Giveaway! Top 5 Books That Inspired My Own
Win one of the five books that most influenced me as I wrote Recovering from Purity Culture
GIVEAWAY! Enter to win one of the top 5 books that inspired my own.
Read on below so see the books that taught me the most and made the most impact on me as I researched, conceptualized, and wrote my book, Recovering from Purity Culture.
Win a copy of one of these books! Here’s how to enter the giveaway:
Subscribe to my Substack here.
Follow me on Instagram and/or Facebook and “like” the giveaway post.
Leave a comment here on this Substack post with your favorite book on this list (or one you want to read).
BONUS: Share this Substack or “restack” it for extra entries!
One winner from social media and one winner from Substack will be randomly selected on October 6 at 11:59pm and notified by DM and will be mailed one of these books. This giveaway is not sponsored by Instagram or Substack.
The Great Sex Rescue by Sheila Wray Gregoire
Without a doubt, I was most influenced by The Great Sex Rescue and Sheila’s work.
Sheila is a pioneer in exposing harmful teachings about sexuality and has been a mentor to me in many ways. There was no better person for me to ask to write the foreword to my book! I'm so honored that her name gets to appear on the cover alongside mine. Sheila has a heart to see us find freedom from toxic teachings and rediscover the love of Jesus.
From Sheila’s foreword to my book:
“The teaching at the heart of purity culture…left a mess in its wake that thousands upon thousands of people now have to figure out how to clean up. That’s what Dr. Camden is going to guide you through in this book. She knows what she’s talking about. She has experienced this bad fruit firsthand, and in her professional capacity she has helped others find healing… And like Dr. Camden, I hope you’ll also emerge knowing that it wasn’t Jesus who was the author of the five purity culture myths that this book is going to deconstruct for you. Those weren’t on him; they’re on purity culture.”
—Sheila Wray Gregoire, founder of Bare Marriage and award- winning author
When Religion Hurts You by Dr. Laura Anderson
I respect Dr. Anderson’s work and have learned the most about religious trauma and the nervous system from her. Her work featured prominently in a section on religious trauma. In fact, the book opens in Chapter 1 with a quote from her! Please check out her book, When Religion Hurts You, for the most comprehensive and accessible read on religious trauma.
From Laura’s endorsement:
“Recovering From Purity Culture by Dr. Camden Morgante is a well written, well researched, and compassionate guide for individuals coming out of purity culture… Dr. Morgante offers her readers many therapeutic skills and tools to get them started on their own journey of recovery without requiring them to take on her own views and opinions. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is ready to recover from the impact that purity culture has had on them.”
—Dr. Laura Anderson, author of When Religion Hurts You
Try Softer by Aundi Kolber
I have learned so much about trauma, embodiment, and spirituality from Aundi. She is a wise and gentle leader whose two books, Try Softer and Strong Like Water, taught me more about trauma than my trauma course in grad school. Her work greatly influenced my conceptualization of purity culture as trauma, and my understanding of somatic practices for healing. She also inspired me to get trained in EMDR!
From Aundi’s endorsement:
“In her debut book, Dr. Camden Morgante provides a refreshing, compassionate, and needed corrective to the harmful teachings of purity culture. This book is an essential resource for those who are working to untangle their faith from the destructive legacy around sexuality and embodiment that has been rampant within Christian spaces.”
—Aundi Kolber, MA, LPC, Therapist, author of Try Softer and Strong like Water
The Wisdom of Your Body by Dr. Hillary McBride
Dr. McBride’s work, especially The Wisdom of Your Body, has taught me so much about embodiment. My chapter on sexual embodiment has the fingerprints of her research all over it. She has taught me to call my body “her” and to say “I am a body,” not just “I have a body.” I also learned a lot about spiritual abuse from her podcast, Holy Hurt, and am looking forward to her forthcoming book of the same name!
From Hillary’s endorsement:
“This is an essential guide for life after purity culture for women who want to deconstruct the myths that hurt them, without leaving behind the faith they love… [T]his book will help the reader more deeply know that their bodies were never the problem, only the stories told about them.”
—Dr. Hillary L. McBride, Registered Psychologist, podcaster, and author of The Wisdom of Your Body and Holy Hurt
The Soul of Shame by Dr. Curt Thompson
While Dr. Thompson’s schedule did not allow for an endorsement (no offense taken!), the chapter in my book on shame prominently quotes him. His work in The Soul of Shame helped me understand the spiritual component of shame, and how connection with God can be an antidote to shame alongside connection to others.
Remember to Subscribe, Share, and Leave a comment with your favorite book to enter the give-away!
If you want to learn more about this process of healing from purity culture, I hope you’ll consider pre-ordering Recovering from Purity Culture. When you pre-order, you get the first two chapters of the book now, plus a ton of other bonuses!
Let’s find the path forward together.
I would love to read The Soul of Shame! Or Try Softer! :)
I read the Great Sex Rescue, and it was one of the catalysts that changed my life forever. And I LOVED Try Softer! But I would love to read when Religion Hurts You or the Soul of Shame!
And I think I'm already subscribed to the substack, or is that only because I'm in the launch group and it'll be gone after October? Or was it part of one of the pre-order bonuses? I can't keep track! 🙈