Up First from NPR – "Life in a Christian Commune" (September 14, 2025)
Host: Ayesha Rascoe
Guest: Kate Riley, author of Ruth

Episode Overview

On this special Sunday installment of "Up First," host Ayesha Rascoe explores the themes of community, purpose, and personal identity through an in-depth conversation with novelist Kate Riley. Drawing inspiration from her own experience living in a Christian commune, Riley discusses her book Ruth and examines the tension between individualism and belonging, the search for meaning, and the realities—both uplifting and challenging—of communal living.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Why Live in a Commune?

• The Appeal of Community (03:40–07:20):
  • Kate Riley introduces the tradition behind the community featured in her novel—a group rooted in "the peace church tradition" (Quakers, Amish), eschewing private property and hierarchy in favor of shared ownership, consensus, and prayer.
  • Riley is drawn to this way of life:

    "I grew up in New York City and was exposed to everything in the whole world from basically day one. ... I was preoccupied with being a good person ... and I did not find any answers." (07:20)

    • She describes meeting young people from the commune whose combination of sincerity, kindness, and thoughtfulness impressed her:

      "It was like the first time I'd seen a group of young people...who seemed to be able to both, like, talk and act on moral beliefs, but they just happened to exist in this weird, cloistered place..." (09:00)

Curiosity and Identity

• Struggling with Self and Community (04:44–06:44, 13:05–14:29):
  • Riley's protagonist, Ruth, is modeled on these themes of curiosity and searching for self—qualities Riley shares:

    "I'm a very inquisitive person, often to my detriment...wanting to know how things work, wanting to know what's going on outside and inside..." (04:57)

  • In a community where personal achievement is secondary to communal good, Ruth (and Riley herself) grapples with the value of individual passions:

    "Nothing that you can do in that world is valuable beyond its ability to communicate love for the people around you. There's just no point in doing something that isn't going to...take care of your family and your community." (13:23)

Sacrifice and Fulfillment

• Letting Go of Individualism (10:15–12:12):
  • Riley describes her surprise at discovering richness within a simpler, communal life:

    "It was some of the happiest time of my life. ... All those things that had seemed so essential to my sense of self were just...like accessories. But that I was the person. That I was the person that anybody is, is way deeper than the shows and bands that they list..." (10:18)

  • She notes the mental challenge of communal living—as an introvert, being surrounded by people and emotional honesty at all times was "a huge mental load."

On Personal Happiness

• The Limits of Community—and Individualism (14:29–16:34):
  • Riley resists the idea that communal living necessarily leads to happiness:

    "Aside from the time when I lived in that community, I have basically been told from all sides, like, do what makes you happy...I don't think that, like, living in community is an absolute answer to happiness at all. I think there's gotta be some, like, healthy middle ground." (14:38)

  • She reflects on inevitable struggles that come with any life—communal or individual:

    "No particular lifestyle is ever gonna spare you the basic difficulty of being a human being. ... As long as you love things in the world, you are gonna be hurt in the world." (15:51)

Larger Social Reflections

• Is Absolute Freedom a Solution? (16:34–17:34):
  • The conversation turns to the downsides of both communal constraint and modern, individualistic society:

    "The idea that we've got it figured out in regular life and that like our versions of like freedom and romance and family and like work and work fulfillment...Yeah. That we...we're really kill. We're knocking it out." (16:50)

  • Riley suggests that both worlds have blind spots and that neither guarantees fulfillment.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the challenge of being different in a tight-knit community:

  "What's wrong with me that I want to know everything about everything? ... I didn't grow up in a community like that. I had the information of having access to all sorts of Internet, but I wanted to like explore what it would be like if you didn't come from a place of total access but had that same drive." (04:57)

• Explaining her time in the commune:

  "Just 48 hours of being there was, like, at once so impressive and overwhelming just to see that, like, a totally different way of life was available. ... But also, like, I am used to so much time alone. I'm such an introvert." (09:00)

• On personal fulfillment:

  "My teenage years, especially, were defined by this feeling of just being, like, optimistically obsessed with things...But having just done that over and over, like, you're always still stuck in you." (11:02)

• Finding peace in experience:

  "...Sometimes there's a gift to go. And I went over there and shot after that thing that was wild, and it blew up in my face. But I did what I wanted to do..." – Ayesha Rascoe (12:38)

• Setting expectations as an author:

  "Why I gotta set the bar real low, Aisha. ... If I manage to achieve anything after this, it will be a nice surprise." (17:56)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00] – Setting up the episode: The lure of a slower, intentional life
• [03:33] – Interview with Kate Riley begins
• [04:44] – Community rules and structure; Ruth's childhood
• [06:44] – Riley's real-life commune experience
• [10:18] – Challenges and joys of communal living
• [12:12] – On the need for change and fulfillment
• [13:23] – Ruth’s struggles as an individual in a community
• [14:38] – Does communal living bring happiness?
• [16:34] – Parallels between commune life and modern life
• [17:56] – Riley on writing and her "last" book
• [18:14] – Episode wrap up

Tone and Language

The tone remains conversational, thoughtful, and introspective throughout the episode. Riley openly shares vulnerability about her personal journey and doubts, while Rascoe encourages deeper exploration of uncomfortable truths. The discussion is rich in anecdote and metaphor, balancing description of an unusual lifestyle with wider existential insight.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode offers a nuanced look at life in a Christian commune—what it gives, what it demands, and how it shapes selfhood. Through Kate Riley’s experiences and fiction, listeners are invited to reflect on fulfillment, identity, happiness, and the trade-offs we make in pursuing community or individuality. Both host and guest acknowledge that no way of living spares anyone from the difficulty of being human—meaning, perhaps, that peace is ultimately an internal quest, wherever you live it out.