his cult—a radical branch of Mormonism—Anna and her siblings were constantly on the run with the other sister-wives. Often starving and always desperate, the children lived in terror. Even though there were dozens of them together, Anna always felt alone. She escaped when she was 13, but the nightmare was far from over.
Tribulation
This twisted mystery depicts a fictional end-of-days religious cult manipulating space and traveling across planes of existence on electricity and radio signals. Cult members willingly accept seven brutal years of torture to atone for their earthly sins and come out on the other side saved (or thoroughly brainwashed?). The story's hero, Stacy Carlson, must uncover the mystery of the Tribulation cult after her husband Greg is kidnapped by its leader, Brother Elijah, through a bizarre AM radio broadcast. Greg’s disappearance leads Stacy into this world of zealots, skeptical law enforcement, and a former rock star turned conspiracy radio host.
The Zeta Family
This fictional (and funny) immersive audio drama features performances by Kevin Nealon, Natasha Lyonne, and Amy Goodmurphy. On a large ranch in rural upstate New York, it’s early days for the eccentric group of people who call themselves The Zeta Family—quite possibly the next big cult phenomenon. Their leader, Zeta Doug, is like a cross between Hunter S. Thompson and George R. R. Martin, with a little too much sci-fi in his head and acid in his bloodstream. Our protagonist, aspiring journalist Katie, begins to wonder if this cult is truly just a gnarly collection of weirdos hanging out in the woods, or if something else is going on.
