Review by 10mile72 -- The Cult Next Door
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Stephen Campana
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Review by 10mile72 -- 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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“Leave yourself alone.” Those three words, uttered by George Sharkman to Rachel Burchard, are the beginning of a relationship that would change everything. That change, however, would not be for the better, as clearly conveyed by Elizabeth R. Burchard, Rachel’s daughter, and Judith L. Carlone in The Cult Next Door.
The problems for Liz all start, as they so often do, when her parents get divorced. She’s only three years old at the time. The divorce changes her mother, causing her to become abusive. She also becomes easy prey for gurus and runs through a string of nutritionists, chiropractors, and authors. Her search for guidance eventually leads her to the office of stress reduction specialist Dr. Keith Rogers. It’s his biofeedback technician, however, who she connects with – George Sharkman. After one session – and those magical words – she’s hooked. She soon introduces him to her daughter, Liz, who is equally impressed by the confident, smooth-talking Sharkman. Liz becomes convinced he’s the mentor she needs to help her “develop confidence, self-esteem, and any other life than Mom’s.”
Deep under his spell, she is soon shedding her clothing for him during their sessions, in the interest of “defying taboos” and “breaking social barriers.” After he’s fired by Dr. Rogers, George starts using Liz’s apartment to conduct biofeedback sessions. She even helps him find new recruits. Business starts to boom and before long, George buys a house and moves the sessions from Liz’s bedroom to his den, where he regales his mostly female audience with his rhetoric. Central to his thinking is the idea that the world is comprised of “the crazy ones” who are part of “the program” – a flock of sheep moving in lockstep down the same dead end path to nowhere. The only means of escape is to harness “the Energy” – a force that he channels by shaking his head back and forth rapidly. It is a power that has “intelligence and personality” and can “relax anyone willing to yield.”
Yielding, however, is something that is becoming increasingly difficult for Liz, especially as George becomes increasingly hostile, manipulative, and abusive to her and the harem of women he presides over. He exercises strict control over every facet of their lives: their jobs, their relationships, their finances, etc. They are not even permitted to see doctors. Almost all interaction with the outside world is strictly forbidden. Moreover, the rates he charges for his sessions are so exorbitant that everyone in the group is going broke, including Liz. Gradually, she realizes she needs to get out. Her escape is facilitated through a friendship she develops with a woman named Judy, who she met at a local group for supporters of Ross Perot. Judy manages to get Liz to see how she has thrown her life away for George and helps her to summon the courage to leave the group.
There are a lot of things I liked about this book. A good number of the chapters are written from Judy’s point of view. It’s interesting to observe Judy’s efforts to penetrate the force field of deceit that protects Liz’s mind from reality.
Another strong point of the book is the way the author explores her relationship with her mother, who seems impervious to remorse, regret, repentance, or sympathy. Rachel is one of those people with the ability to let in only those thoughts and feelings that serve her own ends. Liz is just the opposite. Truth matters to her. Other people’s feelings matter to her. She wonders “what insane, metaphysical intelligence had assigned her to be my mother.”
I also like the fact that the author touches on the roots of George’s pathology. She makes it clear that his bizarre behavior stemmed from unresolved issues with his abusive mother, causing him to create “a dictatorship where he continually punished women for his mother’s crimes.”
Finally, I enjoyed the way the author traces George’s devolution from egotistical jerk to full-blown nutcase, culminating in his attempt to resurrect his dead dog.
If the book has any shortcomings, it’s that perhaps it is a bit too long and repetitive. It is structured along a timeline, with each new time period devoted to a different event or series of events in the author’s life. In my view, there were a few too many of these events. It reminded me of a movie that runs a little too long; a few scenes could have been cut out of this otherwise marvelous, exceptionally well-edited book (I found no errors). This book does contain some erotic content, but it’s not gratuitous or offensive.
The Cult Next Door should find a wide audience. Anyone who has ever felt the sting of religious indoctrination will recognize their experiences in the author’s narrative. This book will also resonate with people who have had traumatic relationships with their parents. Those interested in cultic tactics and behavior will find this book to be an excellent case study. Finally, anyone interested in books that feature strong women triumphing over tremendous odds will find in Liz Burchard a worthy heroine. The book, however, will not appeal to anyone looking for some light reading to pass the time.
I am pleased to give 4 out of 4 stars to this marvelous account of how one woman’s refusal to suppress her thirst for truth led her out of the darkness and into a light that she had almost forgotten was still there.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
4 out of 4 stars
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“Leave yourself alone.” Those three words, uttered by George Sharkman to Rachel Burchard, are the beginning of a relationship that would change everything. That change, however, would not be for the better, as clearly conveyed by Elizabeth R. Burchard, Rachel’s daughter, and Judith L. Carlone in The Cult Next Door.
The problems for Liz all start, as they so often do, when her parents get divorced. She’s only three years old at the time. The divorce changes her mother, causing her to become abusive. She also becomes easy prey for gurus and runs through a string of nutritionists, chiropractors, and authors. Her search for guidance eventually leads her to the office of stress reduction specialist Dr. Keith Rogers. It’s his biofeedback technician, however, who she connects with – George Sharkman. After one session – and those magical words – she’s hooked. She soon introduces him to her daughter, Liz, who is equally impressed by the confident, smooth-talking Sharkman. Liz becomes convinced he’s the mentor she needs to help her “develop confidence, self-esteem, and any other life than Mom’s.”
Deep under his spell, she is soon shedding her clothing for him during their sessions, in the interest of “defying taboos” and “breaking social barriers.” After he’s fired by Dr. Rogers, George starts using Liz’s apartment to conduct biofeedback sessions. She even helps him find new recruits. Business starts to boom and before long, George buys a house and moves the sessions from Liz’s bedroom to his den, where he regales his mostly female audience with his rhetoric. Central to his thinking is the idea that the world is comprised of “the crazy ones” who are part of “the program” – a flock of sheep moving in lockstep down the same dead end path to nowhere. The only means of escape is to harness “the Energy” – a force that he channels by shaking his head back and forth rapidly. It is a power that has “intelligence and personality” and can “relax anyone willing to yield.”
Yielding, however, is something that is becoming increasingly difficult for Liz, especially as George becomes increasingly hostile, manipulative, and abusive to her and the harem of women he presides over. He exercises strict control over every facet of their lives: their jobs, their relationships, their finances, etc. They are not even permitted to see doctors. Almost all interaction with the outside world is strictly forbidden. Moreover, the rates he charges for his sessions are so exorbitant that everyone in the group is going broke, including Liz. Gradually, she realizes she needs to get out. Her escape is facilitated through a friendship she develops with a woman named Judy, who she met at a local group for supporters of Ross Perot. Judy manages to get Liz to see how she has thrown her life away for George and helps her to summon the courage to leave the group.
There are a lot of things I liked about this book. A good number of the chapters are written from Judy’s point of view. It’s interesting to observe Judy’s efforts to penetrate the force field of deceit that protects Liz’s mind from reality.
Another strong point of the book is the way the author explores her relationship with her mother, who seems impervious to remorse, regret, repentance, or sympathy. Rachel is one of those people with the ability to let in only those thoughts and feelings that serve her own ends. Liz is just the opposite. Truth matters to her. Other people’s feelings matter to her. She wonders “what insane, metaphysical intelligence had assigned her to be my mother.”
I also like the fact that the author touches on the roots of George’s pathology. She makes it clear that his bizarre behavior stemmed from unresolved issues with his abusive mother, causing him to create “a dictatorship where he continually punished women for his mother’s crimes.”
Finally, I enjoyed the way the author traces George’s devolution from egotistical jerk to full-blown nutcase, culminating in his attempt to resurrect his dead dog.
If the book has any shortcomings, it’s that perhaps it is a bit too long and repetitive. It is structured along a timeline, with each new time period devoted to a different event or series of events in the author’s life. In my view, there were a few too many of these events. It reminded me of a movie that runs a little too long; a few scenes could have been cut out of this otherwise marvelous, exceptionally well-edited book (I found no errors). This book does contain some erotic content, but it’s not gratuitous or offensive.
The Cult Next Door should find a wide audience. Anyone who has ever felt the sting of religious indoctrination will recognize their experiences in the author’s narrative. This book will also resonate with people who have had traumatic relationships with their parents. Those interested in cultic tactics and behavior will find this book to be an excellent case study. Finally, anyone interested in books that feature strong women triumphing over tremendous odds will find in Liz Burchard a worthy heroine. The book, however, will not appeal to anyone looking for some light reading to pass the time.
I am pleased to give 4 out of 4 stars to this marvelous account of how one woman’s refusal to suppress her thirst for truth led her out of the darkness and into a light that she had almost forgotten was still there.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Alfie's Attack by David Bohline
