Review by Cestmoi_20 -- The Cult Next Door
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Cestmoi_20
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Review by Cestmoi_20 -- 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, LSW and Judith L. Carlone illuminates the hocus-pocus mystique of extreme cults while debunking the mythology surrounding the type of individuals who become prey and followers of these maniacal tyrants. If you have ever questioned anyone remaining in a destructive relationship, or thought yourself immune to such allure, Burchard and Carlone's first-hand account will provide you with invaluable insight and answers.
Burchard suffers hard losses early and fast. Her parents divorce when she is a toddler, yet her father, a professor, provides a loving and much needed respite from the emotionally draining and exacting demands of a hard-core mother. Burchard relishes time with her dad, making do between the extremes in the two vastly different parenting styles and households until her father suffers a fatal heart attack just days before her 12th birthday. Devastated, Burchard writes, "From that day on, I withdrew under the shadow of grief. My father had abandoned me to the enemy--a parent who criticized me mercilessly, making me feel that I was hopelessly lacking."
Very few of us exit childhood unscathed. Those who have endured trauma and loss like Burchard will understand the dichotomy between her intelligence and her need to seek approval. Unloved and always in conflict with a mother who competes and threatens rather than nurtures and encourages, Burchard is sheltered and socially awkward, yet emerges from adolescence college bound. When she manages to find love, things appear to be going well. She and her beau are planning their future, naming imagined dogs and children, dreaming of where they will live. Armed with the confidence of all she has accomplished so far, Burchard attempts to make amends with her mom and invites her to try trendy biofeedback therapy; something Burchard has found useful in understanding her anxiety and depression. The office is legitimate, but an assistant, George Sharkman, is like the snake waiting in the garden. He eventually convinces the women that he is better equipped to help them than the doctor, and lures Burchard and her mother into his private den of "energy" therapy. Excited by what she has found, Burchard can't wait to invite her closest friends to Sharkman's meetings. Shortly after introducing the love of her life to her new “therapist,” Burchard's boyfriend begins to question the fidelity of their relationship, and then suddenly dies under mysterious circumstances. With this fresh trauma, Burchard enters a dizzying spiral of despair and is ripe for further exploitation by her predator. Thus begins her rapid descent into his shockingly twisted, communal, and narcissistic hell.
Allegiance without question, obedience, sex, and the majority of their wages are all prerequisites for membership. Step-by-step, with reckless rationalizations, harassment, and gaslighting, Burchard, her mother, and the other victims are convinced that they are nothing without him or the group. Burchard is pressured and persuaded to make financial and life changing decisions that are in Sharkman's best interest until a chance meeting delivers her angel, Judy Carlone. The two women develop a solid and enduring friendship where Carlone recognizes just how slippery and deeply tangled her friend is immersed in this insanity, and how delicately she needs to proceed if she will ever have a chance at helping Burchard untangle this web of lies and find her way back to independence.
The Cult Next Door, is a fascinating reveal. Who hasn't run into someone like George Sharkman among family, friends, or co-workers for whom deceit, excuses, and extrapolated rationalizations come naturally? We may shake our heads and wonder how could Burchard or anyone be so stupid and blind before recalling the George Sharkman's in our own lives.
Extremely well written and edited, a solid 4 out of 4.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Cult Next Door by Elizabeth R. Burchard, LSW and Judith L. Carlone illuminates the hocus-pocus mystique of extreme cults while debunking the mythology surrounding the type of individuals who become prey and followers of these maniacal tyrants. If you have ever questioned anyone remaining in a destructive relationship, or thought yourself immune to such allure, Burchard and Carlone's first-hand account will provide you with invaluable insight and answers.
Burchard suffers hard losses early and fast. Her parents divorce when she is a toddler, yet her father, a professor, provides a loving and much needed respite from the emotionally draining and exacting demands of a hard-core mother. Burchard relishes time with her dad, making do between the extremes in the two vastly different parenting styles and households until her father suffers a fatal heart attack just days before her 12th birthday. Devastated, Burchard writes, "From that day on, I withdrew under the shadow of grief. My father had abandoned me to the enemy--a parent who criticized me mercilessly, making me feel that I was hopelessly lacking."
Very few of us exit childhood unscathed. Those who have endured trauma and loss like Burchard will understand the dichotomy between her intelligence and her need to seek approval. Unloved and always in conflict with a mother who competes and threatens rather than nurtures and encourages, Burchard is sheltered and socially awkward, yet emerges from adolescence college bound. When she manages to find love, things appear to be going well. She and her beau are planning their future, naming imagined dogs and children, dreaming of where they will live. Armed with the confidence of all she has accomplished so far, Burchard attempts to make amends with her mom and invites her to try trendy biofeedback therapy; something Burchard has found useful in understanding her anxiety and depression. The office is legitimate, but an assistant, George Sharkman, is like the snake waiting in the garden. He eventually convinces the women that he is better equipped to help them than the doctor, and lures Burchard and her mother into his private den of "energy" therapy. Excited by what she has found, Burchard can't wait to invite her closest friends to Sharkman's meetings. Shortly after introducing the love of her life to her new “therapist,” Burchard's boyfriend begins to question the fidelity of their relationship, and then suddenly dies under mysterious circumstances. With this fresh trauma, Burchard enters a dizzying spiral of despair and is ripe for further exploitation by her predator. Thus begins her rapid descent into his shockingly twisted, communal, and narcissistic hell.
Allegiance without question, obedience, sex, and the majority of their wages are all prerequisites for membership. Step-by-step, with reckless rationalizations, harassment, and gaslighting, Burchard, her mother, and the other victims are convinced that they are nothing without him or the group. Burchard is pressured and persuaded to make financial and life changing decisions that are in Sharkman's best interest until a chance meeting delivers her angel, Judy Carlone. The two women develop a solid and enduring friendship where Carlone recognizes just how slippery and deeply tangled her friend is immersed in this insanity, and how delicately she needs to proceed if she will ever have a chance at helping Burchard untangle this web of lies and find her way back to independence.
The Cult Next Door, is a fascinating reveal. Who hasn't run into someone like George Sharkman among family, friends, or co-workers for whom deceit, excuses, and extrapolated rationalizations come naturally? We may shake our heads and wonder how could Burchard or anyone be so stupid and blind before recalling the George Sharkman's in our own lives.
Extremely well written and edited, a solid 4 out of 4.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
