Books published by Freethought House

Everything about Megan Rahm screams "Midwest Mom" with one big exception-she's a very passionate atheist. While often a source of tension, this juxtaposition in her life is also a source of creativity, and Free to Roam: Poetry from a Heathen Mommy is a result. In this debut collection, Rahm passionately explores coming of age, faith and atheism, motherhood, and womanhood. With honesty, poignancy, and humor, Megan Rahm covers life's most exhilarating highs and the heartbreaking lows. Her words are sure to both make you cry and awaken your sense of life's adventure."A moving collection of poems inspired by the joys and challenges of being an atheist parent in the Midwest." -William Brinkman, author of the Bolingbrook Babbler blog."Megan Rahm knows how to paint inviting pictures with her talented palette of poetry. I highly recommend Free to Roam." -Karen Shragg, author of Move Upstream and Change Our Stories, Change Our World

In Change Our Stories, Change Our World, Karen Shragg examines and dismantles six of these old, harmful stories, and offers new stories which will lead us to a more sustainable place from which we can launch a better future.

Behind the Walls of St. John's is the story of Carolyn, one of several hundred children sexually abused by the priests and nuns living at St. John's Catholic School for the Deaf. Only after a decade of terror did her parents remove her from the school.

Star Map is a touching and deeply personal philosophical memoir about a young man's wrenching struggle with fanatical faith and his frantic search for truth and meaning. Lewis Vaughn's journey transforms him from young a Christian fundamentalist to a disillusioned agnostic to an atheist seeker of meaning in a godless world.

Our world is overpopulated. This fact lies outside of the typical activist's perspective and doesn't fit into society's dominant anthropocentric worldview. When it comes to our use of natural resources, we are taught to consider issues related to consumption such as energy efficiency and recycling. However, the number of people - and how fast that number is growing - is a more important factor. More people consume more resources, need more services, produce more waste, and create more world conflict as resources diminish. Working on downstream issues, such as saving the environment, feeding the hungry, and ending homelessness, is noble but ineffective and inefficient without also working to solve the primary cause of these and other important issues. In Move Upstream: A Call to Solve Overpopulation, Karen Shragg challenges social and environmental activists to stop working downstream and take the problem of overpopulation seriously. She also provides compassionate ideas to solve the problem. PRAISE FOR MOVE UPSTREAM "The bravest book on human overpopulation yet. It will open your eyes, even if you have taped them shut. Shocking and provocative, Move Upstream has the courage to name names and proscribe the simple truth on how to combat the overpopulation crisis." -Alexandra Paul, actress and activist "A boldly truthful and hopeful book." -World Population Balance "Karen Shragg has hit the nail on the head of overpopulation denial and offers sensible solutions to this crisis." -Bruce Phillips of One Planet One Child

"A fascinating and disturbing look into the world of vicious cults and the psychological damage they inflict." -Jonathan Kellerman Fortney Road is a disturbing account of calculated mental, physical, and sexual abuse in an evangelical Christian cult. Drawing on seven years of research including interviews with seventeen survivors, it tells the story of the rise and fall of the Church of the Risen Christ, its sadistic leader the Reverend Larry Hill, and its outreach tool The All Saved Freak Band, one of the earliest religious rock groups borne out of the Jesus Movement. Unfolding against the backdrop of the 1960s and early '70s, Fortney Road is also the story of one brilliant musician who fell victim to a charismatic, cruel zealot. While other cult leaders such as David Koresh and Jim Jones have become infamous, Larry Hill and his followers on Fortney Road have flown largely under the radar-until now. Illustrated with over 50 photographs and images. ADVANCE PRAISE FOR FORTNEY ROAD "A riveting portrait of the rise and fall of the Church of the Risen Christ ... A sad, sordid story of sex, mind control, and rock 'n' roll." -Arthur Goldwag, author of Cults, Conspiracies & Secret Societies "An amazing story that needs to be told!" -Mark Allan Powell, Trinity Lutheran Seminary "A timely warning about charismatic leaders that take advantage of well-intended followers under the guise of religious devotion." -John Styll, co-founder of CCM Magazine "With alarming detail and gripping first-person accounts, Stevenson's well-researched book educates readers about the dilemmas and the dangers of blind faith." Janja Lalich, author of Take Back Your Life and Bounded Choice "An incredible book that is hard to put down. Absolutely fascinating!" -Don Cusic, author of Saved By Song "A fine book ... The difficult lessons learned by the followers of Reverend Hill at Fortney Road can inform, educate and serve as an important warning to people today." -Rick Ross, author of Cults Inside Out "A fascinating yet disturbing account of religious zeal gone haywire ... so weird it almost seems like fiction."-Dave Hollandsworth, founder One Way Jesus Music site "Masterfully documented ... captures the zeitgeist of that era." -Mark N. Jones, musician and artist "Reveals how fundamentalist religion can become a tool to manipulate and abuse people." -Brian Quincy Newcomb, veteran music critic "The incredible story of the Church of the Risen Christ community ... the survivors are finally able to tell their story." David Di Sabatino, documentary filmmaker of Fallen Angel and Frisbee "A fascinating story of one church's descent into depravity and the music it created." -Bob Gersztyn, author of Jesus Rocks The World. "Masterful ... an eye-opening, cautionary tale that informs and forewarns." -Jim Siegelman, co-author with Flo Conway of Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change "An in-depth look at the horrific history of one of the dark, hidden corners of the Jesus People movement." -Larry Eskridge, author of God's Forever Family "A haunting masterpiece ... Fortney Road is not just a book. It's a warning."-Bo Lane, author of Why Pastors Quit "This is a great book!" Bob Kilpatrick, musician, author of The Art of Being You "Stevenson has masterfully documented Glenn Schwartz' troubled journey and captured the zeitgeist of that era." -Mark N. Jones, musician and artist

Deliverance at Hand! is James Zimmerman's enthralling account of growing up as a zealous Jehovah's Witness, and of the all-consuming nature of belonging to an insulated, apocalyptic community. James is held up as a shining example for other youths in the religion, is given unprecedented privileges, and spends his youth proselytizing. He may very well have knocked on your door. But as he matures, fissures begin to form in the bedrock of his fundamentalist Jehovah's Witness belief system. And as James doubts grow, so does his predicament: Leaving a religious community that teaches its members to shun former members would have deep and painful ramifications. He must make the decision between intellectual honesty and his way of life.