Little Soldiers: Escaping an Evangelical Cult
Kate Gale
Mar 2027 · Penguin Random House Audio
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About this audiobook
In this provocative memoir, award-winning publisher Kate Gale shares the harrowing story of her upbringing in an “intentional community”—a religious cult in which she faced abusive living conditions until her escape at age eighteen.
When Kate Gale was four years old, her mother gave her to an “intentional community” in rural New Hampshire, where a group of three hundred people built unseaworthy boats to ride out the Rapture. She would spend the next fourteen years of her life there, trapped amongst monsters and followers, where the kids were often starved, beaten, and forced to do “joy jobs” instead of schoolwork. While Kate mimicked the religiosity of those around her to earn each meal, she secretly stashed away books from the confiscated belongings of new members. Reading became her salvation and her only link to the outside world—creating a haven for herself within her own mind. That was enough to spark a dream in Kate of life beyond the confines of the cult.
Told through visceral flashes and shards of memory, Little Soldiers recounts Gale’s journey from her earliest memories at the Farm to building her own publishing company—breaking free from the tethers of her past and creating possibilities for other writers. Through deeply emotional and intimate recollections, Gale sheds light on the trauma, abuse, and censorship she faced, as well as her journey to assimilate into modern society in her early twenties. With crackling wit and stunning prose, this is her story of survival, escape and, ultimately, forging herself anew through literature.
When Kate Gale was four years old, her mother gave her to an “intentional community” in rural New Hampshire, where a group of three hundred people built unseaworthy boats to ride out the Rapture. She would spend the next fourteen years of her life there, trapped amongst monsters and followers, where the kids were often starved, beaten, and forced to do “joy jobs” instead of schoolwork. While Kate mimicked the religiosity of those around her to earn each meal, she secretly stashed away books from the confiscated belongings of new members. Reading became her salvation and her only link to the outside world—creating a haven for herself within her own mind. That was enough to spark a dream in Kate of life beyond the confines of the cult.
Told through visceral flashes and shards of memory, Little Soldiers recounts Gale’s journey from her earliest memories at the Farm to building her own publishing company—breaking free from the tethers of her past and creating possibilities for other writers. Through deeply emotional and intimate recollections, Gale sheds light on the trauma, abuse, and censorship she faced, as well as her journey to assimilate into modern society in her early twenties. With crackling wit and stunning prose, this is her story of survival, escape and, ultimately, forging herself anew through literature.
In this provocative memoir, award-winning publisher Kate Gale shares the harrowing story of her upbringing in an “intentional community”—a religious cult in which she faced abusive living conditions until her escape at age eighteen.
When Kate Gale was four years old, her mother gave her to an “i...
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About the author
Kate Gale is the co-founder and managing editor of Red Hen Press, which has been publishing for thirty years in Los Angeles. She is also the author of seven books of poetry, as well as several librettos. Kate grew up in an intentional community. Since leaving, she has put herself through school, ultimately receiving a PhD in English Literature from Claremont Graduate University. Kate served as the President of PEN America from 2005–6. Since 1989, she has taught writing at universities in Los Angeles. She has also taught publishing at Oxford, Columbia, Harvard, and USC. Currently, she teaches publishing and poetry at Chapman University.
Kate Gale is the co-founder and managing editor of Red Hen Press, which has been publishing for thirty years in Los Angeles. She is also the author of seven books of poetry, as well as several librettos. Kate grew up in an intentional community. Since leaving, she has put herself through school, ...
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