Review by Nym182 -- The Cult Next Door

[Nym182]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Cult Next Door" by Elizabeth R. Burchard, Judith L. Carlone.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Cult Next Door: A Manhattan Memoir is a compelling memoir written by Elizabeth R. Burchard with some chapters by Judith L. Carlone. This story mainly comes from Elizabeth, who becomes entangled in what starts as a stress therapy appointment. This attempt to seek help quickly turns into being involved in a terrifying and possessive cult. There are chapters that Judith writes which offers an interesting commentary of someone witnessing the effects brainwashing has on someone they care about. This memoir shows how quickly one person can take advantage of someone for monetary gain in exchange for the acceptance they crave. Worse yet, they gain control over that person's life.

I thought that this memoir was excellent. It gave me a new perceptivity on how easy it can be to fall victim to a cult leader. Elizabeth is a smart woman who became ensnared in this “Group”, as it is called in the book, at an early, impressionable age. This group is led by George Sharkman, who boasts of his connection with what he calls “The Energy”. It dispels many myths and stereotypes people generally associate with those in a cult. Most people, including myself, have a self-perceived theory that those who are duped into blindly following the rules of a leader are generally unintelligent and completely subservient people. This is not true.

What I enjoyed about Elizabeth’s story is that she helps explain how something like this could happen to anyone. All it takes is the right person who knows the right manipulation techniques to suck you in. One of the myths that got debunked for me was that those who are involved with someone like George is completely submissive. However, Elizabeth questions George’s tactics throughout the book. This led me to conclude that this doubt gave Elizabeth the feeling that since she can be skeptical of George she is not really under his control. Elizabeth wrote in such a way that I felt utter disdain for George and his methods. I also thoroughly enjoyed Elisabeth’s use of vocabulary and learning the definition of some of the more obscure words in the text.

The only thing I did not care for in this book is Elizabeth’s choice in titling her chapters. She used chunks of time as her heading which did not add much value to the story and made the chapter titles tedious for me. After a while, I had just stopped reading them. I also found it confusing when it switched between the two authors. The chapters that were from Judith’s point of view were marked as such but did not indicate when it switched back to Elizabeth.

A couple of things to note before reading this memoir is that there is some light swearing, scenes of sex, violence, suicide and a morbid use of a dog’s corpse. This may not be appropriate for younger readers or those who would be put off by reading about such topics.

I give The Cult Next Door: A Manhattan Memoir a 4 out of 4 star rating. It was such an excellent and fascinating inside look into a world that seems so farfetched and out of my comfort zone. It bridges the gap the idea of"That could never happen to me" that has been instilled in my mind. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in cults and the psychology behind such a world.

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The Cult Next Door
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