The Earth Is Flat?! And Other Things My Mother Taught Me: How a Childhood in the Evangelical Church Became an Adulthood in Conspiracy Theories

by Susan Huckle

What do you do when the person who raised your faith stops believing in reality?

This laugh-out-loud and vulnerable debut MOMoir is about a homeschooled Pentecostal girl in the ‘90s, her flat-earther mother, and the hilarious, heartbreaking work of figuring out what's actually true.

Susan Huckle was raised for the End Times: homeschooled on Bible prophecy, drilled on the signs of the Rapture, and taught to keep a bag packed for Jesus's return. Believing the world could end any day was comforting. It meant she didn't have to think too hard about why God still hadn't healed her father, paralyzed by a stroke.

When Susan leaves her small town on California’s Central Coast to chase acting in L.A., the questions she's never let herself ask start catching up with her. Meanwhile, her mother falls down a YouTube rabbit hole: 9/11 truthers, mass shooting hoaxes, a flashlight app that's somehow spying on her. Then Mom announces she's a flat earther.

She spent her whole childhood preparing for the end of the world. She never prepared for this.

If Mom was wrong about the shape of the planet, what else was she wrong about?

Susan isn't just losing her grip on the beliefs she was raised with. She's losing the person who raised her.

Can a family survive when they no longer agree on what's real?

Genres: Nonfiction

Audible Audio

Published April 1, 2026

About the author

Susan Huckle is an actor in Los Angeles, but that wasn’t self-indulgent enough, so she wrote a memoir. She grew up in Santa Maria, CA, and earned her B.A. in Journalism and Dramatic Art from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a Master of Sustainable Tourism from Arizona State University. Her TV credits include Jane the Virgin, The Mindy Project, and Nickelodeon shows, and she’s no stranger to most theatres in L.A.

Reviews

[Eleanor Dote · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first met Susan when she and I were both working in the theme park industry. Funny enough, she was working as a performer in one of the shows for kids. (You'll understand once you read the book.)

Susan does an excellent job of telling her story with humor, frank honesty, and heart-wrenching emotional detail as she describes the descent of her parents into conspiracy theories. If you've ever watched a family member fall down the rabbit hole of Fox News or Q-Anon conspiracies, Susan's story will help make you feel seen and validated. Or, perhaps, normal -- comparitively.

If you're lucky enough to have avoided those issues in your own family, this memoir will help bring a better understanding of what your friends may be going through.

[Laura Mannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful, entertaining, occasionally heartbreaking, always compassionate depiction of living with parents whose views are hard to reconcile with and move away from. Huckle has done an extraordinary thing in making this memoir both intimately personal and using it as a microcosmic example of the growing political polarity of modern America. Brilliant!

[Michael Mcilwee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huckle has achieved something truly remarkable with this brilliant debut novel. It is rare to find an author who can navigate the tightrope between laugh-out-loud humor and moments of profound, heart-touching depth, but Huckle does so with absolute brilliance.

The storytelling is seamless; she keeps the listener completely immersed, moving through each chapter with a propulsive energy that never falters. It’s a testament to her skill that the transitions between sharp wit and raw vulnerability feel so natural and effortless.

What resonated with me most is how she explores the transition from childhood into adulthood. Huckle expertly captures that complex process of "un-learning", shedding the eccentric or outdated beliefs our parents may have instilled in us, while simultaneously realizing the invaluable life lessons they were teaching us all along. It’s a relatable, moving, and ultimately redemptive look at how we reconcile who we were with who we are becoming.

Whether you’re in it for the humor or the heart, this book is an absolute must-listen and read.

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huckle has a knack for writing about complex concepts (religion, age, loss, conspiracy theories) with humor and an overall accessibility for the reader. She writes about her life growing up not as simple reflection, but she's bringing you along with her as she explores moments I'm sure she's not proud of with a rearview mirror held in place by a fully-functioning and sense-of-humor intact adult. I read this in six sittings and I'm NEVER that fast!

[Ben Kauffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It is a beautifully written heartwarming and funny tale that had me laughing one minute and crying the next.

[Erin DeCamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an intriguing story of a woman who has a deep love and commitment toward her parents, and a love that endures through differing opinions and truths. It is a true coming of age story, in which the author questions her own beliefs and values and comes out with her own sense of self.
Huckle has a unique skill in adding details that entice the senses. I could feel the cool ocean breeze on her drives up and down the coast; I could taste the crisp wine on the pier. This is a book that will make you laugh, cry, and think.