ambershelf's Reviews (1.3k)

In this raw and intimate memoir, Daniella Mestyanek Young recounts her childhood growing up in the religious cult The Children of God and suffering physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Young bravely left at 15, started high school, graduated valedictorian in college, and enlisted in the military. But in the remote sands of Afghanistan, Young begins to see that her new world, surrounded by men she thought were her brothers, looks eerily similar to the one she ran half her life to escape.

UNCULTURED is an emotional and heartbreaking memoir with very explicit descriptions of the abuse Young experienced in the cult and the military. Interested readers should check trigger warnings. The first half of the book describes Young's time in the cult; it just breaks my heart to think about the neglect these children suffered, and it makes my blood boil hearing how men abused women and kids.

The second half of UNCULTURED focuses on Young's time in the military. Young's comparisons between the religious cult and the US army are incredibly telling and brave. While her introspection on these toxic cultures is interesting, I wasn't as immersed in the second half. Nonetheless, UNCULTURED is still an emotional and heartwrenching read that details Young's struggles and fearlessness in overcoming the impossible.