They called themselves the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, but because of their ecstatic dancing, the world called them Shakers. Though they were celibate, they are the most enduring religious experiment in American history. They believed in pacifism, natural health and hygiene, and for more than 200 years insisted that their followers should strive for simplicity and perfection in everything they did. The Shakers put their...

A chilling, compulsive debut about group mentality, superstition and betrayal - and a utopian commune gone badly wrong Foxlowe is a crumbling old house in the moors, a wild and magical place. For Green, it is home, and everything she knows. Outside, people live in little square houses, with unhappy families and boring jobs. At Foxlowe, Green runs free in the corridors and gardens, among the goat shed and fruit trees, the Standing Stones and the moors....

Creating a Life Together is the only resource available that provides step-by-step practical information distilled from numerous firsthand sources on how to establish an intentional community. It deals in depth with structural, interpersonal and leadership issues, decision-making methods, vision statements, and the development of a legal structure, as well as profiling well-established model communities. This exhaustive guide includes excellent sample...

Set in the fictitious Kibbutz Yikhat, eight interconnected stories portray men and women who endure personal hardships in the shadow of one of the greatest collective dreams of the twentieth century.

"Amidst the religious fervor of the Second Great Awakening, John Humphrey Noyes, a spirited but socially awkward young man, attracted a group of devoted followers with his fiery sermons about creating Jesus' millennial kingdom here on earth. Noyes and his followers built a large communal house in rural New York where they engaged in what Noyes called 'complex marriage,' an elaborate system of free love where sexual relations with multiple partners...