Review by mrob371 -- The Cult Next Door

[mrob371]

[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
by
Elizabeth R. Burchard, Judith L. Carlone

Elizabeth Burchard had a somewhat normal life as a young child, but that was where normal ended. After her parents divorced, her mother became a different person. She was subjected to abuse, shaming, and tantrums by her mother and never felt loved. Her father was the only stability in her young life and that was taken away from her during her middle school years. Soon after that, her mother began a downward spiral towards insanity and several crazy ideas of overpriced nutritional supplements and foods. This went on for years even, with her mother becoming deathly ill from some of the hair-brained thoughts and beliefs she took in from every doctor she became entranced with.

Late in Elizabeth’s high school years, George Sharkman was introduced into their lives and after that, nothing was the same. Unwanted sexual advances, brainwashing, playing God...George Sharkman wanted complete control over every aspect of his follower's lives. They gave all their money, time, and devotion to a man who only wanted to control them.
As the group grew, the control grew. George was about control and money. The abuse was also abundant when George was not obeyed. Elizabeth knew it did not feel right but continued for fear of failure because she knew nothing else. Friendships outside the group were limited and relationships inside the group were forced. If you left the group, you were either ostracized or completely tortured to come back.

Positive aspects of The Cult Next Door by Elizabeth R. Burchard and Judith L. Carlone is that it told an honest story about cults. Not a lot of people are aware of what a cult really is. There are a lot of misconstrued ideas. Another positive aspect of this book is that Elizabeth did not fear telling the story of her crazy life. It did not only involve George Starkman and his family, but also her very own mother. That took loads of bravery and courage. All her dreams, goals, and money were taken away by being involved with George Starkman and his followers.

The only negative aspect of the book was that the cover could have been more enticing. It was not very eye-catching. This is not a book that would have jumped off the shelf at me.
This book may be disturbing for some audiences who do not like books with sexuality in them. There are several mentions of group sex and mixed partners. There is mild profanity in the book which is mostly used as belittling.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The story was extremely interesting, and the facts included were fascinating.

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The Cult Next Door
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