Review by Miller56 -- The Cult Next Door

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Miller56
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Review by Miller56 -- The Cult Next Door

Post by Miller56 »

[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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Low self-esteem, youthful idealism, gullibility: a combination for disaster? In the book written by Elizabeth R. Burchard and Judith L. Carlone, The Cult Next Door: A Manhattan Memoir, the authors explain how this combination led to a wasted life in a cult. Elizabeth Burchard describes the death of her father, life with her mother, and the slow process of becoming a cult member. Judith becomes her friend and helps her see the world from a different view, eventually leading to Elizabeth getting away from the cult. This is a nonfiction, autobiography/memoir that is unsettling yet informative.

I struggled with many of the concepts in the book. It was difficult to understand how Elizabeth (Liz) could question what she was experiencing and yet be so fearful of leaving the group. The book provided an inside look at how people slowly get drawn into circumstances and because of their own insecurities and fears, cannot remove themselves from situations. The concepts are applicable to cults as well as domestic violence victims. The book describes the use of isolation to keep people in bad situations. I felt sorry for Liz and kept seeing glimpses of hope in her ability to move away from the cult. I sensed her despair and fears as she described her life. There was a sadness to her story.

I liked Judith and admired the strength she showed in helping Liz get out of the situation. She understood being a good friend and realized the situation Liz was in. She understood that it would take baby steps to get Liz away from the cult. She was patient and caring, yet she was willing to stand up to cult members without causing significant problems for Liz. We all could use someone like Judith in our lives.

The book appears to be professionally edited. I did not find any significant spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. Although the book provides a dark look at human behavior, I would give it 4 out of 4 stars. The book is educational and provides the reader with an understanding of cult activities. It was very clear that cult leaders know exactly how to use insecurity and loneliness to their advantage. The author was very open about how she became involved in the cult and how hard it was to give up that life even though it didn’t always make sense.

I recommend this book for young adult to adult readers. There are references to orgies and sexual occurrences. These were stated as discussions of what cult life was like and were not sexually explicit. The discussions were important to describe the mindset of the author. I recommend this book to readers who like to read autobiographies and to educate themselves through someone else’s experience.

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The Cult Next Door
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Post by Anon_Reviewer »

I always struggle to understand how these cult leaders can sleep at night while actively preying on the most vulnerable and gullible during the day. This sounds like a revelatory read. Thanks for the review!
Miller56
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Post by Miller56 »

Ever_Reading wrote: 19 Apr 2020, 01:18 I always struggle to understand how these cult leaders can sleep at night while actively preying on the most vulnerable and gullible during the day. This sounds like a revelatory read. Thanks for the review!
I think some people really have no morals, and some people really believe they are leading people to a better life. Regardless, it is scary to see how easy they can prey on people's insecurities. Thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment.
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