20 Books to Read If You're Obsessed With Wild Wild Country

Emma Cline's novel The Girls was one of the breakout hist of 2017. It's a fictional account of a Manson-like cult during the Summer of 1969, and it follows a 14-year-old girl's transformation into a member. The premise itself is enough to keep your attention, but Cline's writing style and understanding of the teenage psyche will rock your world. Get ready for a disturbing and suspenseful wild ride.

T.S. Eliot Prize winner Fred D'Aguiar reimagines the events that led up to the 1978 mass suicide/murder of 900 cult members in Jonestown. Children of Paradise is told through three different points of view, as a mother and daughter attempt to escape the cult with the help of a special gorilla. Get ready for a moving journey that will leave you spellbound.

The Scientology world has long been cloaked in a shroud of mystery. Lawrence Wright's book served as the basis for the captivating HBO Documentary, and his account is even more detailed. Going Clear discusses the background of founder L. Ron Hubbard, the church's legal attacks on the IRS, its insane wealth and its celebrity members.

A six-year-old Tim Guest was taken by his mother to the Rajneesh commune where they were given Sanskrit names and orange wardrobes. In My Life in Orange, Guest recounts his life in the cult, and the stark and heartbreaking reality of what happened once the movement collapsed in 1985. If you thought Wild Wild Country was moving, try seeing it through the eyes of a child.

Miriam Williams spent 15 years in a sex cult called the Children of God, which taught that "The Lord is our pimp." Her book Heaven's Harlots is a shocking, first person account about her prostitution for the cult, and the rebuilding her life required afterward. It is not for the faint of heart.

Katherine Dunn's novel Geek Love tells the story of the Binewskis, a carny family, intent on breeding an exhibit of human oddities. The family takes their mesmerizing act on the road, and it ends up inspiring a cult-like following. It's a complex story interspersed with images that would make David Lynch proud, but it is definitely disturbing.

Elizabeth Esther was raised in a homegrown, fundamentalist Christian group that preached that her parents loved her, and God hated her. Her memoir Girl at the End of the World depicts what it's like to go through life as a spiritual abuse survivor. Esther's courageous and somehow humorous account is not to be missed.

Benjamin Zeller's very detailed overview of the Heaven's Gate cult and their 29 member suicide in March 1997 will send shivers down your spine. Heaven's Gate provides a stunning look at the origins of the cult, and its impact on American culture. It's very well-researched, and especially thought-provoking.

We all remember Ma Anand Sheela from Wild Wild Country. Whether you loved her or hated her, you have to admit she is a fascinating person (who else says "tough titties" on TV?). Thankfully, we can still get our hands on more Sheela talk thanks to her book Don't Kill Him! Sheela's account of the events that took place is full of detailed information on her relationship with Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, but it just might leave you with even more questions.

Zachary Lazar's novel is loosely based on the Manson cult, the early days of the Rolling Stones and filmmaker Kenneth Anger. Sway's use of those three different viewpoints provides a page-turner that seeks to unearth the deeper meaning of how cults manage to gain followers in the first place.

With 582 five-star reviews on Amazon, Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry's research on the Manson Murders has long been the gold standard on the cult. Helter Skelter will shock readers even 50 years later, and it's a must-read for any true crime fans. Get ready for a haunting, but fascinating account.

If you loved Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club, you'll love his 2010 novel Survivor. It's the story of a man who is the last surviving member of the Creedish Church death cult. He records his life story on an airplane flight recorder before it crashes. Expect Palahniuk's same dark humor in this satirical look at the worlds of celebrity and religion.

Most readers are familiar with Jon Krakauer's famed book Into the Wild, but his investigative journalism into America's Mormon Fundamentalist communities is worth the read. Under the Banner of Heaven focuses on two brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who believe they received a command from God to kill a woman and her child. It raises a lot of questions about religion's role in our evolving world. Get ready for polygamy, violence, and a lot of shocking information.

When most people think of The Leftovers, they think of the HBO series and Justin Theroux's abs. But, the show is actually based on Tom Perrotta's book The Leftovers, and it is even more intense. It depicts what happens when millions of people vanish without a trace, and how those left behind grapple with the fact that they remain on Earth.

Peter Rock's novel is based off a very real cult called the Church Universal and Triumphant that existed in the 1980s. They believed the world was going to be destroyed by nuclear war, and subsequently built survival shelters for protection. Rock's fictional story The Shelter Cycle focuses on Francine and Colville, two childhood friends that grew up in the cult, and how their lives are impacted 20 years later.

We highly suggest picking up any of Haruki Murakami's books, but Underground will appeal to anyone looking to delve into the cult and the Japanese psyche. It's a journalistic investigation into a terrorist attack that took place in Tokyo in 1995. Five members of a religious cult unleashed poison gas on the Tokyo Subway System killing 12 people and injuring thousands. Its insights into Japanese culture will make your jaw drop.

Once we finished watching Wild Wild Country, we found ourselves wanting to know more about Osho and his teachings. After all, they have to be pretty compelling to gain that much attention. Thankfully, he wrote a book called Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously, so we can read them for ourselves. It also features meditation techniques Osho designed to help people face their fears.

If you thought the story of the Rajneeshees was fascinating, just wait until you read about Father Yod. He was a Hollywood health foodie in the 1970s that led The Source Family, a utopian society. He was mysteriously killed in a hang-gliding accident in 1975. Isis Aquarian was one of his 14 wives, and her book The Source will blow your mind. Supposedly, Todd Haynes is even working on a show about The Source Family.

Jeff Guinn takes a disturbing look at Jim Jones and how he rose from a young Indianapolis minster to the founder of the Peoples Temple suicide cult. Expect The Road to Jonestown to send chills down your spine as you read through Guinn's interviews with people who knew the cult leader when he descended into madness. It answers many questions about the Jonestown massacre that, until now, have remained unknown.