Little Soldiers: Escaping an Evangelical Cult

by Kate Gale

In this provocative memoir, award-winning publisher Kate Gale shares the harrowing story of her upbringing in an “intentional community”—a religious cult in which she faced abusive living conditions until her escape at age eighteen.

When Kate Gale was four years old, her mother gave her to an “intentional community” in rural New Hampshire, where a group of three hundred people built unseaworthy boats to ride out the Rapture. She would spend the next fourteen years of her life there, trapped amongst monsters and followers, where the kids were often starved, beaten, and forced to do “joy jobs” instead of schoolwork. While Kate mimicked the religiosity of those around her to earn each meal, she secretly stashed away books from the confiscated belongings of new members. Reading became her salvation and her only link to the outside world—creating a haven for herself within her own mind. That was enough to spark a dream in Kate of life beyond the confines of the cult.

Told through visceral flashes and shards of memory, Little Soldiers recounts Gale’s journey from her earliest memories at the Farm to building her own publishing company—breaking free from the tethers of her past and creating possibilities for other writers. Through deeply emotional and intimate recollections, Gale sheds light on the trauma, abuse, and censorship she faced, as well as her journey to assimilate into modern society in her early twenties. With crackling wit and stunning prose, this is her story of survival, escape and, ultimately, forging herself anew through literature.

Genres: Cults, Nonfiction

368 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication March 2, 2027

About the author

Dr. Kate Gale is managing editor of Red Hen Press, editor of the Los Angeles Review, and president of the American Composers Forum, LA. She was the 2005-2006 president of PEN USA. She is author of five books of poetry: her most recent, Mating Season, from Tupelo Press; a novel, Lake of Fire; and Rio de Sangre, a libretto for an opera with composer Don Davis. Her most recent projects include a co-written libretto, Paradises Lost with Ursula K. LeGuin and composer Stephen Taylor, and a libretto adapted from Kindred by Octavia Butler with composer Billy Childs. Her new poetry collection, Goldilocks Zone, will be released by University of New Mexico Press in February 2014. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children.

Reviews

[Tabytha Rourke]

I enjoyed this look at living and escaping a cult alot. It was honestly hard to put down once I started. Inspiring to read all the things the author went through without breaking.

[Joyce]

Interesting look into life in a cult and how one escapes. The book moves back and forth in time but a string always connects.

[Susan Keller]

An amazing woman and amazing life, what a strong will! Great book

[Martha]

I wanted to rescue all those poor kids from those horrible people!

This cult was based on fear. Fear of hell, of course, but mostly fear of being seen as doing something sinful and being brutally beaten for it.
The encouragement to “snitch” was part of surviving. Telling on others could save your own skin.

How Kate Gale came out of this crazy religious cult alive is probably a miracle in itself. I love that she eventually had children and real family to cherish. I hate that her dad couldn’t find it in himself to love her-he was an educated narcissist dick! And her mother, her poor messed-up mother. She must have been mentally fragile to be sucked into this cult and remain a believer of the lies that the cult taught.

The desire to be loved by her mother and father remained even after they both passed away. They missed out!
Kate was a spirited little girl who grew into a talented successful woman.


Thank you Goodreads for this copy of Little Solders.

Kate, I wish you happiness and love.