Review by Guinnessgirl64 -- The Cult Next Door
Posted: 06 Dec 2018, 12:54
[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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When we hear the word “cult,” we may conjure up images of a guru surrounded by eager, yet naive, disciples. We may have the flash of an image of Jonestown, and the massacre there. We may wonder how any reasonable person could succumb to such nonsense. Elizabeth R. Buchard is an eminently reasonable woman, and she fell victim to a cult in, of all places, Manhattan. In The Cult Next Door: A Manhattan Memoir, Buchard and co-author Judith L. Carlone lay bare Buchard’s soul from her introduction to an offbeat guru, her subsequent years in the cult, and her escape (aided by Carlone.)
Buchard acknowledges that she was a pretty perfect victim. She lost her beloved father at an early age, and was left with a brilliant but mentally-ill and manipulative mother. Buchard was told over and over she was not good enough, that her dreams of following in her psychologist father’s footsteps would never come to be. And it was her mother who introduced her to George Sharkman, a man who would dominate her life and her mother’s life for nearly 20 years. Indeed, the dysfunction in the mother-daughter relationship created a young woman who was “easy pickings” for the megalomaniac Sharkman.
Buchard describes Sharkman as “a narcissist, a sociopath, and a delusional, pathological liar.” But that is not how she viewed him at the beginning of her journey. Then, she hoped that Sharkman could deliver her from the pain of loss: the death of her father and the death of her boyfriend. Along with a handful of other disciples, Buchard spent nearly all her time with Sharkman, but that time came at a price. All of Sharkman’s followers paid an hourly rate for the “honor” of being with him and learning from him. Buchard nearly went bankrupt. The time spent with Sharkman focused on his ideas about “the Energy,” a mysterious force only he could tap into. This Energy was what all of his disciples tried to channel. And this work was imperative: Sharkman told his band of followers that they were the only hope of saving the world by utilizing this “Energy.”
Sharkman’s “teachings” were ever-evolving. In the most disturbing part of the book, he announces that, upon the death of his dog Ben, that Ben was the now the conduit for the Energy. (His reasoning was that “dog” spelled backwards is “god.”) He refused to bury Ben, as his lifeless body was still valuable to them. Sharkman began placing stones on the dog’s corpse, saying that the Energy was flowing through the dog’s body and into the stones. The stones were then distributed to his followers, and they even began selling them, tapping into the New Age market. Ben’s body would remain in Sharkman’s living room for years. As it decomposed, Sharkman would find a new interpretation regarding the Energy.
Buchard’s story is both a cautionary tale and a coming-of-age story. As she begins to emerge from the cult (with the help of Carlone), she must take stock of her life. She is now middle-aged, nearly broke and ashamed of herself. She does, however, own two businesses. Building on her business success allowed her to find the courage to first, think on her own, and second, to eventually leave Sharkman. Buchard’s story will certainly resonate with anyone who has felt controlled by another person in a relationship, but the memoir’s real strength is that it conveys, with great clarity, what it means to rediscover one’s self - a self Buchard feared was gone forever.
The Cult Next Door is a 4 stars out of 4 read precisely due to this reason. The universal desire of each person to choose their life’s path, cope with tragedies, deal with mistakes and find joy in every day life is what makes Buchard’s story relatable. Buchard also includes, in the book’s appendices, terrific discussion questions that help move the reader from Buchard’s tale into wider issues of faith, ethics and self-preservation. Despite its very serious topic, The Cult Next Door is easily read, offering the opportunity to delve into life’s most important question: Who am I, and why am I here?
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
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When we hear the word “cult,” we may conjure up images of a guru surrounded by eager, yet naive, disciples. We may have the flash of an image of Jonestown, and the massacre there. We may wonder how any reasonable person could succumb to such nonsense. Elizabeth R. Buchard is an eminently reasonable woman, and she fell victim to a cult in, of all places, Manhattan. In The Cult Next Door: A Manhattan Memoir, Buchard and co-author Judith L. Carlone lay bare Buchard’s soul from her introduction to an offbeat guru, her subsequent years in the cult, and her escape (aided by Carlone.)
Buchard acknowledges that she was a pretty perfect victim. She lost her beloved father at an early age, and was left with a brilliant but mentally-ill and manipulative mother. Buchard was told over and over she was not good enough, that her dreams of following in her psychologist father’s footsteps would never come to be. And it was her mother who introduced her to George Sharkman, a man who would dominate her life and her mother’s life for nearly 20 years. Indeed, the dysfunction in the mother-daughter relationship created a young woman who was “easy pickings” for the megalomaniac Sharkman.
Buchard describes Sharkman as “a narcissist, a sociopath, and a delusional, pathological liar.” But that is not how she viewed him at the beginning of her journey. Then, she hoped that Sharkman could deliver her from the pain of loss: the death of her father and the death of her boyfriend. Along with a handful of other disciples, Buchard spent nearly all her time with Sharkman, but that time came at a price. All of Sharkman’s followers paid an hourly rate for the “honor” of being with him and learning from him. Buchard nearly went bankrupt. The time spent with Sharkman focused on his ideas about “the Energy,” a mysterious force only he could tap into. This Energy was what all of his disciples tried to channel. And this work was imperative: Sharkman told his band of followers that they were the only hope of saving the world by utilizing this “Energy.”
Sharkman’s “teachings” were ever-evolving. In the most disturbing part of the book, he announces that, upon the death of his dog Ben, that Ben was the now the conduit for the Energy. (His reasoning was that “dog” spelled backwards is “god.”) He refused to bury Ben, as his lifeless body was still valuable to them. Sharkman began placing stones on the dog’s corpse, saying that the Energy was flowing through the dog’s body and into the stones. The stones were then distributed to his followers, and they even began selling them, tapping into the New Age market. Ben’s body would remain in Sharkman’s living room for years. As it decomposed, Sharkman would find a new interpretation regarding the Energy.
Buchard’s story is both a cautionary tale and a coming-of-age story. As she begins to emerge from the cult (with the help of Carlone), she must take stock of her life. She is now middle-aged, nearly broke and ashamed of herself. She does, however, own two businesses. Building on her business success allowed her to find the courage to first, think on her own, and second, to eventually leave Sharkman. Buchard’s story will certainly resonate with anyone who has felt controlled by another person in a relationship, but the memoir’s real strength is that it conveys, with great clarity, what it means to rediscover one’s self - a self Buchard feared was gone forever.
The Cult Next Door is a 4 stars out of 4 read precisely due to this reason. The universal desire of each person to choose their life’s path, cope with tragedies, deal with mistakes and find joy in every day life is what makes Buchard’s story relatable. Buchard also includes, in the book’s appendices, terrific discussion questions that help move the reader from Buchard’s tale into wider issues of faith, ethics and self-preservation. Despite its very serious topic, The Cult Next Door is easily read, offering the opportunity to delve into life’s most important question: Who am I, and why am I here?
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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