I read Going Clear, Escape, and several other books, but what I would like to read now are books about the mentality of people who get into such things, especially as adults. Can you guys recommend me any good titles?
Probably hard to find, but The Strongest Poisonabout Jonestown was fascinating. Not primarily about cult psychology, but certainly gives you a window.
When I went to find a link, I see that it’s recently be republished and not hard to find at all.
Great! I will request it from the library. Thank you!
Bob Larson’s New Book of Cults is a good one
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi is not a general book on the topic but goes into great detail about the Manson Family.
I have not read it myself, but my wife was deeply informed (I can’t say “enjoyed”) reading Raven, which is also about Jim Jones.
I don’t know anything about that book, but I have heard the author. He used to claim things like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were a threat to Christianity. He’s as nutty as any cult.
Combatting Cult Mind Control and Toxic Faith sound to me like what you might be looking for. Links above.
I saw a book like that once. I have a friend involved in the ridiculous cult called Eckankar. As stupid as it is it seems to be a mainly harmless religious belief. The book I saw listed as a dangerous cult because the author couldn’t find any information about it.
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer is a fascinating exploration of breakaway polygamist Mormon fundamentalism today, focusing on a notorious inter-family murder case. I highly recommend it.
No.
Fuck, no! He sounds crazier than a bughouse. But, thank you for the suggestion! 
I will check out the other ones. I am really looking for stuff like what NeonMadman recommends, but that doesn’t mean I will turn down others.
Snapping. It’s been a while, but I still remember the book, so it made a good impression on me.
Monkey on a Stick: Murder, Madness, and the Hare Krishnas is an excellent, well-researched book on the Krishnas. It covers the movement from it’s beginnings and continues through the events after the founder, Srila Prabhupada, died. It includes lots of interviews with people who detail their initial attraction to and eventual disillusionment with the Krishnas.
While not a cult, John Krakaur’s Under the Banner of Heaven is a very interesting look into Mormonism.
Seconded on Snapping. I can also recommend their book Holy Terror: The Fundamentalist War on America’s Freedoms in Religion, Politics, and Our Private Lives. In the introduction, they say that wrote about fundamentalist Christianity because Snapping made them realize that that there was no bright line between a “cult” and the (then) new fundamentalism. It’s been at least 20 years since I read it, but I can still recall a fundamentalist, who had read nothing but the Bible for years, came across a copy of the Declaration of Independence, that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” was more true than any of the hundreds of sermons she had heard.
Bob Larson was at the height of his fame (infamy?) when he did this. The trip was paid for by the magazine and the record company.
He went down in flames a few years later.
Moon Webs: Journey into the Mind of a Cult by Josh Freed is excellent. It is non-fiction, but reads like a novel. The cult in question is the Moonies, by the way.
Anaamika,
When I walked away from the JWs after 25 years, I found Margaret Singers books very helpful in addition to Neonmadman’s suggestions.
Also, ICSA offers some free titles from various authors if you fill out a 1-minute survey. Look under the free tab for more information.
Lawrence Wright’s Going Clear is a riveting examination of Scientology, and Leah Remini’s new book looks awesome as well.
“The Road to Xenu” is available free to read on the Internet. It’s an account of a journey through Scientology, really several people’s experiences mashed together into one narrator.