Review by Dawnks09 -- The Cult Next Door

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Dawnks09
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Review by Dawnks09 -- The Cult Next Door

Post by Dawnks09 »

[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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The Cult Next Door: A Manhattan Memoir by Elizabeth R. Burchard and Judith L. Carlone is a non-fiction work based on real events and people. This autobiography covers the journey of the author’s experience into the world of the cult. This is a story about hope, enlightenment, deceitfulness, and desperation. The involvement of the author to the cult brought change to her life. The unforgettable experience on how she was controlled by someone gives her doubt and discouragement. There are a lot of things that this book could offer, the insights and views on the cult and how can relationship change one’s perspective.

Elizabeth is an intelligent, competent and a business-savvy woman who has a mentally ill mother. She was an exceptional student and successfully achieved her master’s degree in Science even though she doesn’t have a good relationship with her mother. She was diagnosed with emotional problems and shoves herself to see a psychologist. One time, Elizabeth’s mother took her to see her doctor and from there she was able to meet a man who will change her life. This man completely controlled everything about her life, he claims to say the right thing and he could interpret things as a spiritual experience. Elizabeth gets affected from the feelings of the group led by this man, the uncertainty, lack of confidence, and disappointments. As time goes by, the author met someone who became her eye-opener this cult. Their relationship creates light and turns out to be guide and support for everything.

How can this someone help Elizabeth? What are the challenges that the author may encounter and how will she resolve it? What is this cult about? The author provides a story in a sequential order. The book is well-written and professionally edited. She clearly relates her experience through this book and there are a lot of things that you can learn from it. There are some explicit scenes that any readers should be aware of.

The story is full of emotions, and the author ensures that sharing her personal experience build trust and relationships with the readers. Writing about one’s past can bring insight, reconciliation, and acceptance of the life one has lived. It can also help give a stronger sense of purpose to those in their later years.

I give The Cult Next Door: A Manhattan Memoir 4 out of 4 stars. I would like to recommend this book to those people who like autobiography books. I really enjoyed the story of Elizabeth; the way she writes her story could give a catharsis to the readers. Manipulating people does not understand the concept of boundaries. They are relentless in the pursuit of what they want, and they have no regard for those who get hurt along the way. This book tells us that every person that comes to our life can be either a blessing or a lesson.

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The Cult Next Door
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M Zee
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Post by M Zee »

I think I'm going to have to pick this one up - I think the angle on manipulation and helping others escape from that behavior would be really interesting. Thanks for the review.
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sarahmarlowe
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Post by sarahmarlowe »

This book sounds fascinating! The author must be a very strong woman to have escaped from a cult. Mental manipulation is quite devastating, and the damage is hard to undo. I would like to read this book and find out more about the author's experiences.

Thanks for such a good review!
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