Review by biblichore_pages -- The Cult Next Door
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Review by biblichore_pages -- The Cult Next Door
It is an old belief that a woman can't be friends with another woman; that women are enemies of each other. But, The Cult Next Door by Elizabeth R. Burchard and Judith L. Carlone proves it wrong. It depicts that a woman can become the strength of another woman and can help her come out of ordeal.
The story is about Elizabeth, a 17-year-old Swarthmore College freshman who joins a therapy session with her mother led by George Sharkman, the leader of the cult. After 20 years of suffering, she finally realized the ill-effects of the cult and that she is sinking into despair. She tried to leave the group, but failed to do so. That's when Judith L. Carlone came in the story. She persuaded and helped Elizabeth to come out of George Sharkman's influence. Her kindness and presence of mind were commendable throughout the story.
The best thing about the book was the arrangement of chapters in a chronological order with respect to the events that occurred in the lives of the narrators. This brought up a lot of clarity in the plot. Secondly, this was the most honest and open memoir I have ever read. The authors have tried to share almost everything about their lives without holding back anything. For example, Elizabeth, though hated George Sharkman, shared her interpersonal relationship with him. This makes the story even more genuine. The book gives a reality check to those who are facing a similar situation and encourages them to come out of it.
There were a few things that bothered me while reading. First: there was a confusion of past and present in the narration. At times, it was difficult to understand whether the narrator is sharing her present feelings of her thoughts from the past. Second: there were instances of sexual abuse. George Sharkman used to encounter his clients to overcome discomfort by touching him and themselves. These instances were really irksome. Apart from this the book was absolutely flawless. It had no significant grammatical errors or spelling mistakes and seemed professionally edited.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Cult Next Door by Elizabeth R. Burchard and Judith L. Carlone and I wholeheartedly award this book four out of four stars. In spite of negatives it succeeded in winning my heart. I recommend it to people who are above 18 years of age because it contains sexual content. This book can be extremely helpful for people who are on the verge of despair and are looking for even the slightest ray of hope.
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The Cult Next Door
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