{"product_id":"child-x-a-memoir-of-slavery-poverty-celebrity-and-scientology-9781637747087","title":"Child X: A Memoir of Slavery, Poverty, Celebrity, and Scientology","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Hey, kid. Kid.\" A voice in the darkness of the slum dorm. I awoke to my stale, bare mattress. It was midnight. The arm of a male nanny reached into the closet where my bed was, roughly jostling me. \"You have to get up. They're coming.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA prosperous Black family that rose from the ashes of American slavery. A notorious movement cloaked in secrecy. A forgotten boy. And a daring escape.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJamie Mustard was born into one of the most influential fringe movements in the 1970s: Scientology. Raised on a mythos of spaceships and made to believe that it was his life's purpose to help save the world, he was determined to survive--not only unsurvivable neglect but also the impossible physical and psychological gauntlet of extreme poverty and illiteracy. \u003ci\u003eChild X\u003c\/i\u003e is a dark existential journey into a deepest hole of human existence and the road back. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The unbelievable story of a lost generation of children, \u003ci\u003eChild X\u003c\/i\u003e takes readers through Jamie's childhood and adolescence in \"the movement,\" his daring escape, and his rise into self-possession. With wit and vulnerability, Jamie sheds light on one of the untold, but not uncommon, accounts of a powerful Black family that rose from the ashes of slavery to prominence and wealth, and how the counterculture of the 1960s and 70s caused that rise to crumble. This deeply personal true story gives a child's-eye view of one of the most notorious American religious movements in history. Despite his family's success, Jamie would be born a slave and then reborn an artist. Through extraordinary encounters with celebrity, icons and historical figures, it also powerfully places Black American history in the larger context of world events. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A universal story of resilience in the face of overwhelming odds, \u003ci\u003eChild X\u003c\/i\u003e celebrates yet transcends race--and is ultimately an uplifting impossible to believe story of rising out of adversity and building a life full of meaning and connection. With this book, Jamie continues working to restore his family's legacy and provides a salient saga of the road to humanity and self-possession.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Benbella Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/29\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781637747087\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 312","brand":"Jamie Mustard","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45439141871797,"sku":"9781637747087","price":24.61,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_e0f824b4-0b27-4da5-bceb-8ef785f78cd0.jpg?v=1749003646","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/child-x-a-memoir-of-slavery-poverty-celebrity-and-scientology-9781637747087","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}