Review by Echo Haapala -- The Cult Next Door
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Echo Haapala
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Review by Echo Haapala -- 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 is a non-fiction story about Elizabeth, aka Liz and her journey as a cult member. From an early age, she was introduced to therapist after therapist. During her teenage years, she met George Sharkman, the cult leader. His views and teachings were non-traditional. As the years went by, George’s following grew and so did Liz’s adoration for the cult. For decades she pledged her life to this group and spent thousands of dollars to do so. One day, she decided to break away and leave the only family she ever knew.
My favorite part of this book was the setup. The chapters were told from either Liz or Judith’s perspective. These two have opposite viewpoints. As a result, the book was balanced and flowed effortlessly. Liz’s chapters were all informative. I learned quite a bit from her and now have a basic understanding of cults. For example, I learned they isolate the members from friends and family. This tactic makes it that much more difficult to leave or to realize there is a bigger world filled with many ideas and experiences. On the other hand, Judith’s chapters were more aligned with my viewpoints. She was uninvolved with the cult and didn’t agree with George’s teachings. From the reading, I gathered Judith was a very logical thinker and had a rebuttal for almost every single one of George’s ideas.
My other favorite part of this book was the journey itself. As a reader, you acquire a better understanding of Liz and her reasoning for joining the cult. You begin feeling her turmoil regarding the money spent, the beliefs that were taught and the physical and sexual abuse that was endured. You also feel a sense of pride when she discovers her voice and leaves the cult. With that said, some chapters were a little tougher to get through than others because of George’s bizarre ideas. For example, at one point, he sat with a rotting dog carcass filled with maggots believing the dog would be reborn.
The Cult Next Door was certainly eye-opening and profound. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. The only knowledge that I have about this topic is from documentaries or news reports relating to extreme cases. By the end of the book, I had the utmost respect for Liz and her strength to leave this group. For these reasons plus the ones mentioned above, I rate this book a 4 out of 4.
I would recommend this story to anyone that is looking for an informative and interesting read. I would not recommend this book to a younger audience because of the physical and sexual content mentioned in a few chapters. Additionally, I did not note a single error while reading and believe this book was professionally edited.
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The Cult Next Door
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The Cult Next Door is a non-fiction story about Elizabeth, aka Liz and her journey as a cult member. From an early age, she was introduced to therapist after therapist. During her teenage years, she met George Sharkman, the cult leader. His views and teachings were non-traditional. As the years went by, George’s following grew and so did Liz’s adoration for the cult. For decades she pledged her life to this group and spent thousands of dollars to do so. One day, she decided to break away and leave the only family she ever knew.
My favorite part of this book was the setup. The chapters were told from either Liz or Judith’s perspective. These two have opposite viewpoints. As a result, the book was balanced and flowed effortlessly. Liz’s chapters were all informative. I learned quite a bit from her and now have a basic understanding of cults. For example, I learned they isolate the members from friends and family. This tactic makes it that much more difficult to leave or to realize there is a bigger world filled with many ideas and experiences. On the other hand, Judith’s chapters were more aligned with my viewpoints. She was uninvolved with the cult and didn’t agree with George’s teachings. From the reading, I gathered Judith was a very logical thinker and had a rebuttal for almost every single one of George’s ideas.
My other favorite part of this book was the journey itself. As a reader, you acquire a better understanding of Liz and her reasoning for joining the cult. You begin feeling her turmoil regarding the money spent, the beliefs that were taught and the physical and sexual abuse that was endured. You also feel a sense of pride when she discovers her voice and leaves the cult. With that said, some chapters were a little tougher to get through than others because of George’s bizarre ideas. For example, at one point, he sat with a rotting dog carcass filled with maggots believing the dog would be reborn.
The Cult Next Door was certainly eye-opening and profound. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. The only knowledge that I have about this topic is from documentaries or news reports relating to extreme cases. By the end of the book, I had the utmost respect for Liz and her strength to leave this group. For these reasons plus the ones mentioned above, I rate this book a 4 out of 4.
I would recommend this story to anyone that is looking for an informative and interesting read. I would not recommend this book to a younger audience because of the physical and sexual content mentioned in a few chapters. Additionally, I did not note a single error while reading and believe this book was professionally edited.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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kdstrack
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Liz did have an incredible journey, especially as she had to go against her own mother. It is amazing just how far a cult leader can lead his followers (the rotting dog!) This is an eye-opening story. I enjoyed your analysis of the book. Thanks!
Latest Review: Kennedy's Revenge by Stephen L Rodenbeck
