UnculturedUncultured
What it's about
Daniella Mestyanek Young was born into the Children of God, a religious cult known for sexual abuse, and grew up in communes in Brazil, Mexico and Texas. She escaped at fifteen, went to college and joined the US Army, serving in Afghanistan, where she found that the military had a lot in common with the cult she'd left.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's a harrowing, fierce memoir.
You'll love it if you liked
Educated: A Memoir
The Glass Castle
Black Hawk DownGood to know
It describes child sexual abuse.
By the numbers
- Readers62 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller12 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Moving
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Quick answers
Is Uncultured worth reading?
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 63.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Uncultured about?
Daniella Mestyanek Young was born into the Children of God, a religious cult known for sexual abuse, and grew up in communes in Brazil, Mexico and Texas. She escaped at fifteen, went to college and joined the US Army, serving in Afghanistan, where she found that the military had a lot in common with the cult she'd left.
How long does it take to read Uncultured?
About 12 hours (462 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Uncultured?
If you liked it, try Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls or Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden.