Uncultured is not only a memoir, but a cautionary tale for our time-and all times. New York Times bestselling author Taylor Stevens ' Uncultured gives readers the page-turning of a thriller with the heart and exploration of a memoir.' Tammy Smith, Major General, US Army (Retired) the unrelenting, innate resiliency that Daniella brings to life from a very early age makes us consider 'Where does resiliency come from?' Her resolve to break her captor's chains, whether in the Children of God, the US Army or her personal relationships is at the heart of this well-written and engaging memoir.' Angela Yarber, award-winning author of Queering the American Dream 'Page-turner is an understatement for Daniella Mestyanek Young's Uncultured, a gripping memoir of resilience, courage, grief, and the hope that comes when a woman knows her true worth.' Ryan Leigh Dostie, author of Formation and US Army veteran Ultimately, it's a story of resilience and Mestyanek Young's ability to place one boot in front of the other in the face of the unimaginable.'

It is a brutal, necessary look at the inherent ways institutions attempt to confine women to limiting roles. 'Daniella Mestyanek Young's searing memoir elegantly and intricately intertwines the worlds of religious cult and military, brilliantly displaying their similarities in a way that is as undeniable as it is disturbing. Julia Scheeres, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus Land 'A tremendous story of grit and determination.'

In the vein of Educated and The Glass Castle, Uncultured explores the dangers unleashed when harmful group mentality goes unrecognised, and is emblematic of the many ways women must contort themselves to survive.

But she soon learned that her new world-surrounded by men on the sands of Afghanistan-looked remarkably similar to the one she desperately tried to leave behind. She bravely enrolled in high school and then joined the military, where she believed she would finally belong. Beholden to The Family's strict rules, Daniella suffered physical, emotional, and sexual abuse-masked as godly discipline and divine love-and was forbidden from getting a traditional education.Īt fifteen years old, fed up with The Family and determined to build a better and freer life, Daniella escaped to Texas. In the vein of Tara Westover's Educated, Daniella Mestyanek's memoir is a searing and powerful testament to a woman's ability to transform the circumstances of her life through inner strength and resilience.īehind the tall, foreboding gates of a commune in Brazil, Daniella Mestyanek Young was raised in the religious cult the Children of God, also known as The Family.

Uncultured daniella young