About this item

An arresting and emotional memoir about a family's indoctrination into a religious cult, a daughter coming to terms with a parent's devastating choices, and the trials ahead in post-9/11 New York.In 1978, when Jamiyla was two years old, her mother, Ummi, quit her job, converted to Islam with her husband, and moved into an exclusive Muslim society in Brooklyn. Once inside the Community, the family was separated by its powerful and charismatic leader, Dwight York, who was hiding behind the name Imam Isa. Instead of the devotional refuge they'd imagined, the Community was a nightmare of controlled abuse and unspeakable secrets.Forty years later, Jamiyla was ready to excavate and understand a past buried in bad dreams, disturbing memories, and inexplicable rage.