Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult

“I grew up on a mountain, preparing for the apocalypse.” Journalism professor Dowd makes her debut with a moving memoir about her adolescence. As the granddaughter of the purported prophet for an apocalyptic California cult, Dowd endured abuse, illness, and isolation in the name of religious redemption. Though her family failed her in many ways, they taught her the skills she needed to survive the fierce, fascinating wilderness around them. Sourced from her personal experience and extensive interviews, the narrative is detailed and disturbing. Dowd balances the shocking with the scientific, including recipes for foraged resources, such as pinyon pine and prickly pear. Both the recipes and her recollections remind readers that food, like faith, can be toxic under certain conditions. It’s difficult to imagine this audio narrated by anyone other than the author. Dowd evokes the childlike innocence and unfailing belief with which she accepted many of her heartbreaking hardships.