Cult Girls

by Natalie Grand, Cassandre Bolan (Illustrator), Kunna Aulia (Contributor)

Cult Girls based on a true story, tells the story of Talia and her friends as they struggle with growing suspicions that their faith is a patriarchal religious cult. It's a story of tremendous courage and female empowerment as Talia as her friends successfully free themselves told through a feminist lens with cautionary humor. Talia discusses the adversity faced as a young female raised in a cult that values its men over its women, meanwhile trying to find herself in the middle of several peer pressures. Rosa talks about how she was forced into a loveless marriage and struggles to find the means to escape. Sandy and Rochelle hope to fade out of their elder’s attention while still trying to maintain a successful marriage. These four women were born, raised and married in the cult and they each have a different path consisting of their own individual passions, desires and goals. Cult Girls has an educational backdrop of the harsh treatment that these peculiar individuals knocking on your door don’t want you to know. It lightly touches on their shunning policies, lack of acknowledgment of modern medicine, and training its members to be martyrs that sacrifice their families, as well as an aversion to education and political processes. The healing journey is the discovery that there is hope for a better world, by realizing with their feminine energy they can make a change for the better in each a unique way.

Cult Girls won (3) 1st Place Gold Awards in the Human Relations Indie Book Awards in 2023.

Cult Girls won the Pencraft 1st Place Gold Award in 2022.

" Cult Girls has taken unmatched courage and determination to write so openly about life as Jehovah's Witness. Repercussions for speaking out against the church are real and the author clearly understands the impact her work will have on both members and those who may be recruited.. Her story is a poignant one told in the form of a graphic novel and based on a true story." Literary Titan 2023 1st Place Gold Award

"I loved what the author was trying to do with this book. I am personally no fan of the Jehovah's Witness cult... Fantastic to see an author trying to warn people about cults. And not in a dull way! Fun, colourful, sexy - a very difficult approach to a difficult subject." Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2022

Cults Girls won the 1st Place Gold Bookfest Award in 2022

" Cult Girls ... lightly touches on their shunning policies, lack of acknowledgment of modern medicine, and training its members to be martyrs that sacrifice their families, as well as an aversion to education and political processes. The healing journey is the discovery that there is hope for a better world, by realizing with their feminine energy they can make a change for the better in each a unique way." - MainCrest Media 2023 1st Place Gold Award

Cult Girls won the 2023 Next Generation Indie Award

"Natalie's " Cult Girls " introduces a sassy and colorful cast of characters interwoven with a classic collection of these triggering JW phrases like "announced", "marked", "the current magazines", "two witnesses", "stumbled", "privileges", "worldly men", "earthly hope", "treacherous heart", "part on the assembly", "witness to him", "good standing", "scripturally free", "local needs", "publisher card", "loose conduct", and many more.. These expressions are like a fingerprint that identifies the author as a genuine ex-cult member who lived and breathed life as a Jehovah's Witness, with all the restrictions and repressions. Natalie gives the world snippets of what it's like to be a female JW in a religion controlled entirely by men.... but Natalie has brought the world the first beautifully illustrated graphic novel. It's a must-have!" -Mark J. O'Donnell, journalist & Activist, Crusades Season 1.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Cult Classics, Feminism, Memoir, Comics, Nonfiction, Cults

95 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2022

Reviews

[Natalie Grand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am the author of this 3 year passion project. After many years of seeing countless struggling good woman being treated so poorly (better off dead) by their family and once close friends, I felt the need for healing comedic and having a colorful educational tale of the wacky upbringing, JW marriage culture, common incidents to us as being raised as Jehovah's Witness, divorced as a JW, married to an elder. It touches topics such as smoking, abortion, birth control, JW's wacky and unfair judicial system, the recruiting process, the love bombing process and the parental conditional love that most sadly experience in a suppressive, strict religion environment and has a guidebook narrative of how to fade out. I also felt it was something that people should educate themselves that what might look acceptable when you are love bombed on a door knock, there is a whole other side of why people are actually in the faith and are just pretending to be happy. The beauty of life is that we are all at different stages, have individual personality, desires, goals and dreams and this is all presented in the book with the woven tales of Talia and her dear friends. That is why cults are bad I feel, we are all different and we should learn to trust ourselves and be able to explore our individual desires and purpose in life.

[Rebecca Mantore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, Love, Love this book. Author Grand and her team successfully capture the essence of JW culture in the pages of this graphic book. Each frame is filled with the complex dilemma JWs face as they try to put into practice the unreasonable radical rules of this off beat religious cult.

The comic format allows Grand to touch on a multitude of weighty subjects (abortion, domestic abuse, homosexuality etc.) faced by practicing JWs as well as those who are in various stages of leaving.

Illustrations and color are beautiful and add to the experience of reading Cult Girls.

[Hannah Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a JW orphan! A family member bought me this beautiful comic book, because I have cousins and grandparents that I never met in this cult. I only have one memory of seeing my grandparents and being at their doorstep with my mom and being turned away because of my mom being formally removed by elders in her congregation. My mother barely talks about her painful past and all she did was have a child out of wedlock. I personally think she was brave to have a child as a single mom and not get an abortion. This book was enlightening to me, because I got to see a little how my mother was raised by her parents and the treatment of women in this cult. It is hard to believe that a religion pretending to be a christian faith shuns children and will not emotional support or acknowledge their own flesh and blood. My mom is a very good person and now after reading this, I am glad she protected me from these elders and this brain washing. It was a blessing in disguise. I have a great life of extra curicular activites and my mom reminds me that most JW are not allowed to have friends at school. I wish more people would know about these abusive shunning cults. I asked my mom if some of the scenes were accurate in Natalie's book and she actually said it is worse than this comic book. Anyone who is thinking of buying this book it is high quality and the art is amazing and like I said I was fully pulled in and I was able to puzzle piece the hows and whys of why mom doesn't talk of her painful past. I think everyone should be on guard and learn a little bit about these religions that are knocking on peoples doors. #StopAbusiveShunning

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and illustrated. Natalie and her team did an amazing job of explaining the bits of Jehovah’s Witness rules and doctrine that really affect a person’s life as they’re trying to escape the sect. It’s a fantastic and quick read, it grabbed my attention right from the start. A funny, witty story of a group of women who had enough of the patriarchal religion that robbed them of real life experiences and decided they wanted more. Highly recommend for anyone, but especially for those who are in the process of leaving. It will lift your spirits and help motivate you to keep going.

[Becky Almeida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natalie Grand shares a painful side of her life to encourage other women to take control of their own lives. Having gone through a similar painful experience,I know it takes great strength to hold your head up and keep moving forward. Sadly, Cult Girls is a reality for many women, but writing a new story is not impossible. I could not put this story down. I laughed, sometimes cringed, and appreciated the authors vulnerability to share her story.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read book in the form of a comic book about the restrictive life of being raised in the Jehovah Witnesses cult! I thoroughly enjoyed this way of getting the real "truth" of what goes on only after you've been fully indoctrinated into the organization/cult.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A roman à clef in graphic novel form about the author's experiences in leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses. There is some interesting information but it gets lost in a script that flits all over the place and artwork with layouts so busy and random it's hard at times to determine the right reading order of the panels.

The art is nice panel to panel and would have looked so good on pages of six panels with real gutter borders instead of nine to nineteen panels with black separating lines.

I think the script was trying to lighten the heavy cult stuff with some sort of Sex and the City or CW soap opera tone, but I just found it tiresome to read as it jumped around between questioning religious doctrines and swooning over the dreamy doctor. I had to stop in the middle to read something else just to shake off my growing frustration.

In the end, for all the accusations of being a cult, it was hard to separate out what makes this crappy religion significantly worse than all the other crappy religions out there. There are a ton of similarities to the Catholic church in which I was raised and which I deserted decades ago. Organized religion is rife with abuse and scams and other garbage best left on the curb.

[Penelope · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was a wait to check this graphic novel out at my local Toronto Library and wow it was worth the wait. This was a unique, eye opening story of a subject I didn't know existed in modern religions today. With so much global upset with woman's rights being suppressed and choices being taken away, this is appropriate for the times. I want all girls to read this. I liked the abortion scene and that Talia was being supported emotionally with her new world of breaking from a cult by worldly people (a Jehovah term). I guess most of us on goodreads are going to be murdered by their cult god, just saying.

Any parents or individuals that are inhibiting children or women's voices, they should be shamed for being enslaved in cultish thinking. Ladies we need to rise together and support each other. I am happy to write a great review for any women who can take a sad upbringing and inspire others.

[Literary Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talia has lived a vastly different life from most girls. She has been sheltered, taught politics are of the devil, told that men are superior to women, and used to recruit members to her family’s religion at a very young age. Her years as a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses have taken a toll on her. She wants more than anything to have a normal life with a husband who values her while holding onto the love of her devout family members. Finding that balance is nearly impossible when you are a member of a cult.

Cult Girls, by Natalie Grand, captures the essence of what it means to grow up in a religious cult and slowly fade away from the only life you have known. Talia, the book’s main character, knows she wants no part of the Jehovah’s Witnesses now that she is an adult, but she struggles to find a way to keep her family and friends from being hurt as she transitions away from that life. Her story is a poignant one told in the form of a graphic novel and based on a true story.

I had my reservations at first about the format of the book, and I expected a much less serious tone than the author provides. I was, however, genuinely surprised at how effective the format is in delivering Talia’s message. I can see how incredibly useful Grand’s choice of format will be in reaching younger readers. Girls who are considering leaving a situation similar to Talia’s are much more likely to pick up a book like Cult Girls than a self-help book or a book with a religious tone.

In a time when cult escapism is becoming increasingly prevalent, Talia’s experience will resonate with many readers. Unfortunately, young women around the globe will relate to Talia’s life and her desire to be free of the life she knew as a young girl. Grand has gifted readers with a guidebook to living a life away from the influence of a cult.

Cult Girls has taken unmatched courage and determination to write so openly about life as Jehovah’s Witness. Repercussions for speaking out against the church are real and the author clearly understands the impact her work will have on both members and those who may be recruited. I can honestly say that Grand’s work is one of the most unique takes on religion and the characteristics of a cult I have ever encountered. It is a definite must-read for anyone considering leaving their church or considering joining an organization like the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

[Lexi Ambrosia · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS GRAPHIC NOVEL SHOWS THE CONTRAST OF FATHER ROLES! The book had so much, but none of the reviews talked about these contrasting father roles. It really addressed the white American fathers conditional (not unconditional) love that parents that are vibrating at a low level or stuck in 1950s bigotry and misgynistic views.

My parents were immigrants so children are viewed as investments and that is a WAY BETTER place to be, where a parent wants more for their children in terms of education, experiences, feeling supported and life skills. I loved that the author pointed out the old world culture of the Iranian immigrants, because I rather be in a tan household that came from another country. Neither Rosa or Talia were treated like any kind of princess, it was more like how can we pawn off our daughter taking space in the house. I feel bad for these ladies.

These parents in this book were the sort of parents that live with the 1950s mentality that you beat your children, children are to be seen and not heard. It helped give me insight of an abusive American household and forcing their children to dumb down and marry the first guy in their cult. I am not married and in my 20s and I am still no where near settling down for marriage. Religions like this you will hear of engagements in high school, instead of figuring out what that female likes.

[Toni BeachHouseReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOAH, LOVED THE ENDING! The "Where they are now?" Was so powerful at the end. I really enjoyed this ROMCOM and it felt like a cool California story. My family was a lot more mean than this JW family, but if all the realities were put in the book, it would be too depressing for the average reader. Because honestly this cult shuns children, graphic images and tells them God is going to kill their friends at school any day and maybe even them. How Demented is that? There is also so much hidden coverup up abuse on kids. Just follow the UK Telegraph, they have a new victim a week. I can't even listen because it is such a reality of every congregration.

[Robyn L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so fun! I wish more authors would take their trauma and truths are tell it in a backstory of a mystery, crime, romcom (like this) or some kind of other entertaining style of writing. Natalie let her wisdom, female energy shine on this. I hope all young women can read this, so that they don't fall prey to dating, being employed or bound in any way to anyone affiliated with this cult.
I was raised a Jehovah's Witness and left many years ago. I appreciated seeing what could of been if I had to marry one of these elder's that my parents were pushing this as my future. BEAUTIFUL BOOK and the display of comedy, color, scenes were fitting and I think it was collaged very well.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comic style book gives great insight on the goings on of JW life. As a POMO (physically out, mentally out) myself, I identified with the struggles of growing up in an oppressive and misogynistic religion that encourages its believers to endure anything to “sanctify God’s name”from not allowing your small children to celebrate any holidays to refusing blood transfusions and dying. This book is amusing, funny, wonderfully designed graphics and sad when you’ve lived it yourself. Thank you for this book Natalie.

[Bobbie Gunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork was so beautiful inside. I loved the iranian family in the story and Talia looked so beautiful visiting that amazing family. It had a lot of correct culture in the graphic novel, such as the middle eastern family giving her a piece of jewelry. The California Mexican family with the abortion conversation was amazing. The artist really captured Rosa's inner female energy ready to burst out. The scene of her relaxing on the couch with her Mexican American family was unforgettable and also the scene of her in the bathrobe waiting for her husband coming from the kingdom hall.

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being raised in this cult of JW's, I could really relate to this book. I never seen the religion as a cult until I started reading books and watching TV specials that brought so much to light that the books highlights. From covering up molestation within the religion, to high control, to how they treat women and others...this book has a lighthearted approach on very heavy and serious subjects. Focusing more on attaining a happy and fulfilled life outside of the cult, much appreciated!

[Danielle Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natalie has a huge fan club, because she offers comedy, healing and positivity to women who were raised in harsh, suppressive religions. Her cute little scene's of peddling gods word as a child and wanting to use her voice in a male dominated religion, is so relatable to us girls who were raised in high control religions. Thank you for telling your story and brightening our day.

[Sonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natalie’s story is inspiring and engaging! A must-read for those who’ve experienced religious trauma or want to better understand it’s impact.

[Sasha's Book Stash · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I'd like to say that when Amazon asks "Add a written review" - they couldn't know how triggering this phrase is to a former Jehovah's Witness. As children, we grew up attending 5 meetings per week and had periodic "written reviews" to ingrain into our brains everything we had learned in the past weeks, question and answer style.

Natalie's "Cult Girls" introduces a sassy and colorful cast of characters interwoven with a classic collection of these triggering JW phrases like "announced", "marked", "the current magazines", "two witnesses", "stumbled", "privileges", "worldly men", "earthly hope", "treacherous heart", "part on the assembly", "witness to him", "good standing", "scripturally free", "local needs", "publisher card", "loose conduct", and many more.

These expressions are like a fingerprint that identifies the author as a genuine ex-cult member who lived and breathed life as a Jehovah's Witness, with all the restrictions and repressions. Natalie gives the world snippets of what it's like to be a female JW in a religion controlled entirely by men.

There are many great ex-Jehovah's Witness books out there, but Natalie has brought the world the first beautifully illustrated graphic novel. It's a must-have!

[Gigi Meder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, powerful book. It addresses shunning, women's education being suppressed and basically a women's job is to serve and be obedient to men. The scenes of husband's picking out their wives clothes and telling them if they can work or not is 99% of JW men today. The cult in my area has so many scandals and their own members don't know their own court cases of little boys being molested in bathrooms, because their elders prohibit their own members from talking about safety of members that is even true. This religion does not grow with modern times, they are still using the word disguisting for gays and tell women to win their husband over without a word and the men know how they can use the heiarchy and scriptures to abuse their women. Natalie wrote this in a way for a younger mainstream could understand and it doesn't dominate the story. It is a ROMANTIC COMEDY basically with a backdrop of this harsh, wacky religion that is hurting children. We need more women to stand up and let the public know their secrets. I will be giving this away to teachers and healthcare workers.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the diversity in the graphic novel. This was not a quick read and it had way more information that I was actually looking for in the read. I was curious because I had a cousinrecently marry a Jehovah. Thanks to this delightful story I see that it is the same garbage a lot of these other religions do when they mix with government to try to take away education from women. At least in East Indian Culture and mormonism they encourage females to get educated. It puts women in compromising situations if they are at disadvantage. I am so glad my family encouraged culture, education, activities, learning about politics and caring about the environment. How could these people really care about the environment if their parents and leaders are telling them god is destroying things any hour. I am really concerned now for my cousin if she has children because if the other Jehovah believing family have access to this kids, they will try to regress them in society. This religion should be ashamed of themselves.

[Lucas S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put down!!! The book was extremely high quality with gorgeous art and colors. Just don't judge a book by the cover, because this gem is PACKED with information, research and humor about the Jehovah's Witness cult. I am giving this to all my ex-JW friends and also making a title suggest for anyone that wants to know more about those weird people who knock on your door. This is the first of its kind for the ex-JW community or any of the apocolypse style religions. Good job to the team who wrote and drew this one, they NAILED IT.

[Nuno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a creative way to tell your personal experience in the cult. This is such a good book for someone who is curious about what ex-JWs have/had to deal with when sadly they still have relatives involved with the cult.

I was able to relate to the author's experience, as I personally decided to part ways with this cult a few years ago. Love how it makes it very clear that they are lovely people when they want to convert you, but as soon as you "rebel" you become their worse enemy.

While reading this book it really made me think how was I ever involved with these people and how toxic they are. I'm so relived and thankful that I was able to leave, and my family also decided to leave with me.

[Brittani Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The message was so important. Sadly, this is only a vanilla story. Most parents in Jehovah’s Witnesses are harsher than this, but I know the point was for a fun read. JW parents don’t leave their company because many have allowed their children to die for the rejection of blood transfusions, or their child died of suicide from their shunning. They literally call gays dusguisting and they don’t feel child porn, voyerism is crimes. They tell children abused that they participated and are seducing adults older than their parents and in my case I was told my life was spared when elders met with me on a judicial case, that I should of been stoned.

[Lucy Reardon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book. More light needs to be shed on this organization trafficking children for this company's marketing. I was one of these girls. My whole upbringing was geared to pleasing a man. Women are second hand citizen. I won't even get into their horrific child hating policies. Most parents in it are abusive, because they are being controlled and are watching and reading daily propaganda by their church leaders. We need more young reads like this. Tears in my eyes that we have so much wonderful content to support the awareness of children and women in this cult.

[Tanya McGill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored everything about this graphic novel of the most beautiful, detailed illustrations, from the story to the artwork!
This point-of-view from sisters is not often shared because the organization is a very patriarchal-based religion (cult) so it was refreshing to read a story from this perspective.
Thank you for sharing your story! I am sure it will help many others with their escape, or better yet, prevent them from joining in the first place!

[Kathy Jefford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful graphic novel initiates long needed conversations about the treatment of women and children in the Jehovah's Witness cult. Natalie is a breath of fresh air in often dark situations and subject matter. I applaud her honesty and sincere desire to help others not only succeed but to thrive.

[Dalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every parent should get this book for their teen. For one they will be really appreciative not to be born into an environment of cult brain washed parents, but your youth can also be mentally prepared to not be swindled into a cult like this. Beautiful book. Every page was high quality color.

[Katrina Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it was an empowering tale about good friends and how family is who you want to spend your time with. Though she had to deal with many terrible things with JW, it is good that she got out.

[Julio Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a good book i enjoyed it and i read it and i hope to read many more like this in my life always

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this was a wild trip. I hate that I feel like I've got to do this, but 2 stars are off. This is for what appears to be no editing whatsoever, some questionable lines and depictions, and too many scene jumps or out of context lines to really follow what's happening all the time.

HOWEVER. I'm tempted to give it 5 stars anyways, because I 100% support these women and their journey out of (or at least partly out of) a cult. In spite of some pretty major issues in execution here, I still learned a lot and felt very deeply for these women. I think Talia (or the author Talia represents, I forget if it's a different name) sounds like a resilient and fascinating woman I'd love to have a coffee with; this shines through in spite of the issues I'm critiquing. I also strongly admire the courage it took for all involved to attach their names to this when it's going out against a thought-controlling group with substantial institutional power.


So, I can't get around it- the book is rife with both typos and grammatical errors. The dialogue is often not split into chunks that approximate conversational speech. The art is a unique and lovely style, but there are occasional continuity errors in the drawings. Scenes often make non sequiter jumps or impart information that just seems to be missing some massive context. It feels like a first draft- not the final product. I believe this is self published, so if the team is able to, I would absolutely love for them to bring this back for a second printing after consulting in some capacity with a professional editor who could help them smooth a lot of these bumps out. I think I know grammar fairly well, but if you read more than 2 of my reviews here, you'll pick up that I often can't help but write in run-on sentences. That job exists for a reason, and that work could seriously elevate what I think is an important (and very charming) story here.

Again, all the support in the world to this bunch- I hope I wasn't overly harsh. The last thing I want to do here is discourage... I thoroughly enjoyed the book.