James LaRue was a young and impressionable seeker when he first came to the Church of Bible Understanding (COBU). He was a kid from the suburbs of New Jersey with a love for life and an interest in fitness, photography, art and nature. Several setbacks in his life caused him to search for answers about the meaning of life. He met many interesting people along the way, however, not all of these people had good intentions.One conversation with a guy in a mall, who James thought was a Jesus freak, led to his life being changed forever. He spent fourteen years in COBU, from ages 23 to 36, which means that for all intents and purposes, the early years of his adult life were molded by the influence of COBU, which is considered by many to be a dangerous mind control cult. The cult provided many benefits at first. He learned discipline and hard work, overcame shyness and learned how to talk to anyone.
He began to learn foreign languages as a way to spread the Gospel message. But it would be only over time that he would become aware of the cost of any benefits he was receiving. This book chronicles his journey from true believer to his emerging awareness of the true nature of the organization he was in and how he finally left it.James lives in New Jersey now with his wife. He is a translator who works from a number of European languages into English. He is also a writer and illustrator. The common thread that runs through all of these abilities is his eye for detail. Foreign languages require the knowledge of a large vocabulary.
He draws in the photorealism style and wouldn't know how to draw an abstract shape if his life depended on it. His writing style is also detailed, engaging and interesting. The aim of his writing is to portray events as they happened, in a way that might make you feel you had been there yourself.