Stop The Tall Man, Save The Tiger: My Journey In And Out Of A Cult

by Peter Young

Peter Young was a successful sports broadcaster when he met and fell in love with Paige. They married, started a family, and his career blossomed.

But the TV cameras didn’t see what was going on behind the scenes in Peter’s private life.

Paige brought to the marriage the charismatic and mysterious Uncle Robert. As her blind devotion to him grew, so too did his power over her. Soon, Uncle Robert controlled every aspect of Paige's life. Peter knew he was next.

Unwittingly sucked into the small religious cult of Uncle Robert by the wife he loved, where casinos are churches and Jews conspire to control the world, Peter was trapped. Confront Uncle Robert and he risked losing his marriage. Or, say nothing and he risked losing control of his mind.



In his raw and powerful memoir, Peter provides an unflinching look at how he was brainwashed by a narcissistic cult leader and infected with hatred and paranoia. His painful and traumatic escape from the clutches of a sinister cult, to his miraculous road to recovery, is a journey you will not forget.

“Peter Young is a masterful writer and story-teller.” Evonne Smith Wells

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Religion

389 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2023

About the author

Peter Young is the author of two books, The Blue Team, a novel which was originally released in 2016, and Stop The Tall Man, Save The Tiger, a memoir published in 2023.

Peter played college basketball at George Washington University and loosely based The Blue Team on his experiences playing for the Colonials. After his playing career ended, Peter briefly coached basketball before embarking on a career as a sports broadcaster. Working for ESPN, CBS, OLN, and other networks, Peter traveled the world covering everything from college basketball and football in the US, to rodeos in Canada and adventure racing in Morocco.

Stop The Tall Man, Save The Tiger chronicles Peter's experiences in a tiny but destructive religious cult.

Peter has also written for several newspapers, and spent years as a regular editorialist for the Post Register in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Peter lives near Bozeman, Montana.

Reviews

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow, what a read!

This book is kind of hard to describe, because you won't get it until you read it yourself. I read it, and my head is still whirling from everything Peter Young and his family went through.

Peter describes his experiences in a mini-cult with vivid detail, I felt like I was seeing everything through his eyes.

What makes this book even better, is that we rarely get to see exactly how someone got sucked into something like this, and with Peter it happened slowly and then all at once. I'm glad that he didn't have as much contact with Uncle Robert as Paige did for most of their marriage, I do believe that the Lord was protecting him as much as possible.

And it's wonderful to see he hasn't lost his faith along the way. I'll be praying for Paige to see the light, it's never too late.

One thing that was never really explained though, was that Uncle Robert was from Syria, but neither his first nor last name are something that would be common there.

So that made me curious if his name was changed for the book, or if he actually changed it himself, and if so, why he picked what he did. Especially the last name...If I was changing my name there is no way I'd pick something like that, not in a million years. Then again, I'm not Uncle Robert or a cult leader so...maybe I just don't get it.

[Josie Raczynski · Rating 3 out of 5]

The people in this story really embody the quote “there’s no hate like Christian love.” The story tries to paint the cult leader in a terrible light, blaming him for everything that happens, but dang they need to look inward for not using logic or having empathy to let things get the way they did. The author tries so hard on every page to justify his wife’s actions as simply being brain-washed, but she’s just as awful as “Uncle Robert” is. I can’t believe a “Christian” could do or say as many awful things as she did (but also can). It’s admirable that the author was able to write and publish his story but the writing wasn’t great and the story could’ve used a ton of editing. I skipped most of the letters because they were just rambling craziness. If you like reading about cults you might like this one. If you’re not religious you might be a little horrified reading this.

[Rhoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I saw a FB ad for this book and spent a few dollars to buy it in Kindle.

Wow, just wow. This shows how one can be taken into a cult even one that doesn’t have the tell tale signs of a Jim Jones or other well-known cults. I kept thinking how can you not see? Why don’t you walk away? I think it’s like an addiction—some are physical but others are emotional and even spiritual.

I Corinthians 10:12
Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several weeks prior to reading this book, I was helping with a high school volleyball tournament when a tall gentleman walked by the group that I was sitting with. I had seen this man over the last few years as he did broadcasting for basketball games at a local high school while I refereed. I asked the person sitting next to me who he was. She gave me his name and then said, "Oh, you need to read his book, "Stop the Tall Man, Save the Tiger," and she proceeded to explain to me the essence of the story. I immediately ordered the book, written as a memoir by Peter Young. The book is a gripping retelling of his life's story as it relates to a cult's devastating impact upon his family. At times the story is just heart-wrenching, to say the least. Young is an excellent writer and communicator and his style keeps the reader engaged in what is going on in the story. The book demonstrates the effects of cultish leaders, how the mind can be slowly brought under the control of another, and how evern Scriptures can be used and twisted to control another person (or persons). The story, likewise, lays out some excellent theology about true saving faith, about false conversions, about manipulation of people, about hatred, and love, and steadfastness, and about God's work in the life of a man who is being sanctified in the midst of staggering heartache. The story is gripping, to say the least.

If I could point to a weakness or two, they are minor, as I think the author opens the door for extra-biblical revelation in his openness to the use of visions/dreams for a means by which God communicates to His people. It's a minor point for certain. The other point is merely a caution to a reader, that in a couple of places, when the author quotes other persons, he uses their quote which includes crude language. The author himself is not given to such, but his usage merely illustrates the lost condition of the other person's heart.

As a whole, this book is a hard-to-put-down read. I personally enjoyed the read and think it is well worthwhile for anyone to give it a look.

[Susan Barnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was extremely disturbing in multiple ways, but it does have an important warning. The author and his wife are deeply religious, educated, and yet so vulnerable when it comes to Robert Booty that it is breathtaking. Even when the author knew this man was a crackpot, he still fell under his influence and condoned cruel treatment of others. He went along with the dictates, wild conspiracies, shunning of family members and friends in a way that made this book hard to read, but easy to understand. The writing was on the wall fairly early, and through most of the book, Peter Young just accepts these bizarre behaviors. He experiences cognitive dissonance, but refuses to act until he finally realizes the danger posed to his children. I would recommend this book, as it tells a vital story of mind control in a readable way. Even if one isn't religious, it's easy to skip over all the preaching to get to the horror of what can happen if one gives up rational thought and behavior.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great title! And it definitely lives up to it! The author has a quest to meet and marry a tall, athletic, beautiful Christian woman. Perhaps the moral of the story is that he was looking for a unicorn and thought he had found one, but as is the case with unicorns, they aren’t real. Instead, he married a robotic zombie caught up in the thick fog of lifelong dysfunction. His role as was in the dream was to defeat the tiger, but unfortunately, he was way too passive to succeed in that, and she ended up, hating him for the rest of the marriage because of that. Deep down, she had hoped he would be strong enough to defeat Uncle Robert and when he wasn’t her heart hardened to him. I would love to read a part two of this book. It was an absolute page / Paige turner! I took off one star because I couldn’t find a lot of depth to any of the characters, including the author. Without Uncle Robert, there wouldn’t be a memoir or at least not such a successful one. In any case, it was absolutely spellbinding, and I highly recommend it!

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book. First of all, I was incredulous that this went on for as long as it did and am horrified by what the author (and his children!) went through. However, I do have some issues with his perception of things. As a woman reading between the lines of his story, it seemed to me that he was more enamored with her looks (he mentions her attractiveness MANY times) when they got together and didn't really take the time to get to know her (married less than a year after meeting). There were clear red flags when they were dating (at least to me) but he ignored them and didn't even talk to her about them. He says later that they had such a loving and perfect marriage, but yet time after time he refused to discuss the issues in her family relationships. That is not a loving intimate marriage. He seems to view his early relationship with rose-colored glasses. I'm glad he and his children seem to be doing well now.

[Alison Gulley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not crazy about this book although I stuck with it to see how it turned out. I agree with other readers that it could have used some editing, especially when presenting the emails, but I was more bothered by what *wasn't* said. While I understand Peter wanting to avoid divorce, I don't understand how you can find out early you're married to a raging anti-Semite and not take action. He also discusses his involvement with the John Birch Society as if this is normal behavior. I think he may have started to get sucked into the cult by this point but I was hoping for a disavowal of his extremist beliefs (and some kind of evidence that Paige wasn't an anti-Semite when he met her).

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a longer read as I had to take short breaks from it. There was a lot of information to digest. I found myself getting angry at the way the author was treated by his wife's "family mentor", not to mention the way his wife treated him and their children. It was, at a couple points, difficult to follow because the storyline had jumped to an earlier time period. Overall I would recommend this book if you are interested in cult-like behavior and the ability one human can have to ruin others.

[Rick Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Among the saddest books I’ve ever read

The cruelty of cultic brainwashing must be awful to live through because it is awful just to read about. This is the story of Peter Young and the cult leader who destroyed his marriage, his wife, and almost his children. The arrogant and hateful words repeatedly said to this man because he questioned the cult leader were tragic to read. It’s a painful book to read, but the understanding and compassion it draws from the reader are worth the struggle to finish it. Recommended.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, a real page turner. It is hard to grasp how two sane, intelligent, university educated people could get so caught up in this Booty cult. I was stunned so many times reading this and then I remembered all the bright lives that were snuffed out in Jonestown. I am so happy that the five children are now living full time with Peter and no longer under the influence of Booty and Paige's sick view of Christianity. I highly recommend this book, such an eye opener.

[Bridget Holbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

overall good

A true story of a young couple who became indoctrinated by a family friend. A quite odd account, interesting but a little over-worded. I still found it an interesting read. Just wish some loose ends were wrapped up like what exactly happened to Rebecca? What were her allegations toward uncle Robert? When exactly and how did the children see the light? I can possible see a part 2 in the works

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange story of a family manipulated by a man who ultimately “brainwashed” them into believing he could show them how to become Christian. It is the memoir of the author whose family was destroyed by this man so it is his point of view. My first thought is I would not have allowed anyone to talk me into this or to treat me the way this man’s wife did. But I understand how people can slowly be swayed so all I can say is beware of false prophets, religious or otherwise. They are pervasive!

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I found this book exhausting! There was so much repetition. The emails and letters were endless. I felt very sorry for the author, but realized he should have told his wife and “Uncle Robert” many years ago that enough is enough. Peter, sorry you and your family had to go through all of that, but it never should have gone on for so long. Hope you and your family have started the healing process.

[Marjori L Oakley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly Recommended!

I would have given more stars if I could! This book helped me face and overcome my own doubts whether I was truly saved. Mine came from my own insecurities and self-judgement. Always doubting my worthiness. I give thanks to the author for giving the words for me to finally understand!

[Linda Mckellar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring

This is the most boring book I have ever read. Every mention of Uncle Robert drove me crazy. I didn't even get halfway through the book before giving up. Also too preachy about religion.

[Taylor Kamps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written. I often put myself in the characters shoes. So it was very triggering and the things that he went through were very toxic. But it is very informative and the manipulation he faced could be happening to anyone and this book could help you see that.

[Bonnie Bergeron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely riveting true story about how cults can decimate families. Heartbreaking but triumphant when Peter finally realized the truth and got out, despite losing his marriage.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This dissection of a marriage is always interesting, and this one is a definite WOW. I hope for the best for everyone involved.