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Plastic Shaman: The True Story of a Deadly Self-Help Retreat and America's Misguided Quest for Wellness
A spiritual quest turns into a fatal disaster in this gripping true crime investigation of the wellness industry.
“A fascinating, deeply personal investigation.”
—JON KRAKAUER, Under the Banner of Heaven
In October 2009, more than fifty people attended a $10,000-per-person wellness
retreat led by a celebrity self-help guru. For these enlightenment seekers, their time in Sedona, Arizona, culminated in a fake Native American sweat lodge ceremony. Three of them would not make it out alive.
This tragedy exposes the dangerous truth about the booming $2 trillion wellness industry where promises of spiritual awakening and financial success often mask dangerous practices underpinned by cultural appropriation and commodification of the nature. Journalist Annette McGivney explores this world, exposing the manipulation and greed that allow charismatic influencers to prey on vulnerable people in search of happiness and healing—no matter the cost.
“A fascinating, deeply personal investigation.”
—JON KRAKAUER, Under the Banner of Heaven
In October 2009, more than fifty people attended a $10,000-per-person wellness
retreat led by a celebrity self-help guru. For these enlightenment seekers, their time in Sedona, Arizona, culminated in a fake Native American sweat lodge ceremony. Three of them would not make it out alive.
This tragedy exposes the dangerous truth about the booming $2 trillion wellness industry where promises of spiritual awakening and financial success often mask dangerous practices underpinned by cultural appropriation and commodification of the nature. Journalist Annette McGivney explores this world, exposing the manipulation and greed that allow charismatic influencers to prey on vulnerable people in search of happiness and healing—no matter the cost.
390 pages, Hardcover
Published September 15, 2026
About the author
Annette McGivney
9 books52 followersAnnette McGivney is an award-winning investigative journalist and author based in Cortez, Colorado. Plastic Shaman is her sixth book and publishes in September 2026. Her previous book, Pure Land, about the murder of Tomomi Hanamure in Grand Canyon, won the National Outdoor Book Award in 2018. Pure Land was the debut selection for Outside magazine’s book club in 2017 and named by the magazine on a list of “outdoor books that shaped the last decade.”
Annette is a frequent contributor to the Guardian, Outside and Arizona Highways; her articles focus on Southwest culture, the environment and Indigenous issues. She is a professor emeritus in Journalism at Northern Arizona University where she taught for two decades. Annette is also the founder of the non-profit Healing Lands Project, which is managed by Grand Canyon Youth, and provides guided wilderness trips to underserved populations. Annette’s next book, titled Lucky, explores the unique, life-affirming relationship between humans and dogs.
For more, go to: www.annettemcgivney.com
Annette is a frequent contributor to the Guardian, Outside and Arizona Highways; her articles focus on Southwest culture, the environment and Indigenous issues. She is a professor emeritus in Journalism at Northern Arizona University where she taught for two decades. Annette is also the founder of the non-profit Healing Lands Project, which is managed by Grand Canyon Youth, and provides guided wilderness trips to underserved populations. Annette’s next book, titled Lucky, explores the unique, life-affirming relationship between humans and dogs.
For more, go to: www.annettemcgivney.com
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
t’s one of those stories you might have forgotten—three deaths in a sweat lodge.
That is, three deaths in a sweat lodge run by a self-help super star.
That is, three deaths in a fake sweat lodge near Sedona, Arizona run by James Arthur Ray, a guy who was convicted in 2011 of negligent homicide, who falsely claimed he learned how to run a sweat lodge from a Lakota medicine man, and who, after serving time for the tragedy, would go right back to figuring out a way to turn New Age philosophy into cold hard cash.
It’s one of those stories you might have forgotten but Annette McGivney wants you to look at this all-American story from every angle. In Plastic Shaman she approaches the story with a mix of reporting, immersion journalism, and deeply personal analysis. By the end, you’ll feel like you’ve come at this story for all sides, but the result is still the same—James Arthur Ray was a shameless salesman more interested in money and his own self-image than in helping people heal.
The subtitle is a beauty: The True Story of a Deadly Self-Help Retreat and America’s Misguided Quest for Wellness.
Yes, “deadly self-help retreat”—quite the oxymoron. James Arthur Ray told participants in 2009 that they would feel like they were going to die. “This will be the most intense experience in your entire life,” he told them. “I guarantee that.”
There were 54 participants at the Spiritual Warrior Retreat. They each paid $10,000 for the privilege. The itinerary for the six-day retreat wasn’t laid out in detail because Ray liked surprises. He asked them all to shave their heads “for spiritual transformation.” He sent each attendee alone on a 36-hour “vision quest” into the desert without food, water, or a cell phone for 36 hours. And to cap things off, a sweat lodge experience. Ray said he was following the Native American protocol. In short, Ray did no such thing. When trouble arrived, he ignored cries for help.
The three victims were Kirby Brown, James Shore, and Liz Neuman. Four others nearly died; 19 others were transported to hospitals.
Plastic Shaman is a powerful true crime book. McGivney explores the tragedy from all angles—including cultural appropriation. That includes her own look in the mirror, at her “need” to associate her identity with Native American cultures. McGivney writes about how “proximity to Native culture in rural Arizona and Utah offered a much-needed reprieve from the urban rat race that was cut off from the natural world.” McGivney writes in a raw and vulnerable way about what she brings to the table with this story and that gives Plastic Shaman a deeply personal flavor. Her previous book, Pure Land, about a woman killed in the Grand Canyon, also folded in her traumatic childhood.
McGivney writes about the investigation into the sweat lodge deaths—both successes and failures. She goes back to the history in this country of selling Indigenous spirituality, writes in depth about the history of James Ray International and its “prosperity gospel” and she follows the paths of each of the three sweat lodge victims, particularly an intimate portrait of James Shore and his wife, Alyssa.
McGivney tracks Ray’s self-mythologizing, including a story he told about being bequeathed the “guiding principles” to what he called “harmonic wealth.”
Writes McGivney: “Behind Ray’s veil of success and celebrity was someone who behaved more like a cult leader. Experts would later tell investigators he exhibited narcissistic traits that went well beyond an egocentric self-help teacher, tendencies that became more pronounced as the size of his following grew … By the time the Great Recession hit in 2008 and many Americans were once again desperate for the secret sauce that guaranteed their prosperity, Ray was the guy with the winning formula—at least according to his multiple appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show where he was seen by more than nine million viewers.”
And then McGivney dives in—literally. In 2019, six years after Ray walked out of prison, McGivney attended a two-day “Mental Mastery” seminar in Las Vegas, along with a good friend.
“The whoops turned into rap music. A spotlight penetrated the dark theater as smoke swirled across the stage. Anticipation from the audience was palpable. The silhouette of a man appeared at the back of the stage, and he slowly walked forward into a blue column of light. People clapped and screamed. James Arthur Ray did a little dance and pumped his fist. His perfect white teeth flashed as he scanned the audience. The man who went to prison after the deaths of three clients was back in his element.”
As I mentioned, McGivney leaves no stone unturned. Seeing James Arthur Ray work up close, to experience his come-ons and grift, was the final rock to pick up and flip. But McGivney sees her assessment of Ray both through her own personal lens, as a wellness seeker, and in this country’s history of colonization and all the violence required to put this country together. As McGivney notes, we are still all looking away.
++
Thanks to Torrey House Press for the advance copy of Plastic Shaman, which releases on Sept. 15, 2026.
That is, three deaths in a sweat lodge run by a self-help super star.
That is, three deaths in a fake sweat lodge near Sedona, Arizona run by James Arthur Ray, a guy who was convicted in 2011 of negligent homicide, who falsely claimed he learned how to run a sweat lodge from a Lakota medicine man, and who, after serving time for the tragedy, would go right back to figuring out a way to turn New Age philosophy into cold hard cash.
It’s one of those stories you might have forgotten but Annette McGivney wants you to look at this all-American story from every angle. In Plastic Shaman she approaches the story with a mix of reporting, immersion journalism, and deeply personal analysis. By the end, you’ll feel like you’ve come at this story for all sides, but the result is still the same—James Arthur Ray was a shameless salesman more interested in money and his own self-image than in helping people heal.
The subtitle is a beauty: The True Story of a Deadly Self-Help Retreat and America’s Misguided Quest for Wellness.
Yes, “deadly self-help retreat”—quite the oxymoron. James Arthur Ray told participants in 2009 that they would feel like they were going to die. “This will be the most intense experience in your entire life,” he told them. “I guarantee that.”
There were 54 participants at the Spiritual Warrior Retreat. They each paid $10,000 for the privilege. The itinerary for the six-day retreat wasn’t laid out in detail because Ray liked surprises. He asked them all to shave their heads “for spiritual transformation.” He sent each attendee alone on a 36-hour “vision quest” into the desert without food, water, or a cell phone for 36 hours. And to cap things off, a sweat lodge experience. Ray said he was following the Native American protocol. In short, Ray did no such thing. When trouble arrived, he ignored cries for help.
The three victims were Kirby Brown, James Shore, and Liz Neuman. Four others nearly died; 19 others were transported to hospitals.
Plastic Shaman is a powerful true crime book. McGivney explores the tragedy from all angles—including cultural appropriation. That includes her own look in the mirror, at her “need” to associate her identity with Native American cultures. McGivney writes about how “proximity to Native culture in rural Arizona and Utah offered a much-needed reprieve from the urban rat race that was cut off from the natural world.” McGivney writes in a raw and vulnerable way about what she brings to the table with this story and that gives Plastic Shaman a deeply personal flavor. Her previous book, Pure Land, about a woman killed in the Grand Canyon, also folded in her traumatic childhood.
McGivney writes about the investigation into the sweat lodge deaths—both successes and failures. She goes back to the history in this country of selling Indigenous spirituality, writes in depth about the history of James Ray International and its “prosperity gospel” and she follows the paths of each of the three sweat lodge victims, particularly an intimate portrait of James Shore and his wife, Alyssa.
McGivney tracks Ray’s self-mythologizing, including a story he told about being bequeathed the “guiding principles” to what he called “harmonic wealth.”
Writes McGivney: “Behind Ray’s veil of success and celebrity was someone who behaved more like a cult leader. Experts would later tell investigators he exhibited narcissistic traits that went well beyond an egocentric self-help teacher, tendencies that became more pronounced as the size of his following grew … By the time the Great Recession hit in 2008 and many Americans were once again desperate for the secret sauce that guaranteed their prosperity, Ray was the guy with the winning formula—at least according to his multiple appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show where he was seen by more than nine million viewers.”
And then McGivney dives in—literally. In 2019, six years after Ray walked out of prison, McGivney attended a two-day “Mental Mastery” seminar in Las Vegas, along with a good friend.
“The whoops turned into rap music. A spotlight penetrated the dark theater as smoke swirled across the stage. Anticipation from the audience was palpable. The silhouette of a man appeared at the back of the stage, and he slowly walked forward into a blue column of light. People clapped and screamed. James Arthur Ray did a little dance and pumped his fist. His perfect white teeth flashed as he scanned the audience. The man who went to prison after the deaths of three clients was back in his element.”
As I mentioned, McGivney leaves no stone unturned. Seeing James Arthur Ray work up close, to experience his come-ons and grift, was the final rock to pick up and flip. But McGivney sees her assessment of Ray both through her own personal lens, as a wellness seeker, and in this country’s history of colonization and all the violence required to put this country together. As McGivney notes, we are still all looking away.
++
Thanks to Torrey House Press for the advance copy of Plastic Shaman, which releases on Sept. 15, 2026.
September 17, 2026
This book expanded beyond what I expected, in all of the best ways. The death of three “sweat lodge” participants during a $10k/person retreat hosted by James Arthur Ray may be the impetus for the book, but I greatly appreciated the authors time and consideration put into telling the story of Native Americans and the devastation wrought on them through the hands of colonial settlers and the United States writ large and through the wellness industry.
The book explores settler colonialism, US history, and the wellness industry, and touches on more contemporary topics from across the authors seven years of investigation and work on this book (2018-2025).
The book is well-researched with the author having the type of access one dreams of and doesn’t come easily. The families of the three victims of the “sweat lodge” tragedy are a large piece of the puzzle, but the author was able to interview additional family and friends impacted by James Arthur Ray, access police records and interview an investigating detective, and cultivate significant relationships with Native elders and knowledge keepers who provided context on their cultures and traditions.
This was the second book that I’ve read from Torrey House Press in recent months, but it won’t be my last. They are an independent, non-profit publisher, and based on this book and my other recent read from them (This Haunted Land: Reckoning with Ghosts and the Stories that Shape America by Betsy Gaines Quammen) they are championing amazing non-fiction.
My thanks to Torrey House Press for an advance copy of Plastic Shaman.
The book explores settler colonialism, US history, and the wellness industry, and touches on more contemporary topics from across the authors seven years of investigation and work on this book (2018-2025).
The book is well-researched with the author having the type of access one dreams of and doesn’t come easily. The families of the three victims of the “sweat lodge” tragedy are a large piece of the puzzle, but the author was able to interview additional family and friends impacted by James Arthur Ray, access police records and interview an investigating detective, and cultivate significant relationships with Native elders and knowledge keepers who provided context on their cultures and traditions.
This was the second book that I’ve read from Torrey House Press in recent months, but it won’t be my last. They are an independent, non-profit publisher, and based on this book and my other recent read from them (This Haunted Land: Reckoning with Ghosts and the Stories that Shape America by Betsy Gaines Quammen) they are championing amazing non-fiction.
My thanks to Torrey House Press for an advance copy of Plastic Shaman.
Review of advance copy
An incredible mix of true crime, history, and cultural commentary. Cannot recommend this book enough to anyone interested in new age mysticism's darker side and the connection between spirituality in the time of consumer-capitalism and cultural appropriation. I was especially amazed at the authors ability to infuse her personal experience into in-depth research and journalism without letting her connection to her subjects cloud the narrative.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book is absolutely riveting. McGivney is a brilliant journalist who navigates the tragic deaths of people seeking spiritual solace along with the cultural theft of Native Americans by a complicit, predatory wellness industry. I read it in just three sittings. It is a powerful critique of New Age culture that is both deft and careful in its handling of both the living and the dead. McGivney speaks to white Americans yearning for fulfillment, detachment from tradition, and the ongoing colonialist pillaging of Indigenous cultures. Her balance between empathy and true-crime reporting makes this book an essential read.
October 2, 2026
This is truly a one of a kind book. The best book I have read in a long time. Anyone who picks it up it will love it; I couldnt put it down!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Rarely do I post reviews despite the numerous books I love reading but Plastic Shaman resonated so deeply with me and my life in the 90s I had to write this one.
Although the true story theme is one of a hideous self-help guru responsible for the numerous deaths of followers during retreats as well as subsequent mental breakdowns, for me two standouts of the read were bringing back my own experiences and the author's research.
Obviously, Annette McGivney is a journalist first and her research into both the backgrounds of the victims and the tribal traditions stolen by all plastic shamans complimented the story and made the book a compelling read. I have a fairly good history of many of the tribal issues throughout the last few centuries. McGivney puts the history into a context I had not thought of as we whites have appropriated where our comfort levels take us. I am no different; not to the extent these "shamans" did but definitely not communicating with indigenous people before planning drumming circles, creating talking sticks, participating in small non-native sweat lodges, etc.
McGivney's personal story took real bravery to divulge throughout the book and highlighted remembrances of my journey after a divorce in the early 90s. Church of Religious Science, A Course in Miracles, drumming with a female "jaguar" shaman in the California desert...the list goes on. I never went as far as some of McGivney's victims but I was unaware of how deep these money-grabbing plastic shamans will go to make a person believe their self-help journey.
The scary part is how timely this story becomes in a time when a new type of self-care in the "me" world we live in is now so accessible on the internet.
And for this reason, every one should read this book.
Although the true story theme is one of a hideous self-help guru responsible for the numerous deaths of followers during retreats as well as subsequent mental breakdowns, for me two standouts of the read were bringing back my own experiences and the author's research.
Obviously, Annette McGivney is a journalist first and her research into both the backgrounds of the victims and the tribal traditions stolen by all plastic shamans complimented the story and made the book a compelling read. I have a fairly good history of many of the tribal issues throughout the last few centuries. McGivney puts the history into a context I had not thought of as we whites have appropriated where our comfort levels take us. I am no different; not to the extent these "shamans" did but definitely not communicating with indigenous people before planning drumming circles, creating talking sticks, participating in small non-native sweat lodges, etc.
McGivney's personal story took real bravery to divulge throughout the book and highlighted remembrances of my journey after a divorce in the early 90s. Church of Religious Science, A Course in Miracles, drumming with a female "jaguar" shaman in the California desert...the list goes on. I never went as far as some of McGivney's victims but I was unaware of how deep these money-grabbing plastic shamans will go to make a person believe their self-help journey.
The scary part is how timely this story becomes in a time when a new type of self-care in the "me" world we live in is now so accessible on the internet.
And for this reason, every one should read this book.
September 15, 2026
I don’t usually read books of this style, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I read Plastic Shaman: The True Story Of A Deadly Self-Help Retreat and America’s Misguided Quest For Wellness by Annette McGivney! At first, I found the unfamiliar self-help world slightly difficult to get into. However, as the story progressed, I became more interested in the people and the rise of self help “gurus”.
One of the most intriguing parts of the book was how each of the self proclaimed guru’s followers became enamoured with their spiritual awakening and how their experiences influenced their decisions.
When writing of the Native American traditions, Annette created a vivid setting, which had me feeling disappointed with how these traditions and spiritual worldview were treated as a commodity for financial gain.
Although the book wasn’t the type of story I would normally choose, I was surprised by how much this subject left me pondering both sides. Even if I was rolling my eyes or shaking my head at many sections of this book, it made me realise that I may have been too quick to dismiss this style of investigative writing. There were some parts of the book which felt slow, but the interesting events and overall story kept me reading.
Katherine Littrell provided a concise and measured narration bringing an immersive feel to the written story with a documentary tone. I felt calm listening to Katherine.
Overall, I would recommend Plastic Shaman, particularly to readers who enjoy investigative writing . Even if, like me, this isn’t usually your first choice, this book is worth trying if you’re looking for something different.
One of the most intriguing parts of the book was how each of the self proclaimed guru’s followers became enamoured with their spiritual awakening and how their experiences influenced their decisions.
When writing of the Native American traditions, Annette created a vivid setting, which had me feeling disappointed with how these traditions and spiritual worldview were treated as a commodity for financial gain.
Although the book wasn’t the type of story I would normally choose, I was surprised by how much this subject left me pondering both sides. Even if I was rolling my eyes or shaking my head at many sections of this book, it made me realise that I may have been too quick to dismiss this style of investigative writing. There were some parts of the book which felt slow, but the interesting events and overall story kept me reading.
Katherine Littrell provided a concise and measured narration bringing an immersive feel to the written story with a documentary tone. I felt calm listening to Katherine.
Overall, I would recommend Plastic Shaman, particularly to readers who enjoy investigative writing . Even if, like me, this isn’t usually your first choice, this book is worth trying if you’re looking for something different.
November 2, 2026
As someone who has visited Sedona many times over the years and practiced my own share of dubious woo-woo customs, this book hit extremely hard. But you don't have to be a dweller of the Southwest to be drawn in by this story, which highlights the human element of an event that almost seems unbelievable at the outset: how could three competent adults lose their lives in a "healing" ceremony?
I was so touched by the story of James Shore and was glad that McGivney did such deep background research on him, Kirby Brown, Liz Neuman, and Colleen Conaway. I'm sure many news stories and blogs reduced the victims to mere names or questioned their credibility, just as I did in the previous paragraph, so it was really eye-opening and inspiring to experience their full stories.
McGivney's inclusion of her conversations with Native American leaders was also very powerful and inspires me to learn more about the Indigenous peoples of the Southwest... because I've been to Boynton Canyon (one of the most spiritual places mentioned in this book) several times, and mostly I just complained I couldn't feel the promised vortex energy so literallly what am I doing, man.
I do feel this could have used a slightly tighter edit, particularly in the back half where typos appeared with more frequency and some things from earlier in the book were repeated, but that's really a nit pick.
This book is just so fascinating and really felt like a gut punch. The most powerful chapter, for me, was "Solstice Fire," which takes us into the "sweat lodge" ceremony to show just how wrongly and dangerously it was performed. My whole body was covered in goosebumps while I read that chapter.
I was so touched by the story of James Shore and was glad that McGivney did such deep background research on him, Kirby Brown, Liz Neuman, and Colleen Conaway. I'm sure many news stories and blogs reduced the victims to mere names or questioned their credibility, just as I did in the previous paragraph, so it was really eye-opening and inspiring to experience their full stories.
McGivney's inclusion of her conversations with Native American leaders was also very powerful and inspires me to learn more about the Indigenous peoples of the Southwest... because I've been to Boynton Canyon (one of the most spiritual places mentioned in this book) several times, and mostly I just complained I couldn't feel the promised vortex energy so literallly what am I doing, man.
I do feel this could have used a slightly tighter edit, particularly in the back half where typos appeared with more frequency and some things from earlier in the book were repeated, but that's really a nit pick.
This book is just so fascinating and really felt like a gut punch. The most powerful chapter, for me, was "Solstice Fire," which takes us into the "sweat lodge" ceremony to show just how wrongly and dangerously it was performed. My whole body was covered in goosebumps while I read that chapter.
September 16, 2026
I went into Plastic Shaman expecting a true crime story about the deadly sweat lodge ceremony, but this book is so much bigger than that.
Yes, it explores James Arthur Ray, the wellness industry, greed, manipulation, and how people can be convinced to ignore their own instincts in the pursuit of healing or becoming a “better” version of themselves. But what really stayed with me was the history surrounding it all.
This book forces you to look at Indigenous culture, colonization, and the incredible amount of Indigenous lives lost while their cultures, traditions, and spiritual practices were attacked and suppressed. Then you have to sit with the uncomfortable reality that pieces of those same cultures can later be taken, repackaged, commercialized, and sold for thousands of dollars as “wellness.”
And I think that is what made this story hit differently for me.
It would be easy to look at the people involved and ask, How could anyone fall for this? But the deeper you get into the story, the more you understand how manipulation, trust, vulnerability, money, power, and the desire to heal can all become tangled together.
Plastic Shaman isn’t simply about what happened inside one sweat lodge. It asks you to look at the much larger history and system that allowed a “plastic shaman” to exist in the first place.
Thought-provoking, infuriating, heartbreaking, and incredibly uncomfortable in the ways a book like this should be!
Yes, it explores James Arthur Ray, the wellness industry, greed, manipulation, and how people can be convinced to ignore their own instincts in the pursuit of healing or becoming a “better” version of themselves. But what really stayed with me was the history surrounding it all.
This book forces you to look at Indigenous culture, colonization, and the incredible amount of Indigenous lives lost while their cultures, traditions, and spiritual practices were attacked and suppressed. Then you have to sit with the uncomfortable reality that pieces of those same cultures can later be taken, repackaged, commercialized, and sold for thousands of dollars as “wellness.”
And I think that is what made this story hit differently for me.
It would be easy to look at the people involved and ask, How could anyone fall for this? But the deeper you get into the story, the more you understand how manipulation, trust, vulnerability, money, power, and the desire to heal can all become tangled together.
Plastic Shaman isn’t simply about what happened inside one sweat lodge. It asks you to look at the much larger history and system that allowed a “plastic shaman” to exist in the first place.
Thought-provoking, infuriating, heartbreaking, and incredibly uncomfortable in the ways a book like this should be!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was full of triggers for me. In my search for spirituality in my twenties, there were those who shared philosophies, and those who sold their "knowledge" and promised financial success for their followers. Luckily, I was not attracted to the latter.
This book tells the story of James Arthur Ray, a successful "self-help" practitioner whose techniques focused on mind control through intimidation. He appropriated practices of various belief systems and used aspects of those techniques without having any respect for the cultures he was appropriating. Enter the sweat lodge incident in 2009.
A crowded mass of seekers in a dark tent filled with scorching hot steam. A spiritual quest turned into an endurance challenge. When it was over three attendees had died.
In the end, was justice served? Did the people who helped to promote Ray take actions to prevent additional sociopaths to continue the scam? Do you feel like maybe you missed out on finally finding the secret knowledge you could have had with enough of a credit card limit?
I'm glad that the author has also been on her own spiritual journey. It gives the story that extra punch of credibility.
This book tells the story of James Arthur Ray, a successful "self-help" practitioner whose techniques focused on mind control through intimidation. He appropriated practices of various belief systems and used aspects of those techniques without having any respect for the cultures he was appropriating. Enter the sweat lodge incident in 2009.
A crowded mass of seekers in a dark tent filled with scorching hot steam. A spiritual quest turned into an endurance challenge. When it was over three attendees had died.
In the end, was justice served? Did the people who helped to promote Ray take actions to prevent additional sociopaths to continue the scam? Do you feel like maybe you missed out on finally finding the secret knowledge you could have had with enough of a credit card limit?
I'm glad that the author has also been on her own spiritual journey. It gives the story that extra punch of credibility.
September 27, 2026
I couldn’t put Plastic Shaman down. Annette McGiveny’s courage as an investigative journalist shines through every page of this true crime thriller. She exposes the early rise of the New Age wellness industry, the tragic deaths tied to a conned “Plastic Shaman” retreat, and the painful consequences of exploiting unprotected American Indian ceremonies. As she breaks down her comprehensive research, her sensitive, conversational tone made me feel like I was sitting right across the table from her.
While the story is disturbing at times, what moved me most was how respectfully she weaves together the victims’ and families’ experiences, cultural traditions, and her own honest, vulnerable healing journey.
By the end, Annette’s reporting raised my own self-awareness and left my heart wide open. This book made me appreciate authentic, cultural, and scientific well-being resources in a whole new way. A powerful, emotional, and unforgettable read — wishing all involved true healing. Wow!
While the story is disturbing at times, what moved me most was how respectfully she weaves together the victims’ and families’ experiences, cultural traditions, and her own honest, vulnerable healing journey.
By the end, Annette’s reporting raised my own self-awareness and left my heart wide open. This book made me appreciate authentic, cultural, and scientific well-being resources in a whole new way. A powerful, emotional, and unforgettable read — wishing all involved true healing. Wow!
September 16, 2026
Everyone needs to read this book.
I thought I was getting a true crime story I was vaguely familiar with, but what I got was so much more and a reflection into my own world of the wellness industry I was part of, and the nuances of being an archaeologist. What is so important to the story that might turn people off is the history lesson you aren’t expecting but we all so desperately need in order to understand the crimes that took place and the atrocities and exploitation of Native Americans that still happen today.
The meticulous research into history, the families torn apart by greed, and the abhorrent spiritual bypassing that still goes on in the wellness industry was done with such heart and professionalism.
Katherine Littrell did a great job narrating this incredible book.
Thank you for the ALC from BNA!
I thought I was getting a true crime story I was vaguely familiar with, but what I got was so much more and a reflection into my own world of the wellness industry I was part of, and the nuances of being an archaeologist. What is so important to the story that might turn people off is the history lesson you aren’t expecting but we all so desperately need in order to understand the crimes that took place and the atrocities and exploitation of Native Americans that still happen today.
The meticulous research into history, the families torn apart by greed, and the abhorrent spiritual bypassing that still goes on in the wellness industry was done with such heart and professionalism.
Katherine Littrell did a great job narrating this incredible book.
Thank you for the ALC from BNA!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you to Torrey House Press for the ARC. I'm not usually a reader of true crime, but I was riveted by this deeply researched and expertly-told exploration of charismatic wellness influencer James Arthur Ray, the tragic "sweat lodge" murders in 2009, and the wider contexts of settler colonialism, U.S. history, and the evolution of the manipulative wellness industry that created the environment for this and countless other harmful (and criminal) acts in pursuit of power and wealth. Author Annette McGivney compassionately prioritizes the voices and perspectives of those victimized while fully exposing the truth behind Ray and others who shamelessly prey on vulnerable people in search of healing.
November 8, 2026
Plastic Shaman is a beautiful, heart-wrenching, yet hopeful book. It is an example of a term I have recently learned - "critical fidelity" – faithfulness in questioning truth and trustworthiness while holding faith in one’s traditions, and then sharing in dialog and community. McGivney’s writing/storytelling and interrogation of cultural/political history-as-happening-now maintain fidelity to the multiple threads she braids together so seamlessly and with such depth. Her personal reflections on settler colonial multilevel violence and its legacy gives me much to ponder, particularly any role I can play in reparations. I am truly in awe of this book and in McGivney’s humility and truth-speaking.
October 23, 2026
First of all, I love reading anything and everything that Annette McGivney writes. I started with her book Pure Land and follow her journalism in Arizona Highways and The Guardian.
I was living in the Verde Valley during the sweat lodge tragedy. I remember all of the sheriffs and helicopters and ambulances as I drove the 89a towards Sedona. I had been surprised there was anything down that dirt road.
This book is a beautiful weaving of the families affected, the human costs of a scam artist “guru”, Native American history and intervention, and Annette McGivney’s personal narrative, which is meaningful.
I highly recommend.
I was living in the Verde Valley during the sweat lodge tragedy. I remember all of the sheriffs and helicopters and ambulances as I drove the 89a towards Sedona. I had been surprised there was anything down that dirt road.
This book is a beautiful weaving of the families affected, the human costs of a scam artist “guru”, Native American history and intervention, and Annette McGivney’s personal narrative, which is meaningful.
I highly recommend.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Holy buckets, this book is gripping! A must-read, especially for those of us (read: probably most of us) who have ever turned to the self-help industry for help and answers. It's thoughtful, respectful, vulnerable, tasteful, incredibly well-researched, and beautifully written; I could not put it down!
September 15, 2026
This was a fascinating read. Very well researched and very riveting, reminded me of some of Jon Krakauers work or the takedown of Theranos. I am a huge fan of the investigative journalism style of book and I will have to look into this authors other works and keep my eyes peeled for anything else she puts out in the future. Thank you so much!
September 15, 2026
This is honestly for the first time I listen something so different from my usual read. When I started this book I thought I’ll be lost and won’t understand anything but gradually I did. And then I started enjoying this book.
October 24, 2026
This book is not just about one tragic event but a history of tragedy that lead to it happening. McGivney once again has written an extremely well researched book that is thought provoking and hard to put down.
Want to Read
August 24, 2026Won on Goodreads
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Enjoyed reading this book with fully researched facts that most people will never have heard of before.
Well written in an interesting way.
Well written in an interesting way.
September 23, 2026
Highly compelling and deeply personal
October 6, 2026
Fascinating story and thorough exploration of the connections between the self-help industry and the appropriation of Indigenous practices.
October 17, 2026
wide-ranging and compelling - the crime(s) at this nexus of wellness and indigenous exploitation are awful from every angle.
November 4, 2026
Really engaging storytelling and an interesting dive into a world I was largely unfamiliar with. A little too didactic at the end for my taste.
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