Review of The Cult Next Door
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Manoj Payal
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Review of The Cult Next Door
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Cult Next Door" by Elizabeth R. Burchard, Judith L. Carlone.]
Reality is stranger than fiction. The more you know about the truth around you, the more you feel scared and astonished. How can a person of above average intelligence fall for something which is illogical and irrational? In in her book “The Cult Next Door”, Elizabeth R. Burchard along with Judith L Carlone takes the readers through the journey of 20 years of her ordeal which left her drained out emotionally, financially, psychologically, and socially.
In this book Elizabeth tells her about nightmarish experience of getting into a trap of a devious man named George Sharkman, who she met during one of her consultation sessions at one of her doctors. The story is autobiographical and tells you how a George who has his own sets of theories and beliefs indoctrinates her and many like her under his spell. This self-proclaimed “Guru”, as Elizabeth mentions in the book - played with people’s emotions rather than intelligence. People like him are manipulative and play mental games with their disciples, they not only make them dependent on them but also make a lot of money in the name of spiritual knowledge they are imparting. Being from India I am aware of many such fake “Gurus” and the scams they run in the name of spirituality and alternate cult but was not aware of this to be happening in the western world.
The author is honest in her approach and did not shy away from sharing the details of her personal life and the experiences she has gone through during her 20 years under the spell of a fake guru. It is very well written memoir; throughout the book you felt the emotions the author was going through and at times you were even suggesting her not to do this or say this to him or tell the police and many such. By putting everything to paper she tried to make people aware of such thing happening around them. To let them know that anyone can fall into the trap of these conmen who in the name of spirituality make people dependent on them and in the process ruin their lives. One appreciates the courage Elizabeth has shown and also feels good about the fact there are good people like Judith, who are ready to help people in need. At the same time, one feels sorry for others who till the end believed in the conmen, they devoted the best and productive part of their lives to the man who was nothing but a fake and now they have difficulty accepting the world they live in.
This is a Four Out of Four for me and I would recommend this to everyone, however some content is explicit hence not for young readers. People should read it to get an insight into the firsthand experience of Elizabeth and what it means to be trapped by fake gurus. This book can surely act as a warning to many that - it can happen to anyone of us.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Reality is stranger than fiction. The more you know about the truth around you, the more you feel scared and astonished. How can a person of above average intelligence fall for something which is illogical and irrational? In in her book “The Cult Next Door”, Elizabeth R. Burchard along with Judith L Carlone takes the readers through the journey of 20 years of her ordeal which left her drained out emotionally, financially, psychologically, and socially.
In this book Elizabeth tells her about nightmarish experience of getting into a trap of a devious man named George Sharkman, who she met during one of her consultation sessions at one of her doctors. The story is autobiographical and tells you how a George who has his own sets of theories and beliefs indoctrinates her and many like her under his spell. This self-proclaimed “Guru”, as Elizabeth mentions in the book - played with people’s emotions rather than intelligence. People like him are manipulative and play mental games with their disciples, they not only make them dependent on them but also make a lot of money in the name of spiritual knowledge they are imparting. Being from India I am aware of many such fake “Gurus” and the scams they run in the name of spirituality and alternate cult but was not aware of this to be happening in the western world.
The author is honest in her approach and did not shy away from sharing the details of her personal life and the experiences she has gone through during her 20 years under the spell of a fake guru. It is very well written memoir; throughout the book you felt the emotions the author was going through and at times you were even suggesting her not to do this or say this to him or tell the police and many such. By putting everything to paper she tried to make people aware of such thing happening around them. To let them know that anyone can fall into the trap of these conmen who in the name of spirituality make people dependent on them and in the process ruin their lives. One appreciates the courage Elizabeth has shown and also feels good about the fact there are good people like Judith, who are ready to help people in need. At the same time, one feels sorry for others who till the end believed in the conmen, they devoted the best and productive part of their lives to the man who was nothing but a fake and now they have difficulty accepting the world they live in.
This is a Four Out of Four for me and I would recommend this to everyone, however some content is explicit hence not for young readers. People should read it to get an insight into the firsthand experience of Elizabeth and what it means to be trapped by fake gurus. This book can surely act as a warning to many that - it can happen to anyone of us.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Manoj Payal
