The Oracle's Daughter: The Rise and Fall of an American Cult

by Harrison Hill

The shocking true story of the rise and fall of a woman-led cult—a debut work of narrative nonfiction about extremism, the search for belonging, and America’s turbulent religious history.

On a cool fall night in 1999, twenty-six-year-old Sarah Green crept out of her house, retrieved a backpack from its hiding place, and ran for her life. She was escaping not just the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps, a paramilitary religious cult operating out of the New Mexico desert, but also the punishments and cruelty of the cult’s leader—her mother, Deborah.

In The Oracle’s Daughter, Harrison Hill traces the fascinating beginnings and violent end of ACMTC, from its early days as an outgrowth of the hippie movement, through the conspiracy-theorist 1990s and into the present day. This is the story of three women—Deborah, the group’s founder and self-proclaimed oracle; Maura, one of its first members; and Sarah, Deborah’s daughter—bound together by a punitive, baroque set of radical beliefs and practices, including exorcism, kidnapping, prohibitions against the “abominations” of popular music and psychoanalysis, and the horrific mistreatment of those who fell out of the leaders’ favor.

Though ACMTC was radical in its beliefs, deprivations, and abuses, its history is a window into the particular character of American fanaticism, and an examination of the porous boundary between the fringe and the mainstream. With a propulsive, deeply researched narrative, The Oracle’s Daughter illuminates the strange twists and turns of the country’s religious development—and how much more vulnerable we are to extremism than we might like to think.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Cults, Religion, History, Audiobook, Memoir

352 pages, Hardcover

Published April 7, 2026

About the author

Harrison Hill grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia and lives in Brooklyn, New York. He received his MFA in nonfiction from Columbia University, where he also taught undergraduate writing. His journalism and essays have appeared in The Cut, GQ, Vogue, Travel + Leisure, AFAR, The Guardian, and The Threepenny Review. The Oracle’s Daughter is his first book.

Reviews

[Erin]

ARC for review. To be published April 7, 2026.

4 stars

Oh, yes, y’all! It’s another cult book for me! October is my birthday month so I guess the fates decided to gift me with a little something! How kind!

So, this is about the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps who first operated out of Sacramento before they moved to New Mexico. It’s also about three women: Lila/Deborah, the cult leader and the mother of Sarah, Maura, one of Lila’s only friends and a cult member, and Sarah, Lila’s daughter who eventually left the cult. Oh, and this is non-fiction. I had never heard of these people or this group before.

As usual it’s a fascinating and sad look at a charismatic leader and a group of people entirely too willing to be lead. There is also information about other famous cults and the role of the evangelical church in modern society. I enjoyed reading about the relationships between the primary characters. Recommended if you are interested in cults.

[Susan]

The Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps was founded in California in 1981, initially operating out of a set of neighboring houses. Its leader is Deborah Green, who believes she is an oracle and wants to bring her version of paramilitary religion to the world. After some legal trouble, the cult’s headquarters moved to rural New Mexico. In 1999, Sarah Green (Deborah’s daughter) escaped in the middle of the night, leaving her children behind. Sarah is key to this story, having grown up in the cult but eventually wanting more, including an education.

Reading about a cult is intriguing, baffling, and disturbing. So much control, isolation, and abuse are involved. Is the cult leader a con person or a true believer? How are certain activities justified, even child trafficking? Why is it so difficult to prosecute crimes committed by the cult leaders or even to enforce monetary penalties decided on by the courts? What does growing up in a cult do to a person, and how does that person leave and rebuild? This was a fascinating read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me to read an ARC of this title.

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee]

I always find cults so interesting to read about, and this one was crazy. This is a Non-fiction book about three women and their connection to the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps (ACMTC). The abuses, such as child abuse and SA, within the cult are horrible to read about but also so important to learn about it. The extreme fascism that's going on right now in America has made me even more intrigued about cults and this one grabbed me immediately. It almost felt like a fictional book. It was really good.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[Suz]

A masterpiece!! I could not put this extraordinary book down. The writing is propulsive. The story is heartbreaking. The reporting is thorough and expansive. I can’t stop thinking about the real lives on these pages. Hill handles the story and humanity of it all with such care and beauty.

[Dave G]

I wanted this to be a better rating than it is, but I just can’t justify a higher one. This book started off pretty good, with an interesting topic, but it quickly became tedious like school work. The author kept interjecting into the story the history of cults from the past, talking about cults that they arose at the same time as the one discussed in the book, but in such a way that it made it disjointed.

It would have been a better read if he stuck to the plot. Adding a little, and I mean a little, history or background if fine. History and background can add color and perspective to the story. But adding paragraphs and pages of material that may only be partially relevant to the current theme just thinned out a possibility good story. I guess I get it on some level. My version of the book is 276 pages. Without the added dicta the book may have only been 150 pages. Certainly not enough for a full length book. The book could have been a sold three stars if he just stuck to topic.

[Janine]

This is a book that is extremely relevant today. In our times of white nationalist Evangelical Christianity, it is important to understand its roots and its dangers. The book provides an historical context for the evangelical roots in America. I found this helpful, interesting and historically accurate. However, the book focuses on the extremism Evangelical Christianity can take when people seek answers strictly from God. The history and definition of cults in this book was also very helpful, interesting and accurate (having read Cultish, this book added to previous information I knew of). Sarah Green’s story is heartbreaking; the vileness of her mother’s cult and how they treated its members was awful. That behavior wrung from one woman’s perverted belief she knows better, she knows what everyone needed begs the question we ask today: Who made these people God? I couldn’t put this book down. Highly recommend. I thank NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC.

[Ann]

Narrated by the author, this chilling record of cults across decades and centuries is informative and chilling. I use deliberately use chilling to describe the book twice as the details in multiple instances were quite sobering. The titular case of abuse and cruelty was horrific. and the background and aftermath are both maddening and enlightening to understanding current events.

[Dee]

Didn't love each chapter jumping from character to some other event/cult-related research to yet another character. Writing in the last few chapters seemed drawn out at times, with rhetorical questions and reflections.

[Melissa]

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut from Hill. His reporting is both meticulous and empathetic; while his subjects committed heinous acts, Hill avoids harsh judgment, choosing instead to explore the complex reasons that led to their choices. The narrative flows like a novel, though the reality of the story is truly stranger than fiction. I loved the inclusion of specific, grounding details (like Josh sending Johanna an email with a Puff Daddy music video, or teenage Sarah using her freedom in the Philippines to eat food court sugar and watch MTV) which made the surreal world of the book feel startlingly human. I was struck by the central tenet: that cults are often the wrong answer to the right question. It’s a poignant reminder that we are all simply searching for deeper meaning, connection to our community, and the basic comfort of home.

[Aubri D]

Overall, I found the premise of this book very interesting. I enjoyed learning about the lives of the cult members and how they got to where they are today. I do feel the story was extremely broken up due to all of the added general information about cults and religion. I wish it had more closely followed the "plot". I also felt the title was slightly misleading as there was almost as much focus on the other characters as there was on Sarah, the Oracle's Daughter. I also wish there had been trigger warnings. I know there is often abuse when it comes to cults, but reading about child abuse or sexual abuse is very difficult. I also felt the author had clear anti-Christian, anti- religion undertones.
The book did make me dig deeper into other big cults and I will be reading more about them in the future.

[Shannon Kingett]

Completely and utterly gripping. I struggled to put it down. Harrison Hill strikes a perfect balance between a narrative, personal tone, and a detailed, nuanced journalistic approach. The result is a book that fascinates with its detail and wider context, but ultimately keeps you engaged because of your desire to see out the stories of our main characters.

As someone with a particular interest in cult related books and media, at many moments this reminded me quite a bit of Under the Banner of Heaven - a true story, but so narrative in nature. If you loved that (either the book or the TV show starring Andrew Garfield), this book is for you.

[Ali]

In a word, brilliant! The Oracle’s Daughter had me captured from start to finish. From the beautiful prose to the thoughtful storytelling, the author weaves the fascinating and complicated history of not just another cult but the messy, beautiful, and astonishing stories of the people who were caught up in it. Add this to your TBR!

[Susan W]

Wow!!! Hill expertly weaves the history of extremist religion in America with stunning personal accounts. The depth of his research and reporting is astounding. It’s vivid and shocking and powerful. Such beautiful writing!! Highly recommend!

[Pooja Peravali]

When Sarah Green escaped the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps, a paramilitary religious cult, she was running away from not only the violence of the group, but from its leader, her own mother.

I came across this book by reading an excerpt in the news - drawn in by the story, I right away went out looking for the book at the library. Most cults I've read about are headed by men, so it was certainly a change to see a woman helming one with all the same sadistic aplomb. 

The author tells the story of the ACMTC through the eyes of three women: Lila, later called Deborah, who started the group with her husband; Maura, an early member who later broke away and spoke out against the group; and Sarah, Deborah's daughter, who despite being born into the cult later escapes it herself. The author does a good job of showing how such a group could spring up from the fertile soil of the turbulent 1960s, and what drew people into the orbit of Deborah and other similar groups as ACMTC.

I did expect from the book's blurb to get more of a focus on Sarah's story, but her's is only a small part of the whole story. I also wished we learned more about ACMTC's chapters in other countries - while we see Sarah sent off to live with missionaries in the Philippines, and later assist in the illegal adoption of a baby from Uganda, the actual details of how such a extremist group as ACMTC got its international foothold is skimmed over.

Similarly skimmed over are the sexual abuse charges which eventually put Deborah in jail - to rightfully preserve the privacy of the victims, I expect - but I would have liked to know more about the proceedings in court at least.

[Diana]

4-1/2 stars. With The Oracle’s Daughter, writer Harrison Hill does something I haven’t experienced in the many, many accounts of people’s experiences in cults / high control groups I’ve read and/or heard. 

Hill contextualizes the events and experiences of the women whose stories he shares within the larger tendency toward extreme belief systems that is a fundamental part of who we are as a nation in the United States of America. After all, we’re currently very obviously being run by the cult of MAGA / Trump loyalists. 

Once upon a time, decades ago, the overt efforts to force Christian Nationalism down our throats was considered fringe, extreme, alarming behavior. Now it’s just another day in the U.S.

Hill treats his subjects with respect, but doesn’t shy away from the hard questions. His meticulous research and commitment to accuracy are readily evident throughout the entire work. 

I’m not going to try to tell you there is a lot of hope to be found here, but Hill has a unique gift for teasing it out wherever it can be found. 

I don’t know if our nation will survive our foray into overt Christian Nationalism, but strongly believe we have a responsibility to learn about it and push back in any way we can. 

This book, out today, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, is a solid addition to anyone’s library on the subject.

[Chet]

I’ve been fascinated by cults since I was young, which isn’t that surprising since I grew up in 1980’s America, where “satanic panic” gripped the nation and Jonestown became a major news story. Then we moved into the 90’s with the Branch Davidians, Heaven’s Gate, Scientology and others coming into the public eye. It’s always been interesting to me how people become involved with cult movements and since I don’t want to actually join a cult, reading is a great way to learn. I’ve read books on all of the aforementioned cults as well as others, but I didn’t recall having ever heard of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps (ACMTC) so I was excited to run across The Oracle’s Daughter.

ACMTC was the life’s work of Deborah Green, a former hippie who decided that she was a prophet and could talk to God, which is pretty much how all these cults start. She abused children and adults for decades before finally being imprisoned, though at the time of this writing it appears that she and her husband Jim are inexplicably free. The Oracle’s Daughter explains in detail how the cult formed, kidnapped children, physically and mentally abused adults and children and even killed children by denying medical care and nutrition. It’s amazing how these groups come to be and even more amazing that they manage to recruit and maintain members. Still, it happens and continues to happen even here in 2025: Scientology is a huge cult, Children of God (now called The Family International) are still active and MAGA has somehow taken hold of a significant portion of Americans. Clearly people are searching for something out of life and cults seem to offer it to them despite the negative actions of the leaders and members. So, how do people become involved in these cults and why do they stay even with the abuse and violence? The answer isn’t always clear, but we can start to gain some understanding through books like The Oracle’s Daughter. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’m not going to go into detail on just what happened with ACMTC and let you discover that for yourself.

Author Harrison Hill has written an awesome book that, quite honestly, reads like fiction. When I first started reading The Oracle’s Daughter, I had to stop reading and go do some Google research to make sure that this was nonfiction. It’s not on the same level as some other stories as there are no mass suicides and no shootouts with the government, but there is plenty of insanity in these pages. From what I can gather, Hill began his journey by writing an article for The Cut about Sarah Green, the daughter of cult leader Deborah Green, and Sarah’s escape. Hill then decided to expand the article into a book, which turned out to be a fantastic idea. Hill is a great writer and, as I mentioned, this reads like fiction and is often hard to put down. I’ve even found myself checking news articles for updates on the story as the legal battles are still ongoing in the case. If you’re interested in cults and religious extremism, you will not be disappointed by The Oracle’s Daughter: The Rise and Fall of an American Cult.

At it’s core, The Oracle’s Daughter is a story about redemption, courage and survival because it is, after all, about those who escaped. But it’s also a book about the dark underbelly of Christianity and religion in general as well as the evil that humans will perpetrate in the name of God. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone because, ultimately, it is about being human and the failures and triumphs that go along with it. I would like to thank Harrison Hill, Netgalley and Scribner for allowing me to read an advance copy of the book. I enjoyed it very much.

[Juliette]

I moved to New Mexico in the fall of 1999, the same time of year when Sarah Green (the "oracle's" daughter) escaped her mother's cult near Grants, New Mexico. This cult is insane and I can't believe that Deborah Green is still on the lam! Yikes! Thanks to my brother & family for giving me this book for my birthday. It's a welcome addition to my cult book collection. The author did a really thorough job of investigating this cult, while making connections to other modern cults/"high pressure groups". Bonus star to the author for writing about people's experiences in these groups with empathy and compassion.

[Karen T]

I seem to be the outlier here but I gave up 40% in. This was half interesting and half a thesis on cults in America which I just didn’t need or know I was signing up for. The pieces about the ACMTC were interesting but the chapters in between regarding cults dating back to 1780 took me out of it. As someone already interested in the topic a good portion of the history wasn’t new to me so maybe that’s why. But have at it if you’re into the full evolution and history of it all.

[Elena]

There was a lot I found frustrating about this book, like the author's infatuation with Sarah, the constant interruptions to tell the reader about the history of cults, the comparisons to current day politics (Today's MAGA is a cult??? What??!?), and the comparisons to Ann Lee, who, as far as we know, didn't abuse her followers and promoted gender equality while Deborah Green never hesitated to call a woman a whore.

[Elly]

Really good book. Sorry to see that so much abuse went on for so long. Makes me wonder what the difference is between people who are able to get out and the ones that only dig in deeper. Would recommend

[sam]

wild

[Bryher]

wack.

[Dawn Michelle]

With thanks to NetGalley, Harrison Hill, and Scribner for providing this ARC, it is with deep regret that even though I read this book in its entirety, I will be unable to provide a review for this book at this time. I thank you for your understanding.

[Ashlyn]

More like a 3.5-3.75 but still really good

[Chelsea Newson]

Brilliant and haunting.

[Natalie]

2.5⭐️ Infuriating. That is the only word to describe this book. Every adult in this book and the American (federal and local) law enforcement/ justice system were infuriating to read about. The level of child abuse that took place at the hands of Lila (or Deborah depending on the era being referenced) was insane and how these adults, Sarah included, in the cult allowed it to happen made me so ragey at times, I had to put the book down.

As a person fascinated by cults, I was happy to read about a new one, but the author did not do a good job of actually laying out the group’s beliefs other than at a high level. I also, generally did not enjoy the author’s writing style. All in all, this was fine.

[Britt Logan]

I was very excited to read this book and it did not disappoint. In fact, it offered so much more than I expected. In addition to painting an interesting and thorough picture of ACMTC (its founding, rise, and practices, etc.), Hill expertly weaves in thorough research that offers broader context on why cults come to be, how ACMTC fit into the broader social narrative of the 70s and 80s, and the fine line that can exist between cult and religion. Political perspectives, psychological research, and historical context complement the in-depth story of ACMTC with Hill asking the reader to apply these insights to our world today in ways I wouldn’t have expected.

While I like non-fiction, I rarely plow through it at the same speed as fiction. This book was an exception. I truly couldn’t put it down. Often staying up late for “one more chapter.” I attribute this to Hill’s engaging storytelling and the conversational tone of the more “educational” chapters.

I’d like to give a special nod to the fact that Hill does not exploit the trauma of those who lived through ACMTC. He offers only the details needed to tell a thorough story, most notably leaving out specific accounts of child abuse that could have sensationalized it all. This is not a book meant to capitalize on the experiences of ACMTC members. Instead, it informs, educates, and champions those who have decided to share their story.

[Jamie Jones Hullinger]

4.5

[Sarah]

4.5 Stars - the audiobook is read by the author, which is pretty excellent.

One of the best cult books I've read in years. Not only is it thorough, the author does a great job of tying in and tracing American religious history in a way that shows that cults are not just products of their leaders, but are the result of a society's religious history and beliefs.

I decided to read this book because I started to read this article (the link will likely someday break - it is a LitHub article from the author and another author who wrote a cult book) and they spoke about how important it is to sometimes just "tell" a story rather than implying things. In a lot of ways, by telling of this cult, the author shows and reveals the religious history in more illuminating ways - alternatively, by telling the religious history so explicitly, the connection is felt more deeply.

I highly recommend this one and will likely do so for years to come.

[Amélie Quincampoix]

As Stephen King said of this book - "This story about the rise and fall of an evangelical cult is terrifying… gripping… all true. I couldn't put it down, and it would make one hell of a movie." My thoughts exactly!

Absolutely devoured this book in only three days (very unusual for me, especially when it comes to non-fiction). The only thing I would change is more insight into Lila/Deborah's family background and what could account for her having become this way, although there is plenty of insight into the cultural forces that have encouraged cultism in America over the years; in fact I really appreciated the structure of the narrative with every 2nd chapter or so being devoted to cults in general (in America, mostly) and how this fit in with the particular story of the ACMTC ("Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps"...).