I thought that Moffett really did her due diligence to show how the average student who may be isolated and lonely could be so easily taken in with a group like this, and really demonstrated the frog in the boiling water aspect of how Kingdom, and real life campus cult groups, depend upon.īy the time Emily gets to Italy on her ‘mission’, and things really take a turn, the groundwork has been laid out seamlessly. Moffett slowly reveals aspects of her background and personality that make her ripe for the picking when it comes to Kingdom, an on campus Christian group that brings her into their organization with promise of friendhip and salvation (and love, as it is the charming Josh who first compels her). Our protagonist, Emily, reads like a very realistic college freshman who has found herself in a new environment, and who hasn’t quite found her place. “Those Who Prey” is part coming of age story, part thriller, and Moffett is able to pull out the best of both genres to make a genuinely disturbing tale about identity and manipulation. As I read “Those Who Prey” by Jennifer Moffett, I kept having flashbacks to that table, and one specific girl with whom I made eye contact on more than one occasion, and how my disgust at the time didn’t see the blatant predatory behavior of the group I was constantly passing as I went for my lunch. I never saw them talking to anyone, but I did think about how they could probably influence a lonely student or two who hadn’t adjusted to college life yet, who just wanted a connection as they sought out a bagel. Sometimes it would be pamphlets on the sins of homosexuality or sex. Around Halloween it was about devil worship. The table that always made me uncomfortable was a far right Evangelical Christian group whose name I can’t remember, as they always had the same rotation of about five people who had interesting signs and information on display. Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!īack when I was at the University of Minnesota for my undergrad, between classes I’d spend time in the student union, usually getting a bagel for lunch in the food area where a number of student groups had set up tables trying to find new members. The Kingdom’s practices become increasingly manipulative and dangerous.Īt times unsettling and always riveting, Those Who Prey looks at the allure of cult life, while questioning just how far we’re willing to go to find where we belong. They’re cut off from their families back home. Emily and the others are stripped of their passports and money. But the trip is not what she thought it would be. The Kingdom, an exclusive on-campus group, offers everything Emily expected of college and more: acceptance, friends, a potential boyfriend, and a chance to spend the summer in Italy on a mission trip. Instead, she walks the campus alone, still not having found her place or her people so far away from home. She expected to spend freshman year strolling through the ivy-covered campus with new friends, finally feeling like she belonged. Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from NetGalley.īook Description: Sadie meets The Girls in this riveting debut psychological thriller about a lonely college freshman seduced into joining a cult-and her desperate attempt to escape before it’s too late.Ĭollege life isn’t what Emily expected. Publishing Info: Atheneum, Simon & Schuster, November 2020 They'll emerge more ready than ever to advocate for justice, healing, and resurrection.Book: “Those Who Prey” by Jennifer Moffett As readers journey with Bluhm, they will be moved to find their own way, their own voice, and their own conviction for standing with women. Addressing men and women in all work settings-within the church and beyond-popular author and podcast host Tiffany Bluhm sets out to understand the cultural and spiritual narratives that silence women and to illuminate the devastating emotional, financial, and social impact of silence in the face of injustice. In so doing, she empowers others to speak up against abuses of power. With honesty and strength, she tells stories of how women have overcome silence to expose the truth about their ministry and professional leaders-and the backlash they so often face. Bluhm explores the complex dynamics of power and abuse in systems we all find ourselves in. Yet like many women today who are taking action against sexual harassment and sexual assault, it is. "A welcome book offering an important wake-up call to the Christian community and beyond."-Gail Eubanks, Library Journal Tiffany Bluhm wishes this wasn't her story to tell.
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