Review by brown09 -- The Cult Next Door
Posted: 26 Jul 2019, 00:17
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Cult Next Door" by Elizabeth R. Burchard, Judith L. Carlone.]
4 out of 4 stars
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The Cult Next Door is a non-fiction memoir written by Elizabeth R. Burchard and Judith L. Carlone. It informs the reader of the survival of Elizabeth as she becomes involved with a severely damaging cult that is run by a biofeedback specialist named George.
One of the aspects of this memoir that I liked most was the information given. We first get a snapshot of the main character’s mother’s current living situation. Compared to the past that Elizabeth has been raised under, it is quite different. The squalid background causes a comparison for the reader that flows naturally and makes sense.
The hindsight of each event is also a sensible touch to this memoir because of the youth of the main character during the past of her life. The reliance on health gurus that Elizabeth’s mother follows tirelessly is written consistently in the “show don’t tell” method, giving the reader a great view into the mannerisms of a perpetual follower. Elizabeth’s reactions to each new guru, and each effect that he has on her mother, before Elizabeth falls under the spell of George presents an apt comparison for the reader to dissect.
Elizabeth, as the main character and narrator of this memoir, acts very much as I would expect her to given her age and the background that must endure as a child and teenager. I empathized with her varied situations very much, given that she has little control of much her thinking at the hands of her mother, then at the hands of George years later. Everything occurs as a cautionary tale, and it sticks with me as a good one given that its details are told from Elizabeth’s understandable point of view.
I have always shied away from memoirs about cults and other instances of mass control mostly because many of the depictions typically rub me the wrong way. In this memoir, I wasn’t really turned off as a reader to each description. Everything was cut and dry, but not at all disgusting or too much to handle for me as an admittedly squeamish reader. That being said, what I disliked the most about this memoir was the ordeal that George put Elizabeth through as he was controlling her life. Seeing that such details had to be included, I don’t place any blame on authors for my unease.
The book is very well edited, with no typos that I could find throughout its entirety. Because of the clean editing, depictions, information, and hindsight comparisons, I rate The Cult Next Door 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend those who love a documentary that focuses on cults and corrupt leaders to read this informative and interesting memoir.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Cult Next Door is a non-fiction memoir written by Elizabeth R. Burchard and Judith L. Carlone. It informs the reader of the survival of Elizabeth as she becomes involved with a severely damaging cult that is run by a biofeedback specialist named George.
One of the aspects of this memoir that I liked most was the information given. We first get a snapshot of the main character’s mother’s current living situation. Compared to the past that Elizabeth has been raised under, it is quite different. The squalid background causes a comparison for the reader that flows naturally and makes sense.
The hindsight of each event is also a sensible touch to this memoir because of the youth of the main character during the past of her life. The reliance on health gurus that Elizabeth’s mother follows tirelessly is written consistently in the “show don’t tell” method, giving the reader a great view into the mannerisms of a perpetual follower. Elizabeth’s reactions to each new guru, and each effect that he has on her mother, before Elizabeth falls under the spell of George presents an apt comparison for the reader to dissect.
Elizabeth, as the main character and narrator of this memoir, acts very much as I would expect her to given her age and the background that must endure as a child and teenager. I empathized with her varied situations very much, given that she has little control of much her thinking at the hands of her mother, then at the hands of George years later. Everything occurs as a cautionary tale, and it sticks with me as a good one given that its details are told from Elizabeth’s understandable point of view.
I have always shied away from memoirs about cults and other instances of mass control mostly because many of the depictions typically rub me the wrong way. In this memoir, I wasn’t really turned off as a reader to each description. Everything was cut and dry, but not at all disgusting or too much to handle for me as an admittedly squeamish reader. That being said, what I disliked the most about this memoir was the ordeal that George put Elizabeth through as he was controlling her life. Seeing that such details had to be included, I don’t place any blame on authors for my unease.
The book is very well edited, with no typos that I could find throughout its entirety. Because of the clean editing, depictions, information, and hindsight comparisons, I rate The Cult Next Door 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend those who love a documentary that focuses on cults and corrupt leaders to read this informative and interesting memoir.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon