Thank you to everyone who read my Unreformed blog. I’m starting a substack which will occasionally focus on the troubled teen industry but also will include outtakes from my interviews (the next three are Darrin Bell, Emi Nietfield, and Myriam Gurba), what I’m reading, and what I’m researching— I’m currently working on a project exploring the history of white violence called Two Mississippi. This week Mississippi’s Rankin County Goon Squad has been on my mind.
In the meantime, enjoy this curated list of my writing/ research on the troubled teen industry.
Essays:
- Like Paris Hilton, I Am A Survivor Of A Troubled Teen Treatment School And It Was A Nightmare | HuffPost
- I Grew Up Evangelical and the Christian Nationalist Insurrection Did Not Surprise Me | Religion Dispatches
- “Conversion Therapy” Is Abuse | Dame Magazine
- “Residue”: an excerpt from Deirdre Sugiuchi’s book Unreformed | News | nuvo.newsnirvana.com
- Suffer the Little Children: Mike Pence’s Disturbing Connections to the Teen Treatment Industry
Interviews with Me:
- Kidnapped for Christ
- Talk Beliefs
- Straight White American Jesus Podcast
- Losing Her Religion— Nuvo Interview by fellow alumni Theresa Rosado
Other Work:
This Rumpus interview with Craig Zobel begins with a scene from Escuela Caribe. My Guernica interview with Julia Scheeres is essentially a comparison and contrast between Escuela Caribe and Jonestown. And the following posts from this blog include research or explore various topics pertaining to Escuela Caribe/ Caribe Vista/ Caribbean Mountain Academy.
- More from that Guernica Interview with Julia Scheeres
- New Horizons Youth Ministries Founded by a Pedophile
- Everyone Carried the Cross at Escuela Caribe
- Stockholm Syndrome Is for Real
- Caribbean Mountain Academy in Need of Reform
- Lifeline Youth and Family Services Under Scrutiny Stateside
- Escuela Caribe/ Caribbean Mountain Academy/ Crosswinds Updates
- Why NHYM Alumni Are Concerned About Crosswinds
- Petition to End Abuse of Children at Crosswinds
- New Horizons Youth Ministries Expelled from Haiti in 1974
- Abusive Tactics at Escuela Caribe Featured in 1979 Congressional Report
- Romney Linked to Abuse at For-Profit Teen Treatment Facilities
- 1988 Escuela Caribe Promotional Video
- About Unreformed
- For years, I wrote as Deirdre Sayre. There is so much more on this blog.
In recent years there has been an explosion of information about the troubled teen industry due to the work of my fellow activists, for whom I have so much respect— it’s really hard to be this vulnerable about being abused. Note: I am not affiliated with any one group or organization besides New Horizons Youth Ministries. Also note, this is not a complete list.
Breaking Code Silence, Breaking Code Silence Movement, Exposing Agape, New Horizons Youth Ministries Alumni, Troubled Teen Industry, Unsilenced, We Warned Them— there are more, especially on social media.
Visual artist Sam Fein also has this fascinating project called The Corrections which I visited in May, which you can view online.
Looking forward to interacting with you on substack or on Instagram. Thanks again!