Child X: A Memoir of Slavery, Poverty, Celebrity, and Scientology

"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."

A notorious movement cloaked in secrecy. A prosperous Black family that rose from the ashes of American slavery. A forgotten boy. And a daring escape.

Jamie Mustard was born into one of the most influential fringe movements in the 1970s: Scientology. Raised on a mythology 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 neglect but also the physical and psychological gauntlets of extreme poverty and illiteracy.

A dark, existential journey, Child X takes readers through Jamie's childhood and adolescence in "the movement," his escape, and his rise into self-possession. This book tells the unfathomable story of a lost generation of children, who endured mass psychological indoctrination and captivity.

With wit and vulnerability, Jamie sheds light on one of the untold, but not uncommon, accounts of a powerful Black family that rose 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. It powerfully places Black American history into the captivating context of world history and events.

A universal story of resilience in the face of overwhelming odds, Child X celebrates yet transcends race--and is ultimately an uplifting story of rising out of adversity and building a life full of meaning and connection. With this book, Jamie works to restore his family's legacy and provide a salient saga of the road to humanity.