I have read far too many books on cults, particularly on Jonestown (don't ask me why). Out of all them, this particular book haActual Rating 2.5 Stars
I have read far too many books on cults, particularly on Jonestown (don't ask me why). Out of all them, this particular book has left me with more mixed feelings than any other. At the most basic level, this book breezes through the "story" of Jonestown pretty quickly compared to other more extensive books on the same subject. However, this could be forgiven as a common issue when it comes to cult memoirs and other autobiographies that are written by people who are not professional writers. The real problem for me is how much emphasis the author has on her positive experiences. At first, I actually viewed this as a positive thing. I think it's important to bring up the positive parts of being in a cult if for no other reason than to demonstrate to people how the love bombing and good memories is what attracts people to cults as well as what keeps them in. But there is a definite in-balance between the positive and the negative and I can't help but wonder (based off other accounts that I read) if perhaps the author is painting a rosier picture of Jonestown than was actually true. She seemed to really support the vision of Jonestown and makes it sound like they were a lot better off when it came to resources than many others have implied. She also glosses over her time in Synanon without addressing A) the fact that many also consider this to be a cult, and B) that Chuck Dederich also has a number of accusations. Her only positive view of The Game makes me question whether she is still too close to these organizations to have the necessary clarity to write this book. I believe the author is telling the truth as she sees it, but I find her perspective on these events to be a bit in denial....more
Like many cult survivor autobiographies, this is one of those books where the story itself is better than the writing. Usually, the people who write tLike many cult survivor autobiographies, this is one of those books where the story itself is better than the writing. Usually, the people who write these books are not professional writers and sometimes that can lead to a somewhat clunky writing style. This is one of those books, and while it is not bad enough to discourage me from reading it, there are some gaps in the narrative where I was a little confused about the timeline and it did feel a bit wrapped up in a hurry. The story itself is pretty engrossing. The abuse that Family children suffered is harrowing and it is amazing that all three sisters were able to get out and live somewhat normal, healthy lives. This book outlines numerous examples of shocking sexual abuse. It was really disturbing just how much sex pervaded the culture of the Family and how much they were exposed to and at a very young age. I really felt for them, especially when confronting their father who was still clearly very deeply programmed at the time of the cult. This book was a hard read and I wish they had included more detail about the basic tenants of the cult as well as what the status of the cult is currently, but overall it was a disturbing but informative look at life within the Family....more
This book is proof that bad writing and narrative construction can take a fascinating true life case and make it boring. The entire first half of the This book is proof that bad writing and narrative construction can take a fascinating true life case and make it boring. The entire first half of the book was such a convoluted and long-winded mess and made it extremely difficult to keep track of the major figures involved in this case. In fact, later on in the book I was so confused about simple logistics and keeping track of who everyone was, I actually looked up the case online and read a few news articles just to get the basic framework for the case. I thick the biggest problem with this book is that there is too much information thrown at you and a lot of it is not particularly relevant to the case. When it comes to true crime novels, you do need to include enough information to understand the histories and the motivations of the people involved, but you don't have to include EVERY detail about their personal lives. Delores' history of church hopping didn't really have anything to do with the case. There were enough prior examples to get an idea of her determined and rather self-centered personality. The entire backstory of everyone in the Sharp family could have also been slimmed down to key details. As it is now, it just bogs down the story. The second of this book was a bit better because it finally got to the meat of the case, but by this point I was so confused I had to keep looking up people to figure out who they were and how they related to everyone else. This was a very unique case, but the writing makes it extremely challenging to understand....more
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