The choice to take a middle portion is very interesting. I (like most people I imagine) expected to get a lot of information about the cult and living in the cult (etc.) which isn't what I got from this excerpt. So, I imagine all the juicy bits about what that was like are in the pages before this. Even still, I enjoyed reading the excerpt and it is really interesting to read how their family seems like so many others even after a pretty crazy and probably traumatic upbringing. I'm just speculating, but I haven't heard great things about cults. I am excited to read more about what that upbringing was like and more about how the author grew as a person and in his relationships.