邪教事典： 史上最惡名昭彰的九大邪教團體，揭露惡魔領袖與狂熱信徒的致命共生之謎

by Max Cutler, 傅文心 (Translator)

神祕、邪惡、狂熱、危險……邪教滲透世界各個角落，在黑暗中誘人上鉤。
有的領袖以神之名行惡，有的領袖以神自居橫行，引領一眾信徒偷拐搶騙、燒殺擄掠，行徑喪盡天良。

從青少年到成年男女，從毒蟲到知識分子，從社會邊緣人到權威人士，無一不對領袖死心塌地，信徒可能就是你我身邊的人。
邪教的瘋狂令人匪夷所思──為什麼看似荒腔走板、裝神弄鬼，卻能吸引成群信眾？

人們渴望信仰、需要歸屬，這是刻劃在基因中的本能。信仰與歸屬可以救人，卻也可能殺人。

邪教領袖利用人類本質的特性，獵捕脆弱的靈魂，一步步操縱人心、扭曲事實、編造神話，徹底支配信徒的思想、身體及生命。

本書介紹史上最驚世駭俗的九個邪教團體，包含曼森家族、毒梟撒旦教、人民聖殿教、螞蟻山之子、天堂之門……他們奴役信徒、謀殺平民、活體獻祭、大規模屠殺，打著信仰的旗幟釀成無數悲劇。

我們將深入挖掘邪教領袖與信徒的走火入魔之路，探究道德淪喪卻蠱惑人心的領袖如何從沒沒無聞到崛起興盛，以及人們為何承受極端暴力、控制和監禁，仍忠心耿耿，至死不渝。

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Cults, History, Psychology, Audiobook, Crime

Paperback

First published July 12, 2022

Reviews

[Sophie]

DNF, will not rate.

From what I've read (20% of the book), this book only examines the gory details, and doesn't really go into the dynamics / psychology of cults and cult leaders.

[Proustitute (on hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

More a Wikipedia-style overview of cults from the Manson Family to the Rajneeshees, from NXIVM to Heaven’s Gate. There’s nothing new to learn here if you’ve read about or watched documentaries on these cults and their infamous leaders. In fact, you would likely know more than the overview that’s given here in these pages.



While Cutler and Conley appear to have based this book on their popular podcast (to which this reader admittedly never listened), I would imagine that the podcast is more interesting in this instance than the book. I’m immensely interested in the psychology of cults, so this book’s subtitle—which includes “Understanding the People Who Joined Them”—piqued my interest quite a bit. However, there’s more on the biography of each cult leader, positing why or how they became the way they did, rather than much (if anything) about the members, why they joined, why they stayed, and why some might have left and, if so, what repercussions or trauma they suffered after leaving life in the cult. 



For this, I imagine Janja Lalich’s Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults would be the better choice; I look forward to delving into that one soon.

[Alex.andthebooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Bardzo fajna pozycja dla osób, które jeszcze nie wiedzą jakie tematy chcą zgłębić mocniej - każda z sekt ma opisane najważniejsze kwestie, daty i historie, więc nada się idealnie także dla tych, którzy nie wiedzą czy to w ogóle ich interesuje.

Ja byłam zaznajomiona szczególnie z 3 sprawami — Mansona, Jima Jonesa i NXIVM i czułam, że to raczej „zajawka”, a nie kompendium wiedzy (co jest jak najbardziej okej!). Szukam wnikliwszych tekstów, stąd ocena, ale nie odradzam!

[Paula Hagar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been fascinated by cults for over 50 years now, ever since I first heard of them after the Charles Manson murders. I read Helter Skelter when I was merely 15, and to this day I remember the horror I felt reading the details of Manson and his followers, and every time I heard his name. Later came Jim Jones, Heaven's Gate, David Koresh and others. This book focuses on 10 different cults, over half of which I'd not heard of before, so I was very excited when I saw this book, as I'd never heard of the podcast. It was interesting to read about them and learn how many smaller ones exist around the world.

But what kept me from rating this higher is that it did not do what I'd hoped it would - give me any insights into not only what led the various cult leaders to do what they did, but more importantly the one thing I really hoped to get from this book was information, or even speculation, on the psychology behind cult followers, and what it is that makes them join and so blindly follow evil people. The core beliefs of each cult are so crazy I just cannot fathom how anyone could fall for them, no matter how desperately someone needs to belong. I understand why the always-narcissistic leaders take on power, but for the life of me I do not understand what makes their followers join - and then stay for years and years.

The weirdest and most horrible cult, to me, is the first one discussed in this book: that of Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, whose brutal torture methods and slow murders turned my blood cold.

If you are looking for a basic outline of the variety of cults out there, this is a great introduction to them, but if, like me, you want a more in-depth psychological study of what makes cult followers join and stay, this is not the book for you.

[BookStarRaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick Take: Cults come in many different shapes and sizes, but they are almost all lead by someone with traits from the dark triad narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.

Cults by Max Cutler is a primer on why cults form and how people are manipulated into joining. Cutler describes 10 cults, their leaders and what made them unique as a cult.

I really enjoyed reading this book. While there were cults I had heard of like Jonestown, NVIXM and Heaven’s Gate, there were many more that I hadn’t. Learning about cults is definitely one of my guilty pleasures. I find it fascinating how easily people are manipulated and I guess, deep down, by learning about cults I hope to avoid being manipulated myself.

I appreciated how Cutler effectively wove psychology into the storytelling of the cult and its members. If you are interested in learning about cults this is a good place to start given that it covers many diverse groups. I would recommend this to anyone interested in cults or the psychology of manipulation.

Rating: 5/5
Genre: Non-Fiction/Cults

I received this book from Simon & Schuster as a Goodreads Giveaway.

[Johann (jobis89) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half of the cults covered were ones I already know a lot about it, but still interesting to revisit - and good to learn about other ones too!

[Erin]

Giveaway Win!

[Erin Clemence · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do cults form? What kind of people become cult leaders? Who joins cults and why? All of these questions are answered in Max Cutler and Kevin Conley’s book “Cults: Inside the World’s Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them”.

Of course when you hear the word “cult”, you immediately think of infamous ones, like Charles Manson or the “Heaven’s Gate” cult, and Cutler mentions these in detail, but he also covers more international cults, such as those helmed by Canadian Roch Theriault, African Credonia Mwerinde and Mexican Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, bringing his research worldwide. Each chapter focuses on one specific group, and goes into detail about the leader (or leaders), how they became the leader, and the kind of followers they recruited, as well as the specific outcome of the leader and the cult itself.

Cutler focuses on the psychology of the cult, specifically on the upbringing and external factors that played on the cult leaders themselves. This was fascinating for the psychology major in me, as some details were provided that I had not known before. Of course, even for more known cases, Cutler discusses exactly what crimes the members committed and what (if any) consequences they faced.

I appreciated Cutler’s writing style, as it was well researched without being wordy and intellectual, making “Cults” a generalizable yet informative read for anyone with interest. Although the subject matter is intense, it was an easy read, and I flew through the pages. “Cults” covers every time line, from the Manson group in the late sixties, to the NXIVM and Heaven’s Gate groups in the nineties and two thousands, making this read both engaging and modern.

Anyone with an interest in cult behaviour, specifically the psychology of cults, including their leaders and members, will find Cutler’s novel intriguing and educational, which is a unique combination. I look forward to checking out some of Cutler’s podcasts, on this topic and others, as he definitely has a way of connecting to his audience.

[Rennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of wikipedia-like but reading wikipedia for fun is also ok sometimes. I don't listen to this podcast, but like any other podcast-inspired book I've read, it leaves me wondering what the point of a podcast-to-book was. It's fine, but why? Especially when a co-author was necessary, for this? A mystery.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

30 Books in 30 Days, Vol. 3
Book 5/30

I liked this but it didn't really deliver what it promised. We do see "inside the world's most notorious groups" (there were quite a lot of non-American cults in here, which was a pleasant surprise), but I think it is disingenuous of the subtitle to imply that this book tries to understand why people joined these cults, at least in any way beyond the most shallow and obvious (vulnerable people are catnip to cult leaders, who seek them out). This book is a lot less nuanced than that, reading more like a series of unconnected histories of each cult than any unified exploration of humanity's relationships to cults.

Each cult is explored in long chapters with almost zero comparative analysis between them, and there are about ten of them (I didn't count). My ability to pay attention to the various chapters varied wildly. I think there must be something going on with the style here, though I can't pinpoint exactly what, that meant the less familiar I was with whatever group a chapter was about, the less it was able to hold my attention. No surprise, the two that are sticking with me most vividly are the ones about Charles Manson (which opens up the book) and Keith Raniere. Each chapter follows a pattern: Learn about the cult leader from childhood and then follow as they form the cult, and then eventually lead the cult to grisly ends. We actually get more about the psychology of the leaders than we do the followers, so the title really is misleading.

I listened to the audio version, which was well done. Each cult gets a separate narrator and they all did good jobs.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly average three stars. Arguably, a book about some of the world’s craziest cults - and the techniques used by these cult leaders to get even some of the most intelligent, rational persons to join, giving up all their earthly possessions to serve the every whim of this psychopathic narcissist - should be a lot more intriguing. Meaning, it doesn’t ordinarily take me a full ten days to get through a book that I should have finished in three.

I mean, it wasn’t horrible. I can see perhaps how it works as a podcast (although unlike many reviewers, I have yet to listen to this podcast. I will soon to see how it compares to the book). As a book though? It’s just... stale.

It’s a collection of case studies into cult leaders’ minds, with each study overlapping some into another, as all of the lunatics presented in the book share many of the same childhood issues/upbringings and resulting personality/psychological traits (most would say deep character flaws, but in the interest of objectivity...).

Each leader “has some trait that sets them apart: ruthlessness, childhood shame, repressed sexuality, a grandiose belief in personal genius, the sense of pleasure derived by inciting terror in their intimates. Almost all share three distinguishing traits - what is known as the dark triad of malevolent narcissism: lack of empathy, a manipulative attitude, and excessive self-love.”

Throughout the book, we are introduced to Charles Manson and “The Family”, Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo and his Narcosatanists, Bhagwan Rajneesh, Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple, David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, as well as Keith Raniere, the founder of the most recent cult, NXIVM (I believe he was just sentenced to 120 years in 2021) - and there are several other less recognizable names, but still just as savagely cruel and devoid of all empathy.

Some reviewers complained that it didn’t really explore the backgrounds and mind traits of the cult leaders as it promised to do. I feel that was adequately addressed. My problem started from the beginning, with the pages devoted to Charles Manson and Co.

You see, while I understand that different books and different narratives are inevitably going to have ... well, different narratives, different ideas...there are facts that are indisputable. When the author presenting the case studies prints fiction as fact, it makes it problematic for me for the rest of the book, in the cases I don’t know as well. For the very reason that it makes me doubt the credibility of his sources, that perhaps everything wasn’t as neatly and well-researched as one is inclined to believe.

For instance:
”It was through Wilson that Manson met Terry Melcher, the son of actress Doris Day, and a powerful record producer. The three met regularly at Melcher’s home: 10050 Cielo Drive, the future site of Manson’s most horrific murders.”

Okay, this is just factually not true. Given I read all 689 pages of lead (and sole) prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi’s book on the murders, when Melcher was questioned on Manson, he could barely recall him. He remembered meeting him I believe “once or twice”, but had told Dennis Wilson that Manson didn’t have what it took to make it in music. There were no regular meetings that ended in some falling out between Melcher and Manson.

But I could possibly forgive that. It’s when you add fiction as facts to the actual crime(s) itself that makes your accounts suffer from credibility issues. Cutler mentions how after Manson sent Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian to 10050 Cielo Drive (where Sharon Tate and her unborn child, along with Roman Frykowski, Abigail Folger, Jay Sebring and Steven Parent were all brutally murdered) to murder and create a chaotic crime scene”, after they’d carried out his wishes, they came back to Spahn Ranch (the Family’s living headquarters at the time) to a “deeply unhappy Manson”:

”They’d barely retrieved any money, and as far as he could tell from their ensuing descriptions, they hadn’t created a dramatic enough crime scene. He then drove back to 10050 Cielo Drive himself to wipe down their fingerprints and spread an American flag on the couch near Sharon Tate’s corpse, hoping that in this era when young people were burning the flag to protest the Vietnam War, the juxtaposition of the flag and a dead pregnant woman would get significant attention”.

Wait, WHAT?! Charles Manson never stepped foot into Roman Polanski’s mansion at 10050 Cielo Drive, nor took any part in “rearranging or cleaning up the crime scene.” Uh, Max Cutler? Where did you get this information? Because Vincent Bugliosi’s book makes no mention of Manson ever going near that crime scene, let alone entering the home after the murders were committed to “rearrange the flag and wipe away prints.” And I’m inclined to believe the lead prosecutor’s account, who lived and breathed this case for two full years, over Cutler’s.

Unreliable narration is a big problem for future stories in the book. I don’t know what was embellished (like with Manson’s story) apart from what was actually established as fact. Not to mention, so many of the stories read very dryly. If the stories that followed Manson’s were all mostly factual, then they were interesting - but still not enough so, that even if I wasn’t in doubt about the truth of it all, I’d give this book any higher of a rating.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book profiles 10 cults. Four are widely known in the US: those led by Charles Manson, Jim Jones, David Koresh and Marshall Applewhite. A fifth US cult, not as well known as the others, NXIVM, was a financial ponzi scheme along the the cult features of enslaving and raping its members. Cults profiled that operated in Mexico, France, India (this one expanded to the US), Canada and Uganda demonstrate that this is a human phenomena and not a product of one culture or another.

For each of the cults, even those I knew something about, I learned something new. In the Manson group, it was where the participants are today; for Jim Jones it was his childhood, for Koresh it was the religious structure his group was a “branch” of and for Applewhite, the strange way his cult formed, lived and grew.

Of the cults for which I knew nothing - I was happier before I learned of them.

Three of these cults destroyed themselves. One petered out. Five, in response to clear murder and rape offenses, were ended by law enforcement. Only the Branch Davidians survives today; however, it appears to be in its original religious structure, not in the perverse direction Koresh took it.

There is little analysis here… mostly reporting.

[Clued-in With A Book (Elvina Ulrich) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on the popular podcast Cults, Parcast founder, Max Cutler shares biographies of ten notorious cults in this book.

These cults are categorized according to the types of manipulation they used (e.g: exploitation, shame, sadism, etc) and why do people joined these cults - the psychology behind it.

I loved how the information was presented. It was easy to read and understand, and the depth of information for each cult, was just perfect - not too little, not too much.

Although I am familiar with some of the more popular cults (e.g: Charles Manson, Jim Jones, Roch Theriault and the Ant Hill Kids) in this book, I still find myself learning something new about them. I find Raelism was the most bizarre cult I've learned so far.

Heads up, though, some of the contents do contain graphic details especially on Narcosatanists and Roch Theriault's cults.

Overall, this is a must read book for all true crime fans especially if cults is a topic that fascinates you.



Pub. Date: July 12th, 2022

***Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for this gifted reading copy. All opinions expressed are my own.***

[LibraryCin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book, based on a podcast(?), looks at ten cults and their leaders. Only three were ones I knew of, including Charles Manson, Jim Jones, and David Koresh (though I hadn’t ever read anything about Koresh previously). Unexpectedly, there were two that included UFOs! There was plenty of murder to go along with these cults. (Only) one of the leaders walked away from the carnage she left behind. I was interested to read about an actress who was highly involved with one cult. The cults were in various parts of the world, including Mexico, Uganda, Canada, and of course, the USA. (I hadn’t even heard of the guy in Canada – from Quebec – and he was twisted!).

I had hoped to learn more about how people end up following these crazy people, but the book was more a short biography of each of the leaders, in addition to the stories of their respective cults and what happened – how they formed, the people that followed them, and how they combusted. Similar to a book of short stories, I found some more interesting than others.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance at reading this book.

Cults are fascinating, they're up there in terms of true-crime - to understand why people do what they do and what happened that a person or a group could have such a control over someone else. Cults is a book that is based off a podcast by Max Cutler, where he expands upon or brings awareness to six various people / cults that had a great impact on how we view cults.

I feel like in order to enjoy this book one must have little to no knowledge about the cults covered, and are looking for a bite-sized recap of what made them a 'cult'. For me, I knew of all but two of the cults mentioned. I also found the book written almost like a textbook in school or a wiki article. If you're looking for an indepth, recap of the cults mentioned you will not get it from this book.

What is presented is presented fairly, and with references. However, I am a bit at a loss of who this book is for? School? Teenagers? Why write something that is easily grabbed from other websites and or you can read in depth by others mentioned in the book?

I don't know why this book exists and while it is not badly written I think that it was a waste of time.

[Jolanta (knygupė) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Šiek tiek plačiau nei wikipedia "/

[Naomi's Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cults are fascinating to me because of the mystery that surrounds them. I loved the deep dive approach with each cult that the author brought forward. I learned what created the mystery and how the leader kept his/her followers invested.

I feel like I knew things because of the culture like “drinking the Koolaid” or “Helter Skelter” but I never knew the context until now. I also appreciated the humanity that was give to the victims, known and unknown. I was invested in the story and how it was told.

My only complaint is a personal preference. I am not a fan of long chapters and each cult was one chapter without division. It didn’t take away from the quality of the material but it did impact my enjoyment.

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Buddy Scalera · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tl;dr. The writing was too dense. The facts were too extensive. It was like reading an list of facts on Wikipedia.

[britt_brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read fairly extensively about many infamous cults, so expectations were low for this collection. What else is there to know? But I was thoroughly impressed by how Cutler and Conley brought these 10 groups together, analyzing the leaders, followers, and drawing parallels. A bit more than an overview of each. Well-researched and engaging. I’ve not listened to the “Cults” podcast yet, but I will.

[Chloe Reads Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, and held my attention. Would recommend the audiobook.

[Mark Muckerman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

It reads like a compilation of transcripts from a podcast series - and I'm certain that's exactly what it is. There's where it falls short:

As podcasts, each topic would be more interesting as individual bites, spaced out over time as they drop. As a book, it quickly becomes repetitive, and the shallowness of a podcast format becomes disappointingly evident when you read each chapter (cult). Painfully similar in format, layout, narrative, style and pretty uniformly lacking in any depth, I found CULTS to be a boring read.

Manson was interesting. Jim Jones was interesting. Heaven's Gate was interesting.

The rest were more obscure. Narrative was thin and there was no real compelling or revelatory storytelling.

Not a Good Read.

[Petr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got some good ideas to try out!

[Ilona * ksiazka_w_kwiatach * · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reportaże i historie true crime często goszczą na moim profilu. Z reguły tematy w nich poruszane są wstrząsające i mocno kontrowersyjne. Często dotyczą one seryjnych morderców, tajemniczych zaginięć, czy też przerażających wydarzeń z okresu II wojny światowej. Nigdy jednak nie miałam okazji sięgnąć po reportaż poruszający temat sekt. „Sekty. Uwodziciele tłumów, fanatyczni wyznawcy i mechanizmy manipulacji” to reportaż autorstwa Maxa Cultlera i Kevina Conleya, w którym autorzy na przykładzie dziewięciu „przywódców”, dogłębnie przedstawiają mechanizm działania sekty.

Kim był przywódca narkosatanistów?
Jak Keith Raniere sprawił, że uczestniczki warsztatów samorozwoju zamieniły się w grupę seksualnych niewolnic?
W jaki sposób Jim Jones doprowadził ponad 900 swoich wyznawców do największego masowego samobójstwa?
W jaki sposób Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh „dorobił się” 93 rolls-royce'ów?
Co takiego miał w sobie Charles Manson, że członkowie jego Rodziny w jego imieniu dokonywali makabrycznych zbrodni — w tym zabójstwa ciężarnej Sharon Tate?

Max Cutler i Kevin Conley w bardzo szczegółowy sposób, począwszy od narodzin „przywódców”, przedstawiają nam historię dziewięciu sekt, których działania wstrząsnęły światem. Dla mnie było to coś nowego, świeżego, bo tak jak wspomniałam na wstępie, temat sekt jest mi zupełnie obcy. Dochodziły do mnie strzępki informacji na temat Charlesa Mansona, ale nigdy nie zagłębiałam się w historie jego Rodziny oraz zbrodni, których dokonali.
Reportaż napisany jest bardzo rzetelnie, historie w nim opisane są wstrząsające. Już pierwsze strony dały dokładny obraz tego, z czym przyjdzie mi się zmierzyć. Nie spodziewałam się jednak, że to będzie aż tak przerażające.
„Sekty. Uwodziciele tłumów, fanatyczni wyznawcy i mechanizmy manipulacji” to jeden z najlepszych reportaży, jaki miałam przyjemność przeczytać. Widać ogrom pracy autorów włożony w powstanie tej książki. Cutler i Conley wykonali kawał dobrej i rzetelnej roboty, wszystkie informacje poparte są wiarygodnymi źródłami. Reportaż czyta się jednym tchem, z ogromnym zaciekawieniem, a jednocześnie niedowierzaniem, że historie w nim spisane miały miejsce w rzeczywistości, że nie są to wymysły autorów, a fakty, które szokują. Jeżeli lubicie mocne reportaże, interesuje Was tematyka sekt, to polecam Waszej uwadze „Sekty”. Gwarantuję, że nie będziecie zawiedzeni.

[Leah K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always had a fascination about cults. Not in the "can't wait to join one" type way but in the "what makes them tick" kinda way. Even my senior thesis was on Hitler and his following (and I could argue that such things start as cults until so many people join that you get a movement...whether positive or negative). If you're looking for an intro to several big name cults, this is a good book to start. There were many I knew but learned more info on - Manson, Waco Davidians, Heaven's Gate, Jonestown, etc and there were some I had never heard of or knew very little about. The fact that most of those little-known cults occured outside the U.S.A. is no shocker as we're good at staying in our own little bubble (and seriously, some of these cults make Jonestown seem small in comparison). It's a good book to remind yourself that you're no better than those "quacks" who joined the cults, most who were intelligent, lonely, and wanted "family". A fascinating look into the world of cults. If you're more into podcasts, you can listen to the podcast by the same name and person for even more cults and cases!

[Vince · Rating 3 out of 5]

It delivered what it was advertising. It was a collection of cults and how they came to be. I think I wanted a more thorough psych eval; the issues and symptoms were identified and addressed - so kudos - but I felt that the explanations were hit or miss. Also, the last two chapters felt kind of rushed for me. With Heavens Gate being quite infamous among true crime fans, maybe its presence in pop culture made it so that it wasn’t really necessary to explain what everyone already knows. But if that was the case, they shouldn’t have made it the last chapter. The narcosatanist and Jonestown chapters were pretty interesting and one of the better written chapters… also one of the longer ones.

[Nicole White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway and I'm so happy I did because I thoroughly enjoyed it. I learned a lot about several cults and cult leaders I had not heard of before and learned more about those I have. I would definitely recommend this book.

[suspense_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sekty. Uwodziciele tłumów, fanatyczni wyznawcy i mechanizmy manipulacji.", czyli reportaż o dziewięciu ugrupowaniach stworzonych przez liderów o silnie psychopatycznych zapędach. Wprawdzie zaczęta jeszcze w październiku, była przeze mnie raczej podczytywana z doskoku na zasadzie - "dziś jest TEN dzień na kolejny rozdział". Nie lubię pędem przelatywac przez literaturę faktu, gdyż często warto się nad nią pochylić na dłużej, wygooglować dodatkowe informacje, czy choćby posiłkować się fotografiami dostępnymi w sieci. Te ostatnie szczególnie dopełniają całości i pozwalają na wgląd np. na sylwetki omawianych postaci, ulokowanie wydarzeń, czy... wygląd mieszanek wchodzących w skład magicznego kotła nganga, który wybitnie mnie zainteresował przy rozdziale o Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, dowodzącym tzw. narkosatanistom.

Krocząc od najmłodszych lat ścieżką nie do końca usłaną różami, niejednokrotnie przepełnioną odosobnieniem, smutkiem, czarą goryczy wynikająca z poczucia dorastania w niekonwencjonalnym środowisku i w rezultacie odrzuceniem ze strony najbliższych, nietrudno jest zbłądzić i zacząć poszukiwać ulgi w najmniej rozsądnych zajęciach, czy nie stroniąc od używek. Autorzy niniejszej książki (swoją drogą bardzo estetycznie wydanej - twarda oprawa, najlepiej <3) słusznie kładą nacisk na psychologiczne uwarunkowania, rodzinne relacje i społeczny ostracyzm, jako główne aspekty prowadzące do zaburzeń emocjonalnych początkującego psychopaty. Cutler i Conley niejednokrotnie podkreślają, jak wielki wpływ na wykiełkowanie zalążka psychopatii ma surowe wychowanie, wykorzystywanie, zaniedbanie oraz wczesne wejście na drogę przestępczą. Analizują krok po kroku, jednakże w sposób na tyle skondensowany i przyswajalny dla odbiorcy nieobeznanego w temacie, że nie nudzą nim dobiegnie się końca każdego z rozdziałów. Myślę, iż jest to dobra baza dla osoby raczkującej w tematyce, która zachłyśnięta dawką informacji przedłożonej w tym niemalże pięciuset stronicowym tomie poczuje się zachęcona, by tę wiedzę pogłębić na własną rękę literaturą dopełniającą.

Manipulacja innymi jednostkami przez osobowości ze skłonnościami głównie narcystycznymi, często określana jest mianem "prania mózgu". Autorzy w ciekawy sposób pokazują metody dążenia do pełnienia władzy przez tego typu osoby, przedstawiając genezę tego dobrze nam znanego pojęcia, stosunkowo i zaskakująco jednak nowego w dziejach naszej historii.

Na widelec tym razem wzięto sekty prowadzone pod skrzydłami takich wizjonerów jak m.in. Charles Manson (który uroił sobie zbliżający kataklizm i zmanipulował członków swoich Rodziny, by w jego imieniu dokonywali m0rde.rstw), wspomniany już przeze mnie Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, Rajneesh (rzucający kapitalistycznymi hasłami ewangelista wolnej miłości i idei oświecenia przez taniec, które w efekcie przyniosły mu fortunę i 93 sztuki Rolls-royców w garażu), zauroczony nazistami dowódca Świątyni Ludu Jim Jones (który doprowadził do największego masowego s@mob0jstwa w dziejach nowożytnej historii!! Sprawił nawet, iż matki podały trującą miksturę swym noworodkom)...

Sekty przyciągały i nadal przyciągają do siebie tabuny ludzi pod przykrywką początkowo przyjaznych, niemalże oświeceniowych poglądów. Obiecują lepszą przyszłość, spokój ducha, wolność, (czy nawet nowe życie międzygalaktyczne dzięki dostaniu się na statek kosmiczny, albo i lepsze hity - sic!). Jednakże z czasem ich ideologie przekształcają się, liderzy wymagają coraz większego zaangażowania w życie komuny, niejednokrotnie izolacji i poświęcenia - czasem życia innych jednostek, a czasem naszych własnych.

Ciężko uwierzyć w to, jak wiele zła wyrządzono, jak otumaniono niezliczone ilości ofiar i poprowadzono ich w kierunku samozagłady. Polecam, szczególnie osobom, które nigdy nie słyszały o tych tragicznych wydarzeniach.

[DziwakLiteracki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mówiąc o zamkniętych społecznościach w naturalny sposób kojarzy się je z pewnego rodzaju wspólnotą; i nic dziwnego, ponieważ pod wieloma względami skojarzenia te są jak najbardziej trafne. Hermetyczne środowiska, choć przejawiają właściwą sobie indywidualność, są jednocześnie zbiorowiskiem jednostek, które ugrzęzły w okowach powtarzalnego schematu. Tego typu kręgi od zawsze wzbudzały spore zainteresowanie, ale niestety – często - niekoniecznie w pozytywnym sensie.

Wiedzieli o tym doskonale Max Cutler wraz z Kevinem Conley’em. Autorzy publikacji ,,Sekty: uwodziciele tłumów, fanatyczni wyznawcy i mechanizmy manipulacji’’ na przykładzie funkcjonowania kilku ruchów religijnych, omówili zagadnienia przynależności do konkretnych grup kultu. Ich opracowanie mimo że dalekie od klasycznej analizy, stanowi doskonały punkt wyjścia do szerszej interpretacji. Cutler i Conley nie silą się bowiem na pseudo badawczy żargon, przeciwnie; raczej od niego stronią, prowadząc luźną narrację utrzymaną w uporządkowanej konwencji, z łatwością objaśniającą najbardziej skomplikowane aspekty psychologiczne, moralne, społeczne i – także – kryminalne. Jest to więc, pod wieloma kątami, szalenie angażująca i satysfakcjonująca lektura. Podzielona pomiędzy głośne nazwiska (Constanzo, Theriault, Mwerinde, Manson, Jones…), a rozdziały pogrupowane wedle przewin uprzednio wymienionych liderów (świetny zabieg!), stanowi całkiem zgrabne kompendium wiedzy, które porusza mnogość interesujących kwestii; nie brak tutaj licznych odniesień, rozwinięcia ogólnej problematyki, nakreślenia złożoności danych tematów, nawiązań do współczesnej kultury, sytuacji gospodarczej i obyczajowej, wreszcie – rozbudowania całości o wątek naukowy. Czyta się to tym lepiej, im mocniej zwraca się uwagę na bezstronność oraz obiektywizm autorów.
Dla entuzjastów literatury faktu, smakoszy true crime, czy po prostu - zainteresowanych fenomenem kultu jednostki - rzecz obowiązkowa.

*Książka została wzbogacona o bibliografię przypisy, zapisy z przesłuchań oraz akt sądowych, a przytaczane badania naukowe odpowiednio wyszczególniono.

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been fascinated with cults since taking a class on them in college and the fascination has only grown since then. Now this book doesn’t only feature the classic cults such as Children of God or Jonestown but also more quietly sinister cults that I hadn’t read much about and I enjoyed that a lot. This book explores the language that’s used to draw people into these cults and cultish environments and the backgrounds of those who create these cults and it’s really quite startling once you realize how easily these men drew people in and convinced them to commit horrific acts. If you’re as fascinated and interested in cults as I am then I highly recommend this read!

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely insane! The book is a little slow but full of interviews and psychology facts that try to give insight into how cult leaders function and why people join cults... just saying all but one cult in this book were started by men... 😒