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

by Harrison Hill

A gripping chronicle of the rise and fall of a woman-led cult—and the enduring allure of extremism across 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 1960s counterculture to its descent into conspiracy-fueled abuse. 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, and the horrific mistreatment of those who fell out of the leaders’ favor. With a dramatic, deeply researched narrative tracing the strange twists and turns of the country’s religious development, The Oracle’s Daughter illuminates the porous boundary between the fringe and the mainstream—and shows how much more vulnerable we are to extremism than we might like to think.

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

Audible Audio

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 · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Shannon Kingett · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[sam]

wild

[Bryher · Rating 4 out of 5]

wack.

[C. Jane Swick · Rating 5 out of 5]

My brother was a member of this cult. The story was familiar and horrifying to me. There was much back history I didn't know. Harrison Hill is a skilled and crafted writer. He brings life to the story in a way that makes you take pause. He aptly weaves in the history of religion in the United States - a fascinating and at times, disturbing picture of our country's faith. I gobbled this book up with great curiosity.

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen, I love a good cult book. Chances are, if the author does their job even slightly well, I am going to have a good time. That said, Harrison Hill's The Oracle's Daughter is going to go down as one of my favorites. What sets it apart is going to sound like I am damning it with faint praise, but the best part is the simplicity. Hill just tells the dang story. Simple but effective.

Hill chronicles the story of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps (ACMTC) which might be the worst cult name of all time. For the sake of clarity, I am going to refer to people in the book by the name that is used for them most often in the book. Yes, this is one of those cults where they keep renaming people. I wish that was the worst thing they did, but it is still annoying all the same. Anywho, the main characters are Deborah, the head cult leader, her daughter Sarah (the titular Oracle's Daughter), and Maura, one of the original believers who started the downfall.

Hill just sticks to the story of these three. There are a few short chapters in between the action where he adds some more sociological understanding around American cults, but they serve as additional information rather than a thread. (Bonus point: Hill has the best definition of a cult I have seen.) Otherwise, it's Deborah and Maura and then the narrative moves over to Sarah. Crucially, Hill does not make excuses for his characters even when they are clearly the heroes of the story. Sarah, specifically, makes some choices that I know I personally was enraged by. Hill doesn't shy away from these issues and makes it clear he is seeing them right along with the reader.

Readers should be aware that there is material in here which you should expect from any out-of-control cult (e.g. sexual assault, child abuse, etc.). Hill is never gratuitous with the events, but they are central to the story and thus need to be told. Like everything else, Hill gives you precisely what you need to understand this story. It's a must-read.

(This book was provided as a review copy by NetGalley and Scribner Books.)

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so well researched and Harrison Hill does an excellent job outlining how Deborah Green starts the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps (ACMTC). It is so disturbing how she recruits her friend, Maura who is searching for a better way of life. She plays on her goodness and idealism. As time goes by the group becomes more and more extreme and there is physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. The group is not allowed to think for themselves and is deprived of food, care, and independence. One is made to think you can not possibly leave the group since that is evil and you would not survive. It is all about a Charismatic Deborah and an absolute need for Power and Adulation. I have such a hard time understanding how anyone can behave this way, yet the author does an excellent job tying in other cults. Also, currently the thin line between an Extremist Cult and many Mainstream Religions is occurring. That is terrifying.

I was happy to read that both Sarah and Maura get away from the group. Yet, children are left behind who suffered severe abuse. It was terribly sad and yet the authorities never really did much to stop this for decades. I think many are reluctant to get involved in Violating a “Religions” Fundamental Freedoms, so just ignore the problem. The Group Members are brainwashed as well, so often deny abuse that is occurring.

Definitely, recommend reading this book. It is entertaining and you want the best for those struggling to get free from this life. It also makes you outraged and deeply disturbed that a group such as ACMTC could exist at all. The best protection against falling victim to cults, I think is knowledge. This book provides that.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for providing a copy of this book. I always leave reviews for books I read.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. Immensely. While reading it, there were a couple of moments when I debated about not finishing it, but please know that was only related to the content (not the writing, not the author, etc.). There is mention of extreme abuse, of almost every kind you can think of: physical, mental, emotional, verbal, spiritual, and even a bit of sexual. None is told in graphic or gratuitous detail, but it's still hard to read at times. HOWEVER, it's so worth it because the book is gorgeously written, the story is radically compelling, the cruelty is almost unimaginable, the hope/sheer human will to keep going is inspiring.
Having left a cult (much less intense than this one) myself, I related a lot to the people who left. Leaving is hard, no matter what - the cult has become everything you know. Leaving feels like failure. The thing that hurts you is the thing that nurtured you (possibly even saved you) at one point. I loved the way Hill discussed the survivors and their feelings.
I loved the way Hill wove in the history of cults to the history of this specific cult and histories of these specific people.
If you have any interest in cults, true crime, complicated/complex stories, messy humanity and/or just great writing, PLEASE give this book a try!!

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disgusting and disturbing are cults, especially “religious” ones like these nutjobs. These lunatics illustrate everything that is wrong with the USA. They should have never been allowed to run their abusive human trafficking cult…this is not what “freedom of religion” means. Now they are all free and hiding and the lead lunatic was released, but has a warrant for her arrest. That she was released from prison also illustrates everything that is wrong with the USA. I remember these freaks when they had a restaurant in K Falls. We used to marvel at their stupid outfits and would never patronize anything having to do with them. I was shocked and horrified to read those people are these same people—not to mention the food they served at their restaurant was from dumpsters! How many more of these cults exist? How many people are hoodwinked and held hostage? How many children are being abused? Get it together USA and write some laws to stop these criminals. And when abusers are found guilty and sentenced, they must serve their full sentences! It’s just absurd there are no consequences for child abuse or abuse of any kind in the U.S. why did these freaks get released, some early release, some charges completely dropped? It’s bloody disturbing.

[Dave G · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Jody Blanchette · Rating 3 out of 5]

While diving into other cults for comparison, this book does focus on one cult and the girl that escaped. The cult, Aggressive Christianity Training Corps, is one I was not familiar with. It has its roots in the 70s and 80s when the leader, a woman who became the Oracle, founded it. It was a religious cult, but of course with its own rules and take on religion. The girl that got away, was the daughter of the founder.
The book starts with how the cult became what it is, how it affected its members, and then highlights the start of its downfall. The cults timeline does heavily correspond with many others, which was along with Waco and other news making cults. There is a whole lot of facts given, used for comparison.
I was expecting more of the daughter’s story, but I did appreciate the research done and facts given about cults in general.

[Aubri D · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Darcia Helle · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE ORACLE’S DAUGHTER shows us what can happen when religious fervor is given unchecked power and freedom within a closed community.

We get to know Deborah, the “oracle”, as she eventually becomes the leader of a small religious cult. We also follow Maura, one of the cult’s first members, and we meet Sarah as she is born into this world that she eventually flees.

This book offers some fascinating insight into how easily religious extremism can turn deadly.

I alternated between reading my print copy and listening to the audiobook, which is narrated by the author. I enjoyed both experiences.

*Thanks to Scribner Books (#ScribnerInfluencer) for the free ARC, and to Simon Audio for the free audiobook download!*

[Keila (speedreadstagram) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright, another good cult book. It’s always fascinating to me how cults come to form and how they survive. Really all it takes is a charismatic leader and a few people who go along with it, and then it grows from there. From what I’ve read there is usually a vein of religion mixed in there as well. This book is one that while a true story, reads more like fiction. It just grabs your attention and then sucks you in. Cults are just so fascinating, the ins and outs and daily goings. This story is unique in that we get a look at what growing up in a cult can do to a person and how it shapes them.

Thank you to @simon.audio @scribner @1harrisonhill and @libro.fm for access to this audio and physical copy. All thoughts are my own.

[William (Bill) Fluke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting non fiction book about the Aggressive Christianity Missionary Training Corps (ACMTC) religious cult led by Deborah Green in California and New Mexico beginning in the 1970’s and continuing until Green was convicted in about 2018. The book is focused on Deborah’s daughter Sarah who fled the cult (leaving her children behind) and includes background and stories/ history on cults in a readable way. There is plenty of bad behaviors though not near on the scale of say Jim Jones or David Koresh. I was surprised about midway through the book to learn the cult’s membership was only about 30-35 people at the highest. That doesn’t take away from the bad behaviors that author Harrison Hill writes about, but did reduce the scale of the tragedy in my mind.

[Katie Followell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of "The Oracle's Daughter."

One of my favorite interests is trying to figure out how cults form, and how they fall apart. How can people fall for these issues over and over again?

The Oracle's Daughter left me highlighting certain tidbits and facts that made me fascinated, and I couldn't help but rethink what I would do in these situations. It also was a fun read for me, as I worked at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill-- so reading this history of the shakers was fun.

Overall, a great read. A little slower at times, but a good read.

[Arielle Grim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always interesting to find a new piece of history you know nothing about. I enjoy learning about cults as much as the next person, and I had never heard of The Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps despite it running for over 30 years. Harrison Hill does a great job building the history of the group and tying it to the concurrent events throughout the years. He develops Deborah, the cult's leader, as well as her best friend and daughter, the three women forming the foundation of the group. This book is well written and as engaging as its subject matter, it's dark but well worth the time if you're interested in cult history.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would consider myself a cult lit connoisseur, but this particular group was new to me. I appreciated the depth of the dive, and the clear-eyed focus on real people' experiences (without letting anyone off the hook). There were a number of detours to frame the group in relation to other groups-- Jonestown, Waco, the modern evangelical movement-- which added context but for someone who already knows a fair amount, mostly felt off-topic. Would recommend to anyone who is fascinated by people and religion!

[Lissa00 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lila Green was a young woman when she tragically lost her beloved brother. That grief seems to be the genesis for a rigid set of beliefs that will eventually lead to an authoritarian and abusive religious cult. This engrossing book follows that evolution with firsthand accounts and lots of side material on the history of cults. This is fascinating, well-written, and shocking and the fact that some of the beliefs held by this cult are now fairly mainstream in parts of the populace is terrifying. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Lindsey Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who loves to read books about cults, I was excited for this one and it did not disappoint! The Oracle's Daughter is a deep dive into a cult that is not well known, the ACMTC. I enjoyed the way the author looked at multiple experiences of those who were drawn into the cult. It was a bit of a slower pace than I expected but I still enjoyed the journey. I prefer a memoir to a non-fiction deep dive but the writing in this feels memoir-like. I would definitely recommend to anyone who loved a culty book like I do.

[Shayla Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard of this particular cult before because a watched a cult documentary on them. Female cult leaders are the worst and much more dangerous to their followers than the males ones I believe (they are all terrible but the female leaders have a nasty streak of actively hurting their followers). The book is mainly Sarah's story with Lila/Deborah taking over in various parts with Maura sprinkled in. The things Sarah's went through were egregious and Deborah should still be in prison for the things she has done (the legal system is...something 🙄). A very enticing read!

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Cults also subject people to severe exploitation—physical, spiritual, sexual. They use people; they use people up.”

This quote from the book sums up how things go for people who join cults and the families of people who join cults. Having first hand knowledge of many things involving ACMTC, after reading this book, I’m afraid that there was much more that I didn’t know. Harrison Hill did a wonderful job writing this account although it is very disturbing. I’m glad the atrocities that were committed have been brought to light. It’s been a long time coming.

[Waverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely riveting!! I love this book — it tells an extraordinary story of people pushed to their furthest extremes, alongside a nuanced exploration of extremism in our society more broadly. I got attached to several of the characters through their many ups and downs. I’ll remember them and the broader reflections on fanaticism, belonging, and survival for a long time to come. It’s a beautifully told & deeply compelling story.