Review by norcrossmeganc -- The Cult Next Door
Posted: 20 Feb 2019, 14:23
[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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An engrossing and disturbing read, I give The Cult Next Door: A Manhattan Memoir by Elizabeth R. Burchard and Judith L. Carlone four out of four stars.
Burchard begins in May 1996. This is not the beginning of her story, far from it. Rather it is a glimpse into the fractures in her life that have spiraled out of control. An excellent hook, as a reader, I found myself excited to learn more. She painstakingly plots out her childhood, recounting the humiliating and confusing relationship with her mother, Rachael, and the sense of shame she felt at not being able to understand or control this volatile woman. It is clear that Burchard’s sense of abandonment began very early, and only grew.
Each chapter and recounted story threw up flag after flag in my mind; she was so vulnerable. Desperate to please and receive any kind of affection, Burchard went along when her mother turned to quack after quack. It was through these money-wasting, largely fruitless adventures that Rachael first met George.
Like many a good quack, George promised things that were anchored in reality, and may have even been useful in developing a better sense of self-esteem or a happier life. But he very quickly began to expound on more bizarre ideas. It can at least be said of Burchard that she always had a slight question in the back of her mind about George’s more unusual ideas, but he wooed and courted her, providing her with the attention she so desperately craved. It becomes painful, seeing how George took this very young woman and groomed her into what and who he thought she should be, someone useful only to himself. It was a pattern he would repeat time and again as damaged, vulnerable women, and even a few men, were brought to him for “help.”
George’s need for power and control was complete, and Burchard became his prized pupil, wholly devoted to him after an incredible trauma in her life. Total submission and agreement to George was required, whether regarding sexual activity amongst the group, or George’s latest theory. It took decades for Burchard to truly see what had happened to her life, and the result was devastating as she contemplated all of her unfulfilled dreams, broken finances, and twisted interpersonal relationships.
To break with George was not easy, and only a brave few had tried it. They always came back, Burchard recounting the intense humiliation and punishments that followed. Burchard’s reintroduction to reality came in the form of Judith “Judy” Carlone, a member of a local political organization. Carlone identified almost immediately that something had gone horribly awry at these stress-management groups, and sitting through one meeting was more than enough to convince her of the evil at work. It took time, dedication and extraordinary patience to reveal the truth to Burchard.
The final break wasn’t even that final. To my immense shock, Burchard did not leave the area immediately after finally abandoning George. I also felt a strange sort of pride, for she was right. Her life and her business and all the things that were most important to her were in the area, and she was not going to let George or the people she had once thought of as family win.
Ultimately, I think Burchard claimed the victory for herself. It was a gut-wrenching struggle that left her in financial ruin, realizing that the family and friends she thought she had made were illusions. She feared being alone and abandoned so severely that she didn’t realize she actually had been alone the entire time. Burchard’s brave attempt to discover who she truly was, and where she fit into the world she had largely been alienated from since age nineteen was riveting, and inspiring.
Many of us are familiar with cults; we have all heard about Waco and the Branch Davidians, and Jim Jones’ Jonestown. We are less familiar with the cult that may be next door, the group that may have some strange thinking, but we assume is in no way dangerous. Burchard reveals the incredible danger a group like this poses. She reveals the number of innocent lives that are subsumed by brainwashing of this type, and wrestles with her incredible guilt at bringing in members herself.
What she asks most of all is why, and she has done serious research on the subject of cults and brainwashing to try and find that answer. Revealingly, Burchard believes that she would have taken the same path upon reflection, openly acknowledging her own psychological issues and vulnerabilities. She may never totally be able to explain why, but Burchard and Carlone’s truth rings throughout the book, with Burchard acknowledging the allure of cults which purport to provide what we all need: “love, significance and security.” She poignantly and powerfully reminds us that “the interpersonal interactions we all share are subject to the potential abuses of deception, power, and control.”
The Cult Next Door: A Manhattan Story is extremely well written. The story is clear and concise, and hauntingly moving. Its first-person narrative explodes the myth of cults, inserting the reader personally into Burchard’s life. Anybody with an interest in cults or psychology would enjoy this book very much, and it certainly encouraged me to ask questions, and further my own knowledge of psychological conditions. I love a book that leaves me wanting to discover more, and Burchard certainly delivered.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
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An engrossing and disturbing read, I give The Cult Next Door: A Manhattan Memoir by Elizabeth R. Burchard and Judith L. Carlone four out of four stars.
Burchard begins in May 1996. This is not the beginning of her story, far from it. Rather it is a glimpse into the fractures in her life that have spiraled out of control. An excellent hook, as a reader, I found myself excited to learn more. She painstakingly plots out her childhood, recounting the humiliating and confusing relationship with her mother, Rachael, and the sense of shame she felt at not being able to understand or control this volatile woman. It is clear that Burchard’s sense of abandonment began very early, and only grew.
Each chapter and recounted story threw up flag after flag in my mind; she was so vulnerable. Desperate to please and receive any kind of affection, Burchard went along when her mother turned to quack after quack. It was through these money-wasting, largely fruitless adventures that Rachael first met George.
Like many a good quack, George promised things that were anchored in reality, and may have even been useful in developing a better sense of self-esteem or a happier life. But he very quickly began to expound on more bizarre ideas. It can at least be said of Burchard that she always had a slight question in the back of her mind about George’s more unusual ideas, but he wooed and courted her, providing her with the attention she so desperately craved. It becomes painful, seeing how George took this very young woman and groomed her into what and who he thought she should be, someone useful only to himself. It was a pattern he would repeat time and again as damaged, vulnerable women, and even a few men, were brought to him for “help.”
George’s need for power and control was complete, and Burchard became his prized pupil, wholly devoted to him after an incredible trauma in her life. Total submission and agreement to George was required, whether regarding sexual activity amongst the group, or George’s latest theory. It took decades for Burchard to truly see what had happened to her life, and the result was devastating as she contemplated all of her unfulfilled dreams, broken finances, and twisted interpersonal relationships.
To break with George was not easy, and only a brave few had tried it. They always came back, Burchard recounting the intense humiliation and punishments that followed. Burchard’s reintroduction to reality came in the form of Judith “Judy” Carlone, a member of a local political organization. Carlone identified almost immediately that something had gone horribly awry at these stress-management groups, and sitting through one meeting was more than enough to convince her of the evil at work. It took time, dedication and extraordinary patience to reveal the truth to Burchard.
The final break wasn’t even that final. To my immense shock, Burchard did not leave the area immediately after finally abandoning George. I also felt a strange sort of pride, for she was right. Her life and her business and all the things that were most important to her were in the area, and she was not going to let George or the people she had once thought of as family win.
Ultimately, I think Burchard claimed the victory for herself. It was a gut-wrenching struggle that left her in financial ruin, realizing that the family and friends she thought she had made were illusions. She feared being alone and abandoned so severely that she didn’t realize she actually had been alone the entire time. Burchard’s brave attempt to discover who she truly was, and where she fit into the world she had largely been alienated from since age nineteen was riveting, and inspiring.
Many of us are familiar with cults; we have all heard about Waco and the Branch Davidians, and Jim Jones’ Jonestown. We are less familiar with the cult that may be next door, the group that may have some strange thinking, but we assume is in no way dangerous. Burchard reveals the incredible danger a group like this poses. She reveals the number of innocent lives that are subsumed by brainwashing of this type, and wrestles with her incredible guilt at bringing in members herself.
What she asks most of all is why, and she has done serious research on the subject of cults and brainwashing to try and find that answer. Revealingly, Burchard believes that she would have taken the same path upon reflection, openly acknowledging her own psychological issues and vulnerabilities. She may never totally be able to explain why, but Burchard and Carlone’s truth rings throughout the book, with Burchard acknowledging the allure of cults which purport to provide what we all need: “love, significance and security.” She poignantly and powerfully reminds us that “the interpersonal interactions we all share are subject to the potential abuses of deception, power, and control.”
The Cult Next Door: A Manhattan Story is extremely well written. The story is clear and concise, and hauntingly moving. Its first-person narrative explodes the myth of cults, inserting the reader personally into Burchard’s life. Anybody with an interest in cults or psychology would enjoy this book very much, and it certainly encouraged me to ask questions, and further my own knowledge of psychological conditions. I love a book that leaves me wanting to discover more, and Burchard certainly delivered.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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