Here are 100 books that Sex Cult Nun fans have personally recommended if you like Sex Cult Nun. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

Anthony Lee Author Of Toxic Minds

From my list on eye-opening nonfiction on cults or disinformation.

Why am I passionate about this?

Based on events that have happened over the past decade, I am deeply concerned about large swaths of people in society being strongly influenced by cults and/or disinformation. They can ruin lives, destroy relationships, and even destabilize entire societies. This inspired me to look for and discover the five books on this list, which also shaped the writing of my medical thriller centering on a fictional cult spreading medical disinformation.

Anthony's book list on eye-opening nonfiction on cults or disinformation

Anthony Lee Why Anthony loves this book

After reading this book, I found myself looking at cult mentality as something that can exist in many parts of society, not just groups that fit the classic definition of a cult.

I liked how the book explores examples of non-cult groups that still have cultish thinking and behavior to a lesser degree. For example, can your local health club be cultish because of its members' fanaticism that is cult-like? It's something to think about.

By Amanda Montell ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Cultish as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The author of the widely praised Wordslut analyzes the social science of cult influence: how cultish groups from Jonestown and Scientology to SoulCycle and social media gurus use language as the ultimate form of power.

What makes "cults" so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we're looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join-and more importantly, stay in-extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell's…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Disinformation: The Nature of Facts and Lies in the Post-Truth Era

Anthony Lee Author Of Toxic Minds

From my list on eye-opening nonfiction on cults or disinformation.

Why am I passionate about this?

Based on events that have happened over the past decade, I am deeply concerned about large swaths of people in society being strongly influenced by cults and/or disinformation. They can ruin lives, destroy relationships, and even destabilize entire societies. This inspired me to look for and discover the five books on this list, which also shaped the writing of my medical thriller centering on a fictional cult spreading medical disinformation.

Anthony's book list on eye-opening nonfiction on cults or disinformation

Anthony Lee Why Anthony loves this book

Disinformation is a major issue today, so any nonfiction book that explores it in depth is one that I will surely dive into. I liked how, like any nonfiction book, it covers various aspects of it, such as social media and cognitive biases. There’s plenty of content to appreciate here.

By Donald Barclay ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Disinformation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Does the idea of a world in which facts mean nothing cause anxiety? Fear? Maybe even paranoia? Disinformation:The Nature of Facts and Lies in the Post-Truth Era cannot cure all the ills of a post-truth world, but by demonstrating how the emergence of digital technology into everyday life has knitted together a number of seemingly loosely related forces-historical, psychological, economic, and culture-to create the post-truth culture, Disinformation will help you better understand how we got to where we now are, see how we can move beyond a culture in which facts are too easily dismissed, and develop a few highly…


Book cover of Politics of Disinformation

Anthony Lee Author Of Toxic Minds

From my list on eye-opening nonfiction on cults or disinformation.

Why am I passionate about this?

Based on events that have happened over the past decade, I am deeply concerned about large swaths of people in society being strongly influenced by cults and/or disinformation. They can ruin lives, destroy relationships, and even destabilize entire societies. This inspired me to look for and discover the five books on this list, which also shaped the writing of my medical thriller centering on a fictional cult spreading medical disinformation.

Anthony's book list on eye-opening nonfiction on cults or disinformation

Anthony Lee Why Anthony loves this book

I liked how this book is a collection of essays from different authors, all pertaining to disinformation as it occurs on a global scale. It’s essentially an academic study into the issue, one that is definitely of interest to anyone concerned about disinformation, especially if it has major impacts in the political arenas of specific countries.

By Guillermo Lopez-Garcia (editor) , Dolors Palau-Sampio (editor) , Bella Palomo (editor) , Eva Campos-Dominguez (editor) , Pere Masip (editor)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Politics of Disinformation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

POLITICS OF DISINFORMATION

Discover a comprehensive exploration of the underlying theories of disinformation, and their impact, from leading voices in the field

Politics of Disinformation delivers a thorough discussion of the overwhelming problem of modern fake news in the political arena. The book reviews fundamental theoretical concepts of disinformation and analyzes the impact of new techniques of misinformation and the dissemination of false information in the public space. A group of distinguished authors provide case studies throughout the text to illustrate the effect of disinformation all around the world; including, but not limited to Europe, the Middle East, and South…


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Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things

Anthony Lee Author Of Toxic Minds

From my list on eye-opening nonfiction on cults or disinformation.

Why am I passionate about this?

Based on events that have happened over the past decade, I am deeply concerned about large swaths of people in society being strongly influenced by cults and/or disinformation. They can ruin lives, destroy relationships, and even destabilize entire societies. This inspired me to look for and discover the five books on this list, which also shaped the writing of my medical thriller centering on a fictional cult spreading medical disinformation.

Anthony's book list on eye-opening nonfiction on cults or disinformation

Anthony Lee Why Anthony loves this book

This may be a book about disinformation that is kind of academic, but it has a personal touch. The author combines an intellectual presentation with personal stories about encountering people falling for misinformation and disinformation. Plus, as the title suggests, there’s also an exploration into the psychological aspects of the topic.

By Dan Ariely ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Misbelief as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Thoughtful, moving and well-written' - Yuval Noah Harari

'An urgent examination of the human attraction to misinformation' - Daniel H. Pink

Misinformation affects us daily, from social media to politics and even personal relationships. Policing social media alone cannot solve the complex problem shaped by partisan politics and subjective interpretations of truth.

In Misbelief social scientist Dan Ariely explores the behaviour of 'misbelief' that leads people to distrust accepted truths and embrace conspiracy theories. Misinformation taps into something innate in all of us, regardless of political affiliation. By understanding this psychology, we can mitigate its effects. Grounded in research and…


Book cover of My Tibetan Childhood: When Ice Shattered Stone

Benno Weiner Author Of The Chinese Revolution on the Tibetan Frontier

From my list on understanding Tibetan plights in contemporary China.

Why am I passionate about this?

I first became interested in Tibetans and their relationship with China when, as a nineteen-year-old backpacker, I found myself traveling through the Sino-Tibetan frontier. While drinking yak butter tea in a monk’s cell or eating mutton in nomad tents, it was easy to forget that I was in the People’s Republic of China. So I began to wonder, how did this happen? As a historian of modern China and Inner Asia, I continue to look for answers. My work is driven by an otherwise unremarkable observation: the violent, prolonged, and perhaps incomplete process by which the diverse Qing empire was remade into a Chinese nation-state is among the key unresolved questions of modern Chinese history.

Benno's book list on understanding Tibetan plights in contemporary China

Benno Weiner Why Benno loves this book

I’ve read a bunch of English-language memoirs written by Tibetans living in exile. My Tibetan Childhood is different. Originally written in Tibetan and published by an underground press in China, Naktsang Nulo’s remarkable memoir of growing up in the grasslands of Amdo during the 1950s is meant to preserve for younger generations of Tibetans the traumatic story of their homeland’s incorporation into the Chinese state. 

The first half offers a nostalgic but unflinching portrayal of life before the coming of the Chinese. Unlike much of the exile literature, this is not an idealized Tibet but one filled with violence and injustice as well as community and faith. The second half describes in harrowing detail the events of 1958 when Nakstang’s chiefdom was destroyed, his father shot and killed, and he and his brother were left to survive prison camps and then horrific famine. All told through the eyes of a…

By Naktsang Nulo , Angus Cargill (translator) , Sonam Lhamo (translator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked My Tibetan Childhood as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In My Tibetan Chldhood, Naktsang Nulo recalls his life in Tibet's Amdo region during the 1950s. From the perspective of himself at age ten, he describes his upbringing as a nomad on Tibet's eastern plateau. He depicts pilgrimages to monasteries, including a 1500-mile horseback expedition his family made to and from Lhasa. A year or so later, they attempted that same journey as they fled from advancing Chinese troops. Naktsang's father joined and was killed in the little-known 1958 Amdo rebellion against the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the armed branch of the Chinese Communist Party. During the next year, the…


Book cover of Dreams of Joy

Tong Ge Author Of The House Filler

From my list on Chinese modern history.

Why am I passionate about this?

Born and raised in China, I moved to Canada in my late 20s to pursue a master's degree and stayed here, becoming a first-generation immigrant. But home is always home—my ancestors lived and died on that land. My country's history, culture, traditions, and social structures deeply fascinate me, especially its modern history, which has profoundly shaped me. China's history is rich, captivating, and often brutal, and I believe the world needs to know what we have gone through. The five books I recommend, including works by two Nobel Prize-winning authors, are literary masterpieces. They not only offer deep insights into China's modern history but also showcase extraordinary literary artistry.

Tong's book list on Chinese modern history

Tong Ge Why Tong loves this book

I love the book because of its spectacular opening, among other merits. As the sequel to Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls, this book focuses on the next generation—Joy. The book opens with a powerful twist: Joy discovers that her mother is actually her aunt, and her aunt is her biological mother. Additionally, her father, unrelated by blood, committed suicide because of her, while her real father is an artist in China. Angry and guilt-ridden, the rebellious and naïve college student from San Francisco's Chinatown runs away to communist China to find her real father and help build the country.

Her adoptive mother, Pearl, follows to rescue her. In China, Joy marries the wrong man, nearly dies of starvation, and learns the harsh realities of the new regime. I also love the book for its character development, conflicts, and complex relationships among the main characters, as well as its historically accurate depiction…

By Lisa See ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dreams of Joy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Astonishing . . . one of those hard-to-put-down-until-four-in-the morning books . . . a story with characters who enter a reader’s life, take up residence, and illuminate the myriad decisions and stories that make up human history.”—Los Angeles Times

In her most powerful novel yet, acclaimed author Lisa See returns to the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy. Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father—the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and…


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Book cover of Head Over Heels

Head Over Heels by Nancy MacCreery,

A fake date, romance, and a conniving co-worker you'd love to shut down. Fun summer reading!

Liza loves helping people and creating designer shoes that feel as good as they look. Financially overextended and recovering from a divorce, her last-ditch opportunity to pitch her firm for investment falls flat. Then…

Book cover of Down a Narrow Road: Identity and Masculinity in a Uyghur Community in Xinjiang China

Nick Holdstock Author Of China's Forgotten People: Xinjiang, Terror and the Chinese State

From my list on the concentration camps in Xinjiang.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was living in Xinjiang on 9/11 and got to witness the swiftness with which the state imposed strict regulations that harmed the Uyghur community. For me, this was an indelible lesson in the abuses of power and authority on people who just wanted to work, raise families, and enjoy their lives. Since then I’ve tried to raise awareness, first in my memoir, The Tree That Bleeds, then in my journalism. I hope my work helps people think about how to respond as both politically engaged citizens and consumers to one of the worst human rights violations of the 21st century.

Nick's book list on the concentration camps in Xinjiang

Nick Holdstock Why Nick loves this book

This book is an ethnographic account of Uyghur suburban life in the mid-1990s, which might sound very far removed from the political and humanitarian crisis going on in the region today. Yet the portrait it offers of Uyghur family life, market trading, informal socializing, and forms of religious devotion has arguably never been more important, given that the Chinese state has been targeting precisely these benign, everyday practices and beliefs in recent years by separating children from their parents, sending officials to live with Uyghur families, and destroying traditional Uyghur homes. Reading it is an immersive, often funny, experience, which should make people understand the consequences of the state-sponsored violence these communities have been subjected to.

By Jay Dautcher ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Down a Narrow Road as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Uyghurs, a Turkic group, account for half the population of the Xinjiang region in northwestern China. This ethnography presents a thick description of life in the Uyghur suburbs of Yining, a city near the border with Kazakhstan, and situates that account in a broader examination of Uyghur culture. Its four sections explore topics ranging from family life to market trading, from informal socializing to forms of religious devotion. Uniting these topics are an emphasis on the role folklore and personal narrative play in helping individuals situate themselves in and create communities and social groups, and a focus on how…


Book cover of The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties That Helped Create Modern China

Claire Chao Author Of Remembering Shanghai: A Memoir of Socialites, Scholars and Scoundrels

From my list on China’s greatest city Shanghai.

Why am I passionate about this?

“Old Shanghai” is in my blood: though raised in Hong Kong, I was surrounded by all things Shanghai through my parents and their friends, who had grown up during Shanghai’s 1930s heyday. The classical culture … the modern glamour … the breathtaking scandals! Since childhood I’ve searched for connections to my heritage; this fascination led me, years later, to write Remembering Shanghai with my mother, by then in her eighties. Having immersed myself in Shanghai history and culture most of my life, I am passionate about intimate, authentic stories that are told against a rich historical backdrop—the kind that make reviewers say “you can’t make this up!”

Claire's book list on China’s greatest city Shanghai

Claire Chao Why Claire loves this book

A great deal has been written about the Jewish refugees who flooded into Shanghai during World War II, but that’s not the case with the story of the wealthy Sephardic Jewish families who arrived in the early days of opium trading and built fabulous fortunes. In Last Kings of Shanghai, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jonathan Kaufman weaves the epic tale of the Sassoons and the Kadoories, stretching from Baghdad to Shanghai to London and Hong Kong. It’s a story of business acumen and political intrigue, of wartime survival and the choices that saw one family perpetuate its wealth and influence in China, and the other fade into history.

By Jonathan Kaufman ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Last Kings of Shanghai as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"In vivid detail... examines the little-known history of two extraordinary dynasties."--The Boston Globe

"Not just a brilliant, well-researched, and highly readable book about China's past, it also reveals the contingencies and ironic twists of fate in China's modern history."--LA Review of Books

An epic, multigenerational story of two rival dynasties who flourished in Shanghai and Hong Kong as twentieth-century China surged into the modern era, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

The Sassoons and the Kadoories stood astride Chinese business and politics for more than one hundred seventy-five years, profiting from the Opium Wars; surviving Japanese occupation; courting Chiang Kai-shek; and…


Book cover of Do Not Say We Have Nothing

Jordan Dotson Author Of The Ballad of Falling Rock

From my list on musicians with otherworldly talent.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up in a family of church singers. As a young man, I studied poetry and piano, literature and guitar, listening to Hank Williams and reading William Faulkner while dreaming of becoming a Nashville songwriter. Eventually, I performed as a singer-songwriter myself on three continents, so it’s entirely honest to say that music, language, and stories have always been the fabric of my life. These novels represent everything I love about music and how it connects us—to people, to worlds beyond—and I hope you find them just as meaningful (and occasionally heartwrenching) as I have.

Jordan's book list on musicians with otherworldly talent

Jordan Dotson Why Jordan loves this book

This novel broke my heart so many times. It did so with beautiful and subtle prose, with its astonishing depiction of tragedy and loss, and with its magical insistence that the music we make can outlive us all. But what broke my heart the most in Thien’s novel is the reminder, or perhaps the revelation, of how much art’s existence depends on an unpredictable, ever-shifting, uncaring, brutal world.

It was staggering, watching generations of a family of musicians fight through a century of political turmoil in China and not knowing if they, and the music, would survive. But I loved it. This novel is a marvel.

By Madeleine Thien ,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Do Not Say We Have Nothing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"In a single year, my father left us twice. The first time, to end his marriage, and the second, when he took his own life. I was ten years old."

Master storyteller Madeleine Thien takes us inside an extended family in China, showing us the lives of two successive generations-those who lived through Mao's Cultural Revolution and their children, who became the students protesting in Tiananmen Square. At the center of this epic story are two young women, Marie and Ai-Ming. Through their relationship Marie strives to piece together the tale of her fractured family in present-day Vancouver, seeking answers…


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Book cover of Pinned

Pinned by Liz Faraim,

“Rowdy” Randy Cox, a woman staring down the barrel of retirement, is a curmudgeonly blue-collar butch lesbian who has been single for twenty years and is trying to date again.

At the end of a long, exhausting shift, Randy finds her supervisor, Bryant, pinned and near death at the warehouse…

Book cover of The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds

Betty Bolté Author Of Becoming Lady Washington

From my list on historical fiction about emotionally strong women.

Why am I passionate about this?

I “discovered” historical fiction when a teen and have devoured it ever since. When my parents took me to the Cowpens National Battlefield in South Carolina in 9th grade, I realized just how much I enjoyed learning about history in real life. I found that reading historical fiction breathed life into what can be a very dull read, so I wanted to bring history to life with my own words. Visiting historical properties has become a big passion of mine! Every trip I take includes a visit to some historical site or another. I’ve been writing historical fiction/romance/fantasy since the late 1990s.

Betty's book list on historical fiction about emotionally strong women

Betty Bolté Why Betty loves this book

If you’re looking to virtually experience Asian culture, I’d highly recommend this story. Not only the language used, the expressions used, but also the décor, the clothing, the food, the religious rituals, and rites. All is woven into a beautiful tapestry of life and people in Malay. The story explores the tensions between tradition and modernizing. Especially, in this case, the Western influences on the traditions and expectations of the Asian cultures. I was reminded of the tension between my mother and myself “merely” because of the age difference, not a cultural difference. Mom was 42 when I was born, 60 when I graduated high school. Expectations had most definitely shifted by then!

By Selina Siak Chin Yoke ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Facing challenges in an increasingly colonial world, Chye Hoon, a rebellious young girl, must learn to embrace her mixed Malayan-Chinese identity as a Nyonya-and her destiny as a cook, rather than following her first dream of attending school like her brother.

Amidst the smells of chillies and garlic frying, Chye Hoon begins to appreciate the richness of her traditions, eventually marrying Wong Peng Choon, a Chinese man. Together, they have ten children. At last, she can pass on the stories she has heard-magical tales of men from the sea-and her warrior's courage, along with her wonderful kueh (cakes).

But the…


Book cover of Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
Book cover of Disinformation: The Nature of Facts and Lies in the Post-Truth Era
Book cover of Politics of Disinformation

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