Review by GHOSTFRIEND -- The Cult Next Door
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GHOSTFRIEND
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Review by GHOSTFRIEND -- The Cult Next Door
[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 by Elizabeth R Burchard, LSW and Judith L Carlone is a very thought-provoking story. It is a true story.
At the age of 17, during a visit to a biofeedback doctor, Elizabeth R Burchard meets George. He runs a "stress management" group and under the guise of a therapist, he takes all sorts of advantages of Elizabeth's weakness and dominates her life for two decades. The ones around her also feel the wrath of his dominance.
It is only after Elizabeth meets Judith that she realises the true nature of what's going on and Judith helps her to get out of the trap.
I must start by saying that I was unable to provide a more detailed summary of the story because I couldn't do so without providing spoilers. This is a story of strength and redemption. It breaks the stereotype that only the uneducated people can be the victim of a cult. Elizabeth herself is highly educated and yet she falls into the trap. This goes on to show that as humans, we are full of weaknesses and these weaknesses can be used against us during our bad times. This book makes you think of the ways you could fall a victim to such a thing during your bad times.
The story is very empowering. This book is definitely not for sensitive readers. There are a lot of disturbing descriptions during the first half of the book. You feel helpless as you see Elizabeth fall into the traps one after the other. I really wished I could rescue her from her hardships. These detailed descriptions make the book more thrilling and you can't help but wish to see Elizabeth in a better place. This is my favourite part of the story.
Majority of the story has been narrated from the viewpoint of Elizabeth and a few chapters have been narrated by coauthor Judith Carlone, who witnessed a lot of these events. The narration is very smooth and simple. The two narrations are easily differentiable and the readers can easily understand the plot and connect the viewpoints of the two narrators. I'll rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The book is flawless and I couldn't find anything to dislike in it.
The book has been very well edited as I didn't find any error in it. This is a book of realisation and therefore, I believe that everyone will benefit from reading this book. It makes us aware of ourselves and our weaknesses. However, sensitive readers should avoid reading this book. Due to its sexual content, this book is unsuitable for children. I would recommend this book specifically to social workers.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Cult Next Door by Elizabeth R Burchard, LSW and Judith L Carlone is a very thought-provoking story. It is a true story.
At the age of 17, during a visit to a biofeedback doctor, Elizabeth R Burchard meets George. He runs a "stress management" group and under the guise of a therapist, he takes all sorts of advantages of Elizabeth's weakness and dominates her life for two decades. The ones around her also feel the wrath of his dominance.
It is only after Elizabeth meets Judith that she realises the true nature of what's going on and Judith helps her to get out of the trap.
I must start by saying that I was unable to provide a more detailed summary of the story because I couldn't do so without providing spoilers. This is a story of strength and redemption. It breaks the stereotype that only the uneducated people can be the victim of a cult. Elizabeth herself is highly educated and yet she falls into the trap. This goes on to show that as humans, we are full of weaknesses and these weaknesses can be used against us during our bad times. This book makes you think of the ways you could fall a victim to such a thing during your bad times.
The story is very empowering. This book is definitely not for sensitive readers. There are a lot of disturbing descriptions during the first half of the book. You feel helpless as you see Elizabeth fall into the traps one after the other. I really wished I could rescue her from her hardships. These detailed descriptions make the book more thrilling and you can't help but wish to see Elizabeth in a better place. This is my favourite part of the story.
Majority of the story has been narrated from the viewpoint of Elizabeth and a few chapters have been narrated by coauthor Judith Carlone, who witnessed a lot of these events. The narration is very smooth and simple. The two narrations are easily differentiable and the readers can easily understand the plot and connect the viewpoints of the two narrators. I'll rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The book is flawless and I couldn't find anything to dislike in it.
The book has been very well edited as I didn't find any error in it. This is a book of realisation and therefore, I believe that everyone will benefit from reading this book. It makes us aware of ourselves and our weaknesses. However, sensitive readers should avoid reading this book. Due to its sexual content, this book is unsuitable for children. I would recommend this book specifically to social workers.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
