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Whispering in the Daylight
Whispering in the Daylight: The Children of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries and Their Journey to Freedom | Debby Schriver
5 posts | 1 read | 8 to read
Beginning in the 1960s in California, erstwhile music producer Tony Alamo became interested in authoritarian religion and, along with his charismatic wife, Susan, began gathering followers. By the 1970s, Tony Alamo Christian Ministries had established particularly strong footholds in Arkansas, as well as maintaining outposts in California. The ministry gained a legion of followers, with branches not only in the USA but in places as diverse as Africa and Sri Lanka. Even through their leaders eventual imprisonment under federal charges (related to transporting minors across state lines for sexual purposes), Alamos vision survivedand his community survives him today. Whispering in the Daylight: The Children of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries and Their Journey to Freedom is based on numerous interviews from group members and, more importantly, on interviews with the childrensecond and third-generation followers. Author Debby Schriver chronicles how this group was formed, documenting its many abuses and its gradual adoption of cult-like behaviors and practices. Like many cult leaders, Tony Alamo had different faces. The public saw him as a somewhat self-important but harmless music promoter and designer of bedazzling denim jackets. Schriver chronicles firsthand the condemnation, rejection, and torment that the second-generation survivors of Tony Alamos abuses experienced. Schrivers interviews, particularly those with children, illuminate the real horrors of the Alamos behavior, ranging from economic exploitation, extreme forced fasts, and beatings, that resulted in permanent injury. Schrivers extensive researchincluding interviews with Tony Alamo himself, harrowing visits to Alamo compounds, and witnessing gut-wrenching confrontations between freed children and their unreformed parentstells the story of a closed group whose origins and history are unlikely ever to be definitively unraveled. DEBBY SCHRIVER has spent her career working with students, parents, and staff in the departments of student life and employee training and development at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is the author of In the Footsteps of Champions: The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers, the First Three Decades, coauthor, with Jenny Moshak, of Ice n Go: Score in Sports and Life, and coeditor, with Lucia McMahon of To Read My Heart: The Journal of Rachel Van Dyke, 18101811.
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britt_brooke
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One of cult leader Tony Alamo‘s business ventures was studded denim jackets - made by his followers - sold to celebrities out of a shop in Nashville in the 80s. Even in the last few years, celebs such as Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj have worn them. 🙄

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.refinery29.com/amp/en-us/2018/06/202525/tony-al...

That-Bookish-Hiker Wow! I‘ve never even heard of this or these jackets. It‘s terrible that celebrities are buying these up again with no regard to the history and the people who were taken advantage of and still suffering because of this cult and the leader. 5y
Suet624 I swear! How many crazy religions/cults are out there!!! 5y
Smrloomis Whaaa? This sounds so creepy. I agree with you @Suet624 how many are out there???! 😱 5y
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BarbaraBB 😱😱😱 5y
britt_brooke @That-Bookish-Hiker I hadn‘t heard of this group until a friend recently posted about the documentary on fb. Crazy stuff. It still exists now even though Alamo died a few years ago. 5y
britt_brooke @Suet624 @Smrloomis I know! It‘s scary. I had never heard of this one until recently. There‘s no telling how many are out there no one knows about. 5y
Suet624 I trust you will continue to ferret out more bizarro tales for us. 😜 5y
britt_brooke @Suet624 You know it! 💁🏼‍♀️😆 5y
Suet624 @Smrloomis 💕💕 5y
REPollock OMG I had one of those! 5y
britt_brooke @REPollock No way!!! That‘s crazy. 🤣 5y
REPollock Mine said New York and had a bejeweled skyline. 5y
britt_brooke @REPollock It‘s too bad you don‘t still have it. I think they oddly go for a lot of money now. 5y
Reviewsbylola That jacket is kind of amazing. 😆😆 5y
80 likes15 comments
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britt_brooke
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sociopath Tony Alamo had a knack for spotting vulnerabilities. After his evangelist preacher wife Susan died, he continued their church with his own disturbing agenda. He and his followers lived communally; the latter cutoff from the outside world. Alamo held complete control by instilling fear and ensuring low self esteem. Members endured beatings and fastings. He practiced polygamy and pedophelia, taking several child brides. 👇🏻

britt_brooke This book was very dry, but Schriver did an amazing job giving us the full picture including timelines and photos. There are a few essays by former members at the end as well. I‘m hoping to watch the documentary mini series on SundanceTV soon. 5y
Megabooks Fascinating and terrible! Great review! 5y
103 likes7 stack adds3 comments
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britt_brooke
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🎶 “It‘s Britney, bitch.” 🎶 Not Brittany. I feel like we all know how to spell her name at this point. 😆🤷🏼‍♀️

The_Real_Nani Really no excuse!! 5y
Linear Maybe they couldnt get the Copy rights lol 5y
Reviewsbylola Wtfffff, everyone knows it‘s Britney!!! 5y
101 likes5 comments
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britt_brooke
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Grabbing a few chapters while my boys have soccer practice. This book is pretty boring, but the story is crazy enough for me to stick with it.

Megabooks How can something be crazy and boring? 🤔 5y
britt_brooke @Megabooks The writing is very dry, but the cult‘s goings on are bonkers. I‘d have been better off with a wiki page probably. 😬 (edited) 5y
Megabooks I read the blurb. The cult definitely sounds crazy, but I can see how the wrong writer could make it snoozeville anyway! 5y
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britt_brooke @Megabooks Normally, I‘d go audio with a book like this but it literally only exists in hardcover. Audio makes dry nf so much better. (edited) 5y
Megabooks @britt_brooke Agreed! I think I would‘ve enjoyed the trial portion of Norco 80 if it had been on audio. I generally hate trials! 5y
britt_brooke @Megabooks That books sounds interesting. Will definitely go the audio route when the time comes. 5y
101 likes6 comments
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britt_brooke
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60s California - one of my favorite times and places to read about. A hotbed for burgeoning #cults. Fascinating.

LeahBergen I always think of you when I hear the word “cult”. 😆😆 5y
britt_brooke @LeahBergen 🤣 Love it! 5y
Mtroiano There was a cult in my hometown when I was growing up! Look up the Nuwaubian Nation. There‘s a Discovery ID episode about it 😬 5y
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britt_brooke @Mtroiano Interesting! I‘ll definitely look it up. Thanks! 5y
britt_brooke @Mtroiano Just looked it up. That‘s some weird shit. I swear, the leaders are always pedophiles. So messed up. 5y
Mtroiano Seriously! 5y
91 likes6 comments