Breakout – David Tchappat’s escape from the Exclusive Brethren
June 1st, 2009
We were sent a copy of David Tchappat’s ‘Breakout: My Escape from the Exclusive Brethren’ and have just finished reading this 278 page book – officially released today.
David has written an unique autobiography in that it represents the first published story of life in the Exclusive Brethren during the last 30 years. There have been a number of books written regarding life in the 1950’s and 1960’s, but David Tchappat was born after the Aberdeen Incident of 1970 and grew up in a brethren family in Australia under the iron-fisted rule of Neche, ND pig farmer James Symington and following his death, John Hales who is the father of Bruce Hales, the current Exclusive Brethren leader.
It is very much an Australian book – Aussie slang terms pepper the pages – non-Aussie readers will need to know the meaning of such words as ‘stoked‘, ‘bloke‘ and the visually effective ‘ropeable‘.
Written over a 5 year period, the autobiography covers the author’s upbringing in the Exclusive Brethren cult and his eventual departure as a 19 year old in the mid-1990’s. It is an important publication in that it is the most contemporary book detailing life within the EB.
The book is really in two parts. There is the harrowing story of life under the strict Exclusive Brethren regime and then the often shocking story of a young man desperate to try and find something or someone to hold onto in the outside world following his rebellion-fueled escape. Written in an easy-to-read style, most ex-members will recognize the difficulties of attempting to understand ind integrate into a society that Exclusive Brethren members are taught is evil and doomed for hell.
Although the topic is about a young man’s religious upbringing and his escape from it, some readers will be surprised at the lack of spiritual references in the book. Underlining major changes in the Exclusive Brethren over the years, David Tchappats story remains a sad one. This extremist branch of the Plymouth Brethren has all but lost it’s Christian evangelical roots and today is little more than a business.
David experienced and covers the Bruce Hales Review and there is a glimpse of the pain that was inflicted by this intentionally duplicitous strategy to increase numbers within the EB. Of all the tactics that have ever been employed by the Exclusive Brethren in recent years, the ‘Review’ period of 2002 is one of the most objectionable.
David has used his ‘15 minutes of fame’ from his highly publicized appearance on Australia’s Big Brother reality TV show to launch this book. It pulls no punches and is an honest story of a young man often lost in a spiral of anger and destructive behavior. As such, it is an indictment against the educational abilities of the Exclusive Brethren and should help Australian politicians comprehend the damage caused by this little-understood cult.
Order the book via:
Abbey’s Bookshop – http://www.abbeys.com.au/items.asp?id=237716
National Library of Australia – http://shop.nla.gov.au/product_info.php?products_id=11183
Planet Books – http://www.planetvideo.com.au/library/books/view/9781741108163/
For an even deeper insight into the Exclusive Brethren cult and how it operates, we recommend Michael Bachelard’s ‘Behind the Exclusive Brethren’ which is still available on Amazon and other online bookstores.
Easy to read and great reading for your partner if they are non-ex-EB. Although written very simply it is extremely graphic and is the best publication I have come across to date to help a non-ex-EB understand what it was like on a day-to-day basis in the EB. Personally I wasn’t surprised at the lack of spiritual references – I was no ‘Spiro’ myself and have few recollections of anything spiritual from the meetings even though I left many years before David. Care (assembly) meetings are mainly what I remember and this book shows nothing’s changed.
It is about time the truth was told about this repulsive and destructive sect.
I saw David on the ‘Sunrise’ show last Thursday, and he was reluctant to us the CULT word, for fear of legal action. However, if it quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, and waddles like a duck….guess what it is. It is a full on cult, nothing more or less.
A remarkably open and forthright book – well worth reading, even for those of us who already know a lot about being in the Exclusive Brethren and then leaving. Highly recommended.
Well written. David says it how it was. Very little appeared to have changed from his time in the EB to when I was excommunicated in 1976. It is good that books like this are now available as it helps the “world” understand the struggles we go through long after leaving. If you are a non ex-EB, this book will give an insight into why ex-EB’s are different. A must read
Thank you for letting us all know about the book release; I have ordered it from The National Library of Australia; it is a little bit pricey for us in the UK; but not too bad and there is little difference in price in pounds for the normal air mail and the express one (about £1 difference).
I have read this book and found it quite fascinating. Although I am not Bretheren I have worked with th private schools, and I must say, the children are in a sad state of affairs. They have no concept of what the ‘real’ world is about and how much they are missing. This book just shows how much the Bretheren cover things up and how they use peoples emotions against them. I just dont understand why, if the Bretheren are so caught up in keeping their ‘cult’ strong by brainwashing the children, then why do they break family’s up and fight tooth and nail for people who want to leave not to have access.
I have read this book and also found it incredibly interesting and sad. I know several couples who are EB’s and lovely people but have some of their children living on the “outer”. I don’t know how they could cope with it just because the likes of Bruce Hales says they can’t see them. This case with Peter and Elspeth in Tasi soooo opposes Christian principles and is too sad for words.
I found David’s book really compelling. My Grandmother is an ex-EB and it was great to have an opportunity to fill in some of the puzzle pieces of my upbringing. There were so many ‘odd’ aspects of my childhood that make sense now after reading about what happens in the EB. A great read.
Thankyou David for such a great book.
I really believe these people should be investigated, the emotional turmoil they put their followers through is truly horrendous. I just don’t understand them at all. They really are the evil ones. This is abuse in the saddest way. This book truly was a great insight into this religious brain washing cult. The leaders worship money and big business and tell their followers how evil us worldly people are, but they quite willingly take our money and do business with the worldlies. Pretty Hypocritical. Wont eat with us but happy to do business. Why don’t you investigate them Mr Rudd or are they paying you as well?
[...] I read an amazing book. Breakout: How I escaped from the Exclusive Brethren is about a person who escaped from an even more strict churchified cult. I soo related to [...]