Review by RoseMarieD -- The Cult Next Door

[RoseMarieD]

[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 Elizabeth Burchard’s autobiographical recounting of her involvement with a New Age cult and its impact on her, her mother and the friends she introduced during her 20-year participation. Readers experience her ordeal gaining a deep understanding about how easily a person from any social or economical background can fall victim to the manipulative seduction of a charismatic, megalomaniacal, influential individual who promises some form of enlightenment.

Ms. Burchard not only sought catharsis by telling her story, she also hoped to help people understand the pervasive allure of belonging to a group with a higher purpose. Her intent was to help potential victims, but more so those on the outside who want to understand how a reasonable, intelligent person can become indoctrinated. Co-author Judith Carlone contributes her voice near the end of the story as she explains how she became associated with Ms. Burchard and how she tried to understand Ms. Burchard’s motivations and attachment to the cult group. Ms. Carlone was instrumental helping Ms. Burchard begin to pull away and eventually leave the group.

The social and emotional coercive control described is not limited to cult groups. Generally speaking, any group with a higher purpose has cult-like attributes. Those attributes include promoting feelings of acceptance, approval, sacrifice, and most importantly gaining knowledge either inaccessible or incomprehensible to “normal” people. Any group of people gathered together for a specific reason or purpose has these attributes, whether considering a group of family, co-workers, or fraternal organizations, political groups or religious groups, to name a few. As human beings, we seek social acceptance and recognition. Each group will always have one or more leaders and naturally forms some sort of hierarchy, whether formally or informally. The abuse of power (intentional or not) creates a cult-like environment even if to a small degree.

The book’s author leads the reader through this type of group formation that started with just a few people. It is easy to see how an individual can be persuaded to adjust her views as she is encouraged to conform and is reprimanded (perhaps in the form of with-holding praise or affection) whenever she begins to question or protest-even if asked to perform acts that feel uncomfortable or wrong.

I give this book a 4 out of 4 star rating. I found it both interesting and insightful. It changed the way I personally perceived the ease at which someone can be drawn into a cult-like group. I thought the author was extremely candid describing her ordeal and related the events as objectively as possible. She also avoided demonizing the cult leader and group, but rather strived to explain their behaviors to the reader.

The book is exceptionally well edited and I would recommend it to anyone interested in cult-like behavior and who wants to better understand the underlying social, psychological and emotional components. I think this book would be particularly beneficial to anyone interested in helping someone free themselves from a cult group.

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The Cult Next Door
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