Review by micoleon13 -- The Cult Next Door
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micoleon13
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Review by micoleon13 -- The Cult Next Door
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Cult Next Door" by Elizabeth R. Burchard, Judith L. Carlone.]
“The truth is that most of us share three fundamental human needs: love, significance, and security. Cults, under the guise of legitimacy, purport to fill them”. Cults and the people who participate in them have always fascinated me. It is easy to be judgemental and to classify these people as spineless, uneducated or in some ways flawed for them to not see the cult for what it really is. In Elizabeth R. Burchard and Judith L. Carlone’s true story “The Cult Next Door: A Manhattan Memoir”, the reader can see how easy it can be for absolutely anyone to fall victim to the spell of a cult.
Struggling to deal with tragedy from a young age and with a mother who is obsessed with each new spiritual or health fad, Liz struggles to find her sense of self-worth and confidence as she grows up. Vulnerable and looking for any love or affection, at 18 she is a perfect target.
When George Sharkman enters their lives he appears to be the answer to their problems. Promoting a biofeedback idea, he pushes his ideals of reaching personal potential by not reacting to anything upsetting, and to fight against the “programing” from society. Both Liz and her mother become avid believers finding answers in his teachings at a time when Liz is most vulnerable. Actively recruiting friends and acquaintances to join them, George’s group of followers grows.
What unfolds is Liz’s struggle over the next two decades as she begins to fight against the brainwashing that has formed the whole basis of her life. Her budding friendship with an outsider, Judith, completely changes her perception of George’s teachings but does she have enough strength to break from what has now become her only family?
This memoir is written in the first person from Liz’s perspective. It illustrates all her personal hurdles and difficulties within the cult as well as the struggles she has with herself. Aspects of Liz connected with me, making it all too easy to question if in her place I would have acted differently. The addition of various chapters by Judith provides a good balance and the addition of an outsider’s perspective.
Highly intelligent and an accomplished photographer and writer, Liz is able to illustrate how the manipulations of a charismatic leader such as George can completely overrun all aspects of someone’s life, making them incapable of conscious decision-making without approval. Using threats, both mental and physical, George reigns as supreme leader over the expanding group, where any dissension is quickly punished by ostracization and a member’s vulnerabilities are targeted.
Beautifully written with no grammatical or editorial errors, the reader follows along in Liz’s journey, appreciating how both incredibly difficult yet possibly cathartic it was for her to relive it and put it all onto paper. All the more respect is due to the author because of this.
While there are sex scenes in the book, they are minimal and are described as briefly as possible. However, due to the situations in which they arise, they may act as a trigger to someone who has suffered abuse.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars as there is not one thing that I disliked about this book. The insight it provides into the dynamics of a cult and the extreme difficulties associated with trying to break free of its clutches is exceptional, all the more so for how the simple writing style illustrates this. I would recommend this to anyone curious about the workings of a cult, the people who are attracted to it and ways to potentially break that hold.
One bit that I found especially interesting was how many people George attracted. It’s easy from a reader’s perspective to say how obvious his manipulations were but his talent for speaking to people’s vulnerabilities and mixing fact to suit his needs, had the group numbers growing. It provides a good opportunity for the reader’s own personal reflection as to if you had been in Liz’s position would you have been able to resist?
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
“The truth is that most of us share three fundamental human needs: love, significance, and security. Cults, under the guise of legitimacy, purport to fill them”. Cults and the people who participate in them have always fascinated me. It is easy to be judgemental and to classify these people as spineless, uneducated or in some ways flawed for them to not see the cult for what it really is. In Elizabeth R. Burchard and Judith L. Carlone’s true story “The Cult Next Door: A Manhattan Memoir”, the reader can see how easy it can be for absolutely anyone to fall victim to the spell of a cult.
Struggling to deal with tragedy from a young age and with a mother who is obsessed with each new spiritual or health fad, Liz struggles to find her sense of self-worth and confidence as she grows up. Vulnerable and looking for any love or affection, at 18 she is a perfect target.
When George Sharkman enters their lives he appears to be the answer to their problems. Promoting a biofeedback idea, he pushes his ideals of reaching personal potential by not reacting to anything upsetting, and to fight against the “programing” from society. Both Liz and her mother become avid believers finding answers in his teachings at a time when Liz is most vulnerable. Actively recruiting friends and acquaintances to join them, George’s group of followers grows.
What unfolds is Liz’s struggle over the next two decades as she begins to fight against the brainwashing that has formed the whole basis of her life. Her budding friendship with an outsider, Judith, completely changes her perception of George’s teachings but does she have enough strength to break from what has now become her only family?
This memoir is written in the first person from Liz’s perspective. It illustrates all her personal hurdles and difficulties within the cult as well as the struggles she has with herself. Aspects of Liz connected with me, making it all too easy to question if in her place I would have acted differently. The addition of various chapters by Judith provides a good balance and the addition of an outsider’s perspective.
Highly intelligent and an accomplished photographer and writer, Liz is able to illustrate how the manipulations of a charismatic leader such as George can completely overrun all aspects of someone’s life, making them incapable of conscious decision-making without approval. Using threats, both mental and physical, George reigns as supreme leader over the expanding group, where any dissension is quickly punished by ostracization and a member’s vulnerabilities are targeted.
Beautifully written with no grammatical or editorial errors, the reader follows along in Liz’s journey, appreciating how both incredibly difficult yet possibly cathartic it was for her to relive it and put it all onto paper. All the more respect is due to the author because of this.
While there are sex scenes in the book, they are minimal and are described as briefly as possible. However, due to the situations in which they arise, they may act as a trigger to someone who has suffered abuse.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars as there is not one thing that I disliked about this book. The insight it provides into the dynamics of a cult and the extreme difficulties associated with trying to break free of its clutches is exceptional, all the more so for how the simple writing style illustrates this. I would recommend this to anyone curious about the workings of a cult, the people who are attracted to it and ways to potentially break that hold.
One bit that I found especially interesting was how many people George attracted. It’s easy from a reader’s perspective to say how obvious his manipulations were but his talent for speaking to people’s vulnerabilities and mixing fact to suit his needs, had the group numbers growing. It provides a good opportunity for the reader’s own personal reflection as to if you had been in Liz’s position would you have been able to resist?
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Sandusky Burning by Bryan W. Conway
