Review by Frances019 -- The Cult Next Door
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Review by Frances019 -- The Cult Next Door
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Cult Next Door" by Elizabeth R. Burchard, Judith L. Carlone.]
The Cult Next Door by Elizabeth R. Burchard and Judith L. Carlone is written from the perspective of a woman who got sucked into a brainwashing cult when she was young. This book takes a look into how she was dragged into such a cult, and the problems she faces when trying to climb back out. A few chapters are written from her friend's perspective, which adds extra depth and insight to the story. There are education and support resources in the back for those who are curious about cults, have been in a cult themselves or know someone who has.
This is a pretty heavy story that involves emotional manipulation, coercion, and extortion. I was angry and disturbed at certain parts of the book, and would not recommend it for the faint of heart. That said, it was a fascinating read and I feel better educated now than I did before reading it. This book brought my attention to different forms of manipulation that I wasn't aware of. The leader claimed to be a therapist, opened his own office, and used inherently helpful things such as biofeedback and meditation to relax his patients to the point where he could manipulate them. He also seemed capable of entering trances and giving himself energy without even taking substances to help him. I hate this man, but he sure was an evil genius in some ways.
I liked everything about the book, and it only took a few days to finish. The book seemed professionally edited and I didn't find any typos or grammar errors.
As far as the writing is concerned, I didn't dislike anything about the book. The characters themselves are a different story. This woman is surrounded by horrible people, including the mother that forced her to follow the advice of "health gurus," the man who brainwashed her then took her money, the husband who refused to find a job and constantly mooched off of her, and the woman who tried to profit from her business without doing much actual work. At times, I was even mad at the main character herself for freely telling these awful people about certain parts of her life which they then exploited. The light in her life comes from her friend Judy, who provides a much-needed voice of reason.
I think the most important thing I took away from this book is that even positive traits such as ambition and self-development can be used for evil. I love psychology and spend a lot of time reading self-help material, and the fact that cults use these things to lure people terrifies me. The thought of people forcing their kids to participate in these cults scares me even more. I do think that freely joining a cult is a foolish idea, but I could have been one of those people if I had met the wrong people at the wrong point of my life.
Despite the dark nature of the book, I had a blast reading it and learned a lot. For that, I give this book a 4 out of 4 stars.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Cult Next Door by Elizabeth R. Burchard and Judith L. Carlone is written from the perspective of a woman who got sucked into a brainwashing cult when she was young. This book takes a look into how she was dragged into such a cult, and the problems she faces when trying to climb back out. A few chapters are written from her friend's perspective, which adds extra depth and insight to the story. There are education and support resources in the back for those who are curious about cults, have been in a cult themselves or know someone who has.
This is a pretty heavy story that involves emotional manipulation, coercion, and extortion. I was angry and disturbed at certain parts of the book, and would not recommend it for the faint of heart. That said, it was a fascinating read and I feel better educated now than I did before reading it. This book brought my attention to different forms of manipulation that I wasn't aware of. The leader claimed to be a therapist, opened his own office, and used inherently helpful things such as biofeedback and meditation to relax his patients to the point where he could manipulate them. He also seemed capable of entering trances and giving himself energy without even taking substances to help him. I hate this man, but he sure was an evil genius in some ways.
I liked everything about the book, and it only took a few days to finish. The book seemed professionally edited and I didn't find any typos or grammar errors.
As far as the writing is concerned, I didn't dislike anything about the book. The characters themselves are a different story. This woman is surrounded by horrible people, including the mother that forced her to follow the advice of "health gurus," the man who brainwashed her then took her money, the husband who refused to find a job and constantly mooched off of her, and the woman who tried to profit from her business without doing much actual work. At times, I was even mad at the main character herself for freely telling these awful people about certain parts of her life which they then exploited. The light in her life comes from her friend Judy, who provides a much-needed voice of reason.
I think the most important thing I took away from this book is that even positive traits such as ambition and self-development can be used for evil. I love psychology and spend a lot of time reading self-help material, and the fact that cults use these things to lure people terrifies me. The thought of people forcing their kids to participate in these cults scares me even more. I do think that freely joining a cult is a foolish idea, but I could have been one of those people if I had met the wrong people at the wrong point of my life.
Despite the dark nature of the book, I had a blast reading it and learned a lot. For that, I give this book a 4 out of 4 stars.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Loneliness in the Pocket by Graeme Stuckings
