Excommunicated: A heart-wrenching and compelling memoir about a family torn apart by one of New Zealand's most secretive religious sects for readers of Driving to Treblinka and Educated

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A heart-wrenching multigenerational family memoir by an excommunicated member of the Exclusive Brethren

In 2009 at twenty years old, Craig Hoyle was ex-communicated from the Exclusive Brethren for being gay. He had undergone manipulative interrogation by church leaders and conversion therapy under the eye of the Brethren world leader before realizing he had to leave and say goodbye to his family forever.

Joining public society - the 'worldies' -- for the first time, Craig sets out to meet another living relative who was thrown out from the Brethren in the 1980s. Together on the outside, Craig's grandfather shares with him the family's long, twisting relationship with the Exclusive Brethren, which dates back two centuries over seven generations to the first missionary settlers in New Zealand. Craig inherits his grandfather's old papers and his great-grandparents' diaries. Setting out to learn about his family history with the group, the trauma experienced and the repression passed down, Craig discovers that he is not as much of a black sheep within the family as he had been made to think.

Interwoven with the story of Craig's own upbringing, rebellion and self-discovery in one of New Zealand's most secretive religions sects, this story both charts the path of the Exclusive Brethren in New Zealand and the heart-wrenching stories of a family torn apart by it.

Author Bio

Craig Hoyle is a news director for the Sunday Star Times. He has extensive experience in the media industry, working for newsrooms such as TV3 and RadioLive, and behind the scenes on current affairs shows including 60 Minutes and 3rd Degree. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.