Review by anoushka_thakur -- The Cult Next Door

[anoushka_thakur]

[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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Imagine a life wherein one moment you are living well and the next thing you know, you are taken in by a cult. You are now trapped in a place from which escaping seems nearly impossible. The Cult Next door: A Manhattan Memoir by Elizabeth R. Burchard, Judith L. Carlone, is a harrowing autobiographical account of Elizabeth Buchard. She falls prey to a cult between the ages of 18 and 38. The book reveals that cults don’t solely comprise of members who dress strangely, having weird rules, but a cult can be a group of average looking people living normal lives. However, their very existence, being controlled by the cult leader. This book describes how easy it is for anyone to be engulfed by a cult.

At 18, Liz struggles to find her sense of self-worth and self-assurance as she grows up. She struggles to deal with tragedy from a young age. She is the perfect mark. George Sharkman enters their lives that seem like a person to be the answer to their problems.

Soon both Liz and her mother fall prey to Sharkman’s program. He promotes a biofeedback idea and pushes those ideas of reaching one individual’s potential by not reacting to anything offensive. They become devoted supporters and believers of his group. Liz starts to find answers in his teachings at the time she was most vulnerable. They actively recruit other acquaintances to join George’s group.

Liz resists over the next two decades as she starts to wrestle against the teachings that had shaped the foundation of her whole life. Her perspective completely changes when she meets an outsider, Judith. Can Liz build up enough strength to break through the shackles from this cult?

The book has been written through the perspective of Liz that is in the first person. She illustrates her entire journey eloquently. She has beautifully described how the charismatic cult leader Sharkman was able to deceive her thinking of the world. I was able to connect to Liz and put myself in her shoes and wondered whether I would fall victim to Sharkman’s plan. As Liz described, Sharkman has this attractiveness that lured people into his trap. From the book, it may seem too obvious, but I believe that if I were standing in front of him, he would have been capable of luring me.

There were no grammatical errors in this book. The book flowed smoothly through the harrowing journey of Liz; I empathized with all that she went through. There were sex scenes in the book with minimal description. They may act as a trigger for someone who has suffered mistreatment. The book describes the working of a cult and how difficult it is to break free from it. I loved reading this book and rate it 4 out of 4 stars. I didn’t find anything that I disliked about the book. I recommend this book to readers who are interested in the working of cults.

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The Cult Next Door
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[Sou Hi]

Nice review. This book will serve well as a reminder of being cautious. There're many guys out there who know how to take advantage of people's misfortunes.

[anoushka_thakur]

Nice review. This book will serve well as a reminder of being cautious. There're many guys out there who know how to take advantage of people's misfortunes.

That is very true. This book taught me to look out for people like them. Thank you. Hope you enjoy reading the book.