What do you think?
Rate this book
Michelle Remembers
"Evil is... A living spiritual being, perverted and perverting. One of the greatest needs is defense from the evil which is called the devil." —Pope Paul VI
Michelle Smith was five years old when her mother offered her up to a cult of devil worshippers—to be used demonically to raise Satan himself. Twenty-two years later, on a psychiatrist's couch, she relived the long-buried horrors inflicted upon her, as her childhood agonies came screaming forth in terrifying detail.
With the help of her Bishop, Michelle brought her hideous story to the Vatican—Satanic witches chanting to summon the Devil, wounds appearing on her skin, human and animal sacrifices. Now the full story, with vivid photographs, records Michelle's victory—a child's survival in the face of sheer madness.
Michelle Smith was five years old when her mother offered her up to a cult of devil worshippers—to be used demonically to raise Satan himself. Twenty-two years later, on a psychiatrist's couch, she relived the long-buried horrors inflicted upon her, as her childhood agonies came screaming forth in terrifying detail.
With the help of her Bishop, Michelle brought her hideous story to the Vatican—Satanic witches chanting to summon the Devil, wounds appearing on her skin, human and animal sacrifices. Now the full story, with vivid photographs, records Michelle's victory—a child's survival in the face of sheer madness.
328 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
48 people are currently reading
2441 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
July 3, 2023
Michelle Remembers gets one star for the writing, it's just God awful. But in reality, it gets five Baphomet pentagrams for originality and five more Baphomet pentagrams for hilarity. I will give Michelle Smith and her cohort in fuckery, Dr. Lawrence Pazder, the recognition they deserve for the sheer comedic brilliance they conjure up in this over the top "real life" story of horrific child abuse Michelle supposedly suffered at the hands of Satanists and even Satan himself.
Here are some of the hysterical claims, or "testimony" as Dr. Pazder likes to call them.
✬ The Satanists had a seemingly endless supply of dead babies and white kittens to use in their rituals.
✬In one traumatic ceremony, the Satanists each had a white kitten which they tore apart with their teeth.
✬Michelle was given away by her mother in an elaborate death/rebirth ceremony taken place in a cemetery.
Her mother threw her into an open grave and an evil Satanic nurse pulled her out and re-enacted Michelle's rebirth complete with blood, simulated child birth and being licked like a cat.
✬Her tormentors would put bugs in her food, which resulted in Michelle's refusal to eat. She was also locked up in a hollow Satan statue and was told she had to eat pieces of the dead baby they smeared on her. Now this abuse went on for a year, I think she would have died if she didn't eat anything for a whole year.
✬An evil church pew mysteriously appears in a Catholic church. Michelle, Dr Pazder and a priest have to burn it.
✬Dr. Pazder and Michelle have no boundaries in their Doctor/Patient relationship. They take a picnic, the Dr. takes the non Catholic MIchelle to church with him, during her therapy sessions the Dr. would call her love and tell her she had a "beautiful" mind. No wonder they ended up married.
✬An evil Dr. cuts up a bunch of dead bodies, the dead bodies leave a blood-slick mess. He then sewed horns and a tail onto Michelle.
✬More dead babies.
✬A possessed woman from Vancouver has the ability to spin her head around, all the way around, just like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. Then later a whole room of Satanists spin their heads around like in some kind of choreographed dance number from Hell.
✬Satan is a poet and we didn't even know it. Satan speaks in rhyme. I bet he was wearing a jaunty little beret and had a goatee and snapped his fingers a lot. Here's an example of the rhymes he was laying down "Twenty Eight is the number/That opens up the Gate".
✬Satan wraps his tail around Michelle's neck and she suffers body memory rashes.
✬More dead babies, a pre-pubescent girl is brought out on a cross and Satan cuts out her heart and then cleaves her body in half.
✬The Archangel Michael, JC himself and his mother Mary help Michelle survive the several days long Satanic ceremony. What I want to know is was this ceremony more like a conference? Like when the day's speeches, sacrifices and activities were done did they all go home then reconvene the next day? Or was it held like a marathon session?
I can just imagine Michelle and Dr. Pazder making sweet, sweet love on top of a pile of money they earned from this hot mess of a book.
Here are some of the hysterical claims, or "testimony" as Dr. Pazder likes to call them.
✬ The Satanists had a seemingly endless supply of dead babies and white kittens to use in their rituals.
✬In one traumatic ceremony, the Satanists each had a white kitten which they tore apart with their teeth.
✬Michelle was given away by her mother in an elaborate death/rebirth ceremony taken place in a cemetery.
Her mother threw her into an open grave and an evil Satanic nurse pulled her out and re-enacted Michelle's rebirth complete with blood, simulated child birth and being licked like a cat.
✬Her tormentors would put bugs in her food, which resulted in Michelle's refusal to eat. She was also locked up in a hollow Satan statue and was told she had to eat pieces of the dead baby they smeared on her. Now this abuse went on for a year, I think she would have died if she didn't eat anything for a whole year.
✬An evil church pew mysteriously appears in a Catholic church. Michelle, Dr Pazder and a priest have to burn it.
✬Dr. Pazder and Michelle have no boundaries in their Doctor/Patient relationship. They take a picnic, the Dr. takes the non Catholic MIchelle to church with him, during her therapy sessions the Dr. would call her love and tell her she had a "beautiful" mind. No wonder they ended up married.
✬An evil Dr. cuts up a bunch of dead bodies, the dead bodies leave a blood-slick mess. He then sewed horns and a tail onto Michelle.
✬More dead babies.
✬A possessed woman from Vancouver has the ability to spin her head around, all the way around, just like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. Then later a whole room of Satanists spin their heads around like in some kind of choreographed dance number from Hell.
✬Satan is a poet and we didn't even know it. Satan speaks in rhyme. I bet he was wearing a jaunty little beret and had a goatee and snapped his fingers a lot. Here's an example of the rhymes he was laying down "Twenty Eight is the number/That opens up the Gate".
✬Satan wraps his tail around Michelle's neck and she suffers body memory rashes.
✬More dead babies, a pre-pubescent girl is brought out on a cross and Satan cuts out her heart and then cleaves her body in half.
✬The Archangel Michael, JC himself and his mother Mary help Michelle survive the several days long Satanic ceremony. What I want to know is was this ceremony more like a conference? Like when the day's speeches, sacrifices and activities were done did they all go home then reconvene the next day? Or was it held like a marathon session?
I can just imagine Michelle and Dr. Pazder making sweet, sweet love on top of a pile of money they earned from this hot mess of a book.
April 2, 2008
This is one of these books that I would give zero stars to if it were possible on this site. Hell, I'd probably give it negative stars. This is the book that started the whole utterly spurious so-called "recovered memories" movement (better known as "fantasies," or, more to the point, "shit we made up") and the "satanic ritual abuse" witch hunts in the 80s (see previous parenthetical). This book is just an 14-carat, thoroughgoing, pile of bullshit from start to finish and anyone who takes it as anything other than a pack of dangerous lies should really be rather embarrassed. And if you see it on your therapist's shelf, run and find another therapist, or at least put a lawyer on retainer right now for the time you'll have to sue the person for malpractice.
Just to give you an idea of how seriously you should be taking this book, Michelle eventually married the therapist who helped her "recover" her "memories" of "abuse." Unlike Susan Polk, however, Michelle didn't do the world the favor of offing the unethical, incompetent bastard a couple decades later (although apparently he is now no longer with us in this life, showing that he did perhaps have a shred of decency after all). Awful, awful, awful book.
Just to give you an idea of how seriously you should be taking this book, Michelle eventually married the therapist who helped her "recover" her "memories" of "abuse." Unlike Susan Polk, however, Michelle didn't do the world the favor of offing the unethical, incompetent bastard a couple decades later (although apparently he is now no longer with us in this life, showing that he did perhaps have a shred of decency after all). Awful, awful, awful book.
July 30, 2013
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."
Well, Michelle did. After this book was published, the 1980's-1990's Satanist hysteria caught on. The West Memphis Three, including former Death Row inmate (now freed author) Damien Echols, have this idiot to thank for their public lynching.
Basically this book is a novelization of therapy transcripts where Michelle goes "back" into her childhood, where she claims to have been abused by Satanists, including her mother. It grows in ridiculousness to the point where Satan himself comes into the picture, spewing Dr. Seuss-esque rhymes like:
So feed the fire, children of hell.
Feed the fire so you can tell.
Feed a fire that'll spread for years.
Feed a fire. Feed, feed, feed a fire.
It's only around page 200 that the quack who co-wrote the book with Smith decides to actually have her brain scanned (as well as they could in the 70's). Nothing comes up. There's also no physical evidence that she had her teeth mangled with as she claims, and she seems to have regrown a severed toe after her abuse. Huh.
I would be inclined to forgive Smith some of her lies if they were well written, but you get the feeling while reading this book that she has a limited imagination, resulting in "frightening" descriptions like:
"There's people with arms that are bleeding... There's people with no noses, and they're bleeding from their eyes. There's people that's got no noses!"
I read this as research for a novel I'm writing that takes place in the 1970's that deals with the supernatural. I'd have been better off sitting in the woods, reading Dr. Seuss's "What Was I Scared Of?" by flashlight.
Well, Michelle did. After this book was published, the 1980's-1990's Satanist hysteria caught on. The West Memphis Three, including former Death Row inmate (now freed author) Damien Echols, have this idiot to thank for their public lynching.
Basically this book is a novelization of therapy transcripts where Michelle goes "back" into her childhood, where she claims to have been abused by Satanists, including her mother. It grows in ridiculousness to the point where Satan himself comes into the picture, spewing Dr. Seuss-esque rhymes like:
So feed the fire, children of hell.
Feed the fire so you can tell.
Feed a fire that'll spread for years.
Feed a fire. Feed, feed, feed a fire.
It's only around page 200 that the quack who co-wrote the book with Smith decides to actually have her brain scanned (as well as they could in the 70's). Nothing comes up. There's also no physical evidence that she had her teeth mangled with as she claims, and she seems to have regrown a severed toe after her abuse. Huh.
I would be inclined to forgive Smith some of her lies if they were well written, but you get the feeling while reading this book that she has a limited imagination, resulting in "frightening" descriptions like:
"There's people with arms that are bleeding... There's people with no noses, and they're bleeding from their eyes. There's people that's got no noses!"
I read this as research for a novel I'm writing that takes place in the 1970's that deals with the supernatural. I'd have been better off sitting in the woods, reading Dr. Seuss's "What Was I Scared Of?" by flashlight.
June 8, 2013
A total hoax, and I suspect the late Dr. Pazder convinced his patient that she underwent the fictitious horrors she wrote about. What the authors didn't tell the reader is rather more interesting than what they did. Michelle's sisters and father didn't recall any of the incidents Michelle claimed to have experienced, and Maclean's published their accounts. The cemetery where Michelle claimed to have been subjected to bizarre rituals is very close to a well-traveled public street, and any passerby would have been able to see what was happening if such events occurred. Finally, the authors didn't mention that Michelle Smith and Larry Pazder divorced their respective spouses and married each other. The last sounds as if there was a breach of professional ethics on the part of the doctor. What I find rather interesting is that Pocket obviously was trying to market the book based upon the runaway success of V.C. Andrews' Dollanganger series, and they used the same cover artist to design the paperback cover. What is rather sad is that the book ignited a moral panic in which some innocent people were criminally prosecuted for abuse incidents that didn't occur.
August 2, 2012
I very very rarely review books, but this horrible nonsense? I HAD to review.
After I searched to find this book, when a friend suggested it. I did a little research and found out it was just a carefully created hoax, "Michelle" married her so called doctor, amongst other stupid things. Anyone can find more with little trouble, as well. Over the top and so ridiculous. I should have known as I read it. Not worth the read let alone the trouble to find it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle...
http://monsters.milkboys.org/article/...
After I searched to find this book, when a friend suggested it. I did a little research and found out it was just a carefully created hoax, "Michelle" married her so called doctor, amongst other stupid things. Anyone can find more with little trouble, as well. Over the top and so ridiculous. I should have known as I read it. Not worth the read let alone the trouble to find it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle...
http://monsters.milkboys.org/article/...
July 30, 2012
This book was central to the Satanic Panic of the 1980's, and having read it, it surprises me that so many people could be carried on the wave of insanity that it helped cause and sustain. Nobody in their right mind would take these contents as fact rather than fiction, and yet so many did, and it caused such madness in this post-Renaissance world.
Even the authors eventually admitted it was all made up.
As such, the fiction is rather poorly written, and really not worth bothering with, except as a historical document. If you must purchase it, there are plenty of second-hand copies available online for a few cents. I would advise not to spend more on it than that.
Even the authors eventually admitted it was all made up.
As such, the fiction is rather poorly written, and really not worth bothering with, except as a historical document. If you must purchase it, there are plenty of second-hand copies available online for a few cents. I would advise not to spend more on it than that.
June 19, 2022
… Anyway…
July 26, 2008
Hoo-ha! What a hotbed of crap this is. Perhaps Michelle suffers from repressed memory over being held captive as a small child by wicked Satanists who are going to sacrifice her in a ritual, or there is deep emotional and psychological trauma of a real form in her past that has forced this subjugated "memory" -- or, more likely, she suffers from Amityvilleosis, the compulsion to make lots of money over a supposed lurid happening in the supernatural field.
This book is pure drivel.
This book is pure drivel.
October 12, 2010
This is the laughably "true" story of a woman that grew up in a satanic cult.
May 9, 2022
According to this book Satan is a really bad poet.
July 2, 2018
Horrible.
Horrible, horrible, horrible.
I knew this book was bullshit going into it, but I wanted to read it because I'd heard it kicked off the Satanic Panic. What about this book, I wondered, made people think Satanists were hiding around every corner, waiting to steal their babies so they could sacrifice them to the Devil? I'm making it sound like I expected a lot from this book, but I didn't. I know it doesn't take a lot to get people to lose their shit. My point is I read this more out of curiosity than anything. So I was just expecting an easy, trashy, somewhat entertaining read. I mean, look at the cover! How could this not be at least mildly entertaining? But it turns out my hopes were way too high.
This book features Satan, the most powerful evil force in the universe, as a major character and it still manages to be one of the most boring things I've ever read (And I've read The Last of the Mohicans.) I'm thinking of bumping my rating up to two stars, because that level of boring is actually pretty impressive. Speaking of Satan, he likes to rhyme. A lot. Yes, Satan, the Father of Lies, the Prince of Darkness, the embodiment of everything evil, talks like a Dr. Seuss character. No, that's not a fair comparison. Because Dr. Seuss's rhymes are good. They're charming and creative. In this book, Satan sounds like bad middle school poetry. I mean stuff like, "The time of evil is coming near/ The time that humans should fear." To be fair, that line's not in the book (Actually, it might be; I skipped over most of Satan's dialogue, because it's absolute garbage) but it wouldn't be out of place.
Also, according to this book, Satan appears on Earth every 28 years because of ... reasons? Like, numbers or something? There's a whole chapter explaining why Lucifer--y'know, the cause of all the war, pestillance, famine, and general suffering in the world, the guy who cursed humans with knowledge and got us kicked of the Garden of Eden for all eternity--is, like, super into numerology. Like, he puts a lot of effort into figuring out which numbers he likes best. And apparently, he *loves* 28. So every 28 years, he appears to his followers and lays out his long-term goals for spreading evil throughout the world. I kept imagining The Beast sitting in a job interview.
"So, Beelzebub, where do you see yourself in 28 years?"
"Oh, y'know, wreaking havoc. Making Christ tremble before me. That kind of stuff."
And I could forgive all that. If not for the awful writing. I'm not exaggerating when I say this is some of the worst writing I've ever read. By the time the silly Devil stuff started happening I was already out of patience with this book. Smith, or whoever actually wrote it, has no concept of word economy. They took what could've been 80 pages and stretched it to over 300 using nothing but the powers of ellipses and aimless repetition (and the desire for lots of money, of course).
There's a lot more that I hated about this book, but if I touched upon all of it, I would end up writing a book of my own. I have no idea how it set off the most infamous moral panic since McCarthyism. So I'll just finish up with this: Satan should be laying out another 28-year plan in 2034, so keep an eye out for those pesky Satanists waiting around to steal your kids.
Horrible, horrible, horrible.
I knew this book was bullshit going into it, but I wanted to read it because I'd heard it kicked off the Satanic Panic. What about this book, I wondered, made people think Satanists were hiding around every corner, waiting to steal their babies so they could sacrifice them to the Devil? I'm making it sound like I expected a lot from this book, but I didn't. I know it doesn't take a lot to get people to lose their shit. My point is I read this more out of curiosity than anything. So I was just expecting an easy, trashy, somewhat entertaining read. I mean, look at the cover! How could this not be at least mildly entertaining? But it turns out my hopes were way too high.
This book features Satan, the most powerful evil force in the universe, as a major character and it still manages to be one of the most boring things I've ever read (And I've read The Last of the Mohicans.) I'm thinking of bumping my rating up to two stars, because that level of boring is actually pretty impressive. Speaking of Satan, he likes to rhyme. A lot. Yes, Satan, the Father of Lies, the Prince of Darkness, the embodiment of everything evil, talks like a Dr. Seuss character. No, that's not a fair comparison. Because Dr. Seuss's rhymes are good. They're charming and creative. In this book, Satan sounds like bad middle school poetry. I mean stuff like, "The time of evil is coming near/ The time that humans should fear." To be fair, that line's not in the book (Actually, it might be; I skipped over most of Satan's dialogue, because it's absolute garbage) but it wouldn't be out of place.
Also, according to this book, Satan appears on Earth every 28 years because of ... reasons? Like, numbers or something? There's a whole chapter explaining why Lucifer--y'know, the cause of all the war, pestillance, famine, and general suffering in the world, the guy who cursed humans with knowledge and got us kicked of the Garden of Eden for all eternity--is, like, super into numerology. Like, he puts a lot of effort into figuring out which numbers he likes best. And apparently, he *loves* 28. So every 28 years, he appears to his followers and lays out his long-term goals for spreading evil throughout the world. I kept imagining The Beast sitting in a job interview.
"So, Beelzebub, where do you see yourself in 28 years?"
"Oh, y'know, wreaking havoc. Making Christ tremble before me. That kind of stuff."
And I could forgive all that. If not for the awful writing. I'm not exaggerating when I say this is some of the worst writing I've ever read. By the time the silly Devil stuff started happening I was already out of patience with this book. Smith, or whoever actually wrote it, has no concept of word economy. They took what could've been 80 pages and stretched it to over 300 using nothing but the powers of ellipses and aimless repetition (and the desire for lots of money, of course).
There's a lot more that I hated about this book, but if I touched upon all of it, I would end up writing a book of my own. I have no idea how it set off the most infamous moral panic since McCarthyism. So I'll just finish up with this: Satan should be laying out another 28-year plan in 2034, so keep an eye out for those pesky Satanists waiting around to steal your kids.
December 20, 2013
This book was at least moderately interesting until about 2/3 of the way through, at which point I could hardly keep focused. Blatantly a bunch of bullshit but if it's viewed as fiction it's more tolerable to read. Mostly I find it distressing that people really believe that this is real. I guess it's not my place to judge but the whole book is really a trip. I wouldn't recommend it but I have this problem where once I start a book I'm usually pretty determined to finish it and that's what happened here.
September 28, 2016
Very definitely the most infuriating book I have ever read. The authors of this book are a pair of the worst human beings to ever live. It was a pretty entertaining read though; I only wish it were true. Michelle deserves the lies in this book to come true. HAIL SATAN!!!!
Full review here.
Full review here.
Read
July 30, 2011I don't believe that this is a true story. When read as fictional horror, it's an interesting book. Unfortunately, I think the real Michelle suffered from a mental illness involving delusions and hallucinations rather than being a victim of satanic ritual abuse.
October 13, 2021
ok first of all the cover on GoodReads is way more rad than the cover from the PDF I read
second of all, :(
https://www.frowl.org/worstbestseller...
second of all, :(
https://www.frowl.org/worstbestseller...
August 3, 2013
I read this in the sixth grade. It scared the hell out of me then. Now? Fucking garbage.
September 21, 2020
This book consists of a series of psychiatric vignettes in which confabulated "recovered memories" are presented as fact, in which a child is held captive for a matter of months and forced to participate in a series of increasingly bizarre rituals for the purpose of summoning Satan. It is likely that this book only exists for one of the following two reasons:
- Michelle was legitimately mentally ill or a con artist, and her psychiatrist was a credulous loon who bought her schtick
- This was a money grab by the pair of them so that they'd have a lucrative career together after leaving their respective spouses for each other, which was a thing that actually happened
I had initially thought this would be a fun if stupid little book, but was left feeling nauseated by just how stupid it was in its proper context. I'd give it more stars for its bonkers imagery if it weren't for the fact that it contributed to the "Satanic panic" of the 80s, and helped to ruin actual lives of innocent people in the process. The one thing worth reading in this book is the last quarter or so where a comically inept Satan appears, speaking for pages in what is best (and generously) described as pre-adolescent-grade doggerel, as dozens of black-cloaked minions march into the temple, headed for the altar, each with a deceased newborn in their arms, which makes the whole thing a bit of a hilarious stretch as hospitals and authorities tend to take notice of statistical blips like that.
- Michelle was legitimately mentally ill or a con artist, and her psychiatrist was a credulous loon who bought her schtick
- This was a money grab by the pair of them so that they'd have a lucrative career together after leaving their respective spouses for each other, which was a thing that actually happened
I had initially thought this would be a fun if stupid little book, but was left feeling nauseated by just how stupid it was in its proper context. I'd give it more stars for its bonkers imagery if it weren't for the fact that it contributed to the "Satanic panic" of the 80s, and helped to ruin actual lives of innocent people in the process. The one thing worth reading in this book is the last quarter or so where a comically inept Satan appears, speaking for pages in what is best (and generously) described as pre-adolescent-grade doggerel, as dozens of black-cloaked minions march into the temple, headed for the altar, each with a deceased newborn in their arms, which makes the whole thing a bit of a hilarious stretch as hospitals and authorities tend to take notice of statistical blips like that.
September 3, 2010
Having met with the late Dr. Lawrence Pazder a few times I cannot see him co writing a fictional account of a patient and calling it true. He was a very professional man of integrity.
Dr Pazder has been shredded in the authorized biography of Anton Levay, founder of the Church of Satan. The author claiming this did not happen.
Criticizing the writers for later marrying. People divorce and remarry all the time.
Having lived in the city these events occurred and seeing the places that were pictured in the book continue to disturb me when there.
Dr Pazder has been shredded in the authorized biography of Anton Levay, founder of the Church of Satan. The author claiming this did not happen.
Criticizing the writers for later marrying. People divorce and remarry all the time.
Having lived in the city these events occurred and seeing the places that were pictured in the book continue to disturb me when there.
April 3, 2016
This is the book that started the Satanic Panic of the 1980's.
At the time that I read this I was around 22 years old and I remember that I read it in 2 sittings,
I couldn't put it down ... well except for when I had to rush to the bathroom and vomit.
It was very graphic and I'd never read anything like it before and ... it scared me to death.
Years ago it was revealed that it was all a big hoax ... very happy to hear that!
Still, I think it should be re-released as horror fiction because it IS supremely creepy.
Loaned this to a friend and never saw it again. LOL
At the time that I read this I was around 22 years old and I remember that I read it in 2 sittings,
I couldn't put it down ... well except for when I had to rush to the bathroom and vomit.
It was very graphic and I'd never read anything like it before and ... it scared me to death.
Years ago it was revealed that it was all a big hoax ... very happy to hear that!
Still, I think it should be re-released as horror fiction because it IS supremely creepy.
Loaned this to a friend and never saw it again. LOL
June 17, 2018
TRASH!!! Absolute trash of the lowest possible order!!
It’s all lies, it’s so boringly written, it’s got spelling errors, it caters to the crazy religious types that bought into the whole Satanic Panic craze in the 80s. I’ve been wanting to read this book for so long and a good friend of mine managed to track down a copy for me for my birthday, what a waste of my time and his money.
I’ll say it again, TRASH TRASH TRASH!!!
Minus 666 stars.
It’s all lies, it’s so boringly written, it’s got spelling errors, it caters to the crazy religious types that bought into the whole Satanic Panic craze in the 80s. I’ve been wanting to read this book for so long and a good friend of mine managed to track down a copy for me for my birthday, what a waste of my time and his money.
I’ll say it again, TRASH TRASH TRASH!!!
Minus 666 stars.
December 20, 2011
This is difficult to rate, because while it's obviously terrible, it is also incredibly fascinating. Definitely worth reading if you want to gawk at the sensationalism of ye olde Satanic Panic.
Read
August 21, 2011I'm giving it zero stars, that's all I think of it.
March 9, 2020
Absolutely delusional. One of the funniest books I’ve ever read.
October 30, 2020
Hahahaha - this was hilariously awful. Listened to a podcast that deep-dived into the absurdity of this book then I had to read it for myself and it was even worse than I imagined. If you don't take it seriously it's the most ridiculous thing ever. Also read up on the history of the story either before or after you read this book because what the authors leave out, like the fact that Michelle and her therapist GOT MARRIED (ew) is a thing that should have been brought up right away and makes all their interactions so gross/amazing. Don't take the story seriously - enjoy the absurdity and remember to use critical thinking when reading so that by the time you are done reading you have questioned it all and found it to be not terrifying, but terrifyingly bad.
July 26, 2016
I LIKE, don't understand how this sparked the satanic panic JUST BECAUSE of how badly this book is written????? the flow is choppy and just, pedantic it's not even interesting to read???? I cannot believe everyone was shoving this up their ass as real
October 29, 2015
Wow, what a mess. For a book published as nonfiction, it's like they weren't even trying to be realistic. Oh, and Satan's rhymes are reminiscent of a middle school poetry slam.
April 6, 2021
Absolutely ridiculous.
September 6, 2021
Now obviously this book is a messed up piece of Satanic Panic era “nonfiction” which has caused all sorts of harm……….but one cannot deny it would make a great A24 gothic romance
June 3, 2023
For the last 10 years or so I have been obsessed with moral panics (and am pretty convinced we're living through some right now). I remember the satanic panic when it unfolded and my dad watching some news show about it at the time and turning confidently to me to say, a child-friendly version of, "This is a lot of bullsh$t!". An early initiation into "the world is not what it seems." That's right, kiddo, seemingly responsible, professional people will go along with absolutely ludicrous things. Cue: Satanic Ritual Abuse Investigation Training with the FBI.
Initially, I marked this as two stars because it's clearly a lurid tale of highly questionable therapy, bankrupt ethics, deceit and our human susceptibility to suspend belief when people, particularly people in power, are all going along with the idea that a satanic cult is operating out of the cemetery that I regularly cut through on the way to the pub. And I didn't want people on Goodreads to think I was convinced by all the freaky things Michelle had "remembered", but I changed it to 4 stars because I honestly enjoyed the read. Made extra delicious by all the times I looked up from the page in disbelief, thinking, how the actual duckety duck did this whackadoodle book spawn a cultural movement that ended up imprisoning innocent people, tearing apart families and destroying lives? Never underestimate the power of cultural groupthink.
If written today this book would be shelved with Fifty Shades of Grey. It's an erotic romance between a patient and her psychiatrist. Featuring the sharing of meaningful looks, sensational fantasies, bizarre dreams and unexplained rashes. As well as a bit of panting, screaming and thrashing on the therapy couch. All of it definitely, definitely only therapeutic in nature. Purely a professional love. Yes, it was clinically arousing. But nothing more, I assure you. It's all above board when a patient calls her psychiatrist every day for hours, when he's on holiday with his wife in Mexico... it is legit for work, honey. Or the pair of them take a Psychiatric Honeymoon to the Vatican. All ritual abuse business for the sake of purity, baby. Or the patient redecorates their psychiatrist's office with macramé and plants while her psychiatrist is out of the office, it's just...okay, okay, okay, wait a minute here, like maybe in 1981 you fell for the blood, murder, sex, satanic cult part but surely you were like what kind of psychiatrist lets a patient redecorate their office without their permission AND likes it? The kind who is doing the duckety ducking with that patient.
4 out of 5 stars as an amazing historical document that has come from the past to warn you not to fall for moralizers and hysterics.
Initially, I marked this as two stars because it's clearly a lurid tale of highly questionable therapy, bankrupt ethics, deceit and our human susceptibility to suspend belief when people, particularly people in power, are all going along with the idea that a satanic cult is operating out of the cemetery that I regularly cut through on the way to the pub. And I didn't want people on Goodreads to think I was convinced by all the freaky things Michelle had "remembered", but I changed it to 4 stars because I honestly enjoyed the read. Made extra delicious by all the times I looked up from the page in disbelief, thinking, how the actual duckety duck did this whackadoodle book spawn a cultural movement that ended up imprisoning innocent people, tearing apart families and destroying lives? Never underestimate the power of cultural groupthink.
If written today this book would be shelved with Fifty Shades of Grey. It's an erotic romance between a patient and her psychiatrist. Featuring the sharing of meaningful looks, sensational fantasies, bizarre dreams and unexplained rashes. As well as a bit of panting, screaming and thrashing on the therapy couch. All of it definitely, definitely only therapeutic in nature. Purely a professional love. Yes, it was clinically arousing. But nothing more, I assure you. It's all above board when a patient calls her psychiatrist every day for hours, when he's on holiday with his wife in Mexico... it is legit for work, honey. Or the pair of them take a Psychiatric Honeymoon to the Vatican. All ritual abuse business for the sake of purity, baby. Or the patient redecorates their psychiatrist's office with macramé and plants while her psychiatrist is out of the office, it's just...okay, okay, okay, wait a minute here, like maybe in 1981 you fell for the blood, murder, sex, satanic cult part but surely you were like what kind of psychiatrist lets a patient redecorate their office without their permission AND likes it? The kind who is doing the duckety ducking with that patient.
4 out of 5 stars as an amazing historical document that has come from the past to warn you not to fall for moralizers and hysterics.
October 25, 2014
I'm very surprised at the negative reviews on this book.
The Satanists are correct when they tell their victims to go ahead and tell people what we do 'no one will believe you'.
The bad reviews prove this. I admit that marrying your therapist who is writing your book isn't good for credibility. But that doesn't mean Michelle didn't experience SRA.
I have read research papers on SRA survivors and they all report the similar abuse that Michelle experienced and reported.
I have also read 22 faces Jenny Hill's SRA. Nobody wants to believe the children. Here are some statistics. 26 children from 14 families. 61% reported abuse by 2 generations of older relatives.89% threats with supernatural powers.
85% made to ingest or touch excrement; songs & chants 69%; 77% death threats, spiders & insects placed on them
37 adult SRA survivors report; 80% stated ritual abuse began before age 6. 84%-forced to drink blood; 84%-tied up; 78%- drugged; 61%-deprived of food; 57%-forced to eat flesh; 54%-deprived of sleep;
54%-had electric shock
75%- reported being isolated
61%-ejaculated on
54%- urinated on
38%- defecated on
50%- put in coffins(46% with corpses)
44%-buried alive
39%-put in graves
84%-reported human sacrifice
14%-were breeders for sacrifices.
And it goes on and on.
Research on allegations of ritual abuse is important and needed. Until we can better clarify this troubling subject we will continue to hear innocent children's outcries not being taken seriously.
The people involved hold powerful positions in society who aid in the cover up of SRA.
The Satanists are correct when they tell their victims to go ahead and tell people what we do 'no one will believe you'.
The bad reviews prove this. I admit that marrying your therapist who is writing your book isn't good for credibility. But that doesn't mean Michelle didn't experience SRA.
I have read research papers on SRA survivors and they all report the similar abuse that Michelle experienced and reported.
I have also read 22 faces Jenny Hill's SRA. Nobody wants to believe the children. Here are some statistics. 26 children from 14 families. 61% reported abuse by 2 generations of older relatives.89% threats with supernatural powers.
85% made to ingest or touch excrement; songs & chants 69%; 77% death threats, spiders & insects placed on them
37 adult SRA survivors report; 80% stated ritual abuse began before age 6. 84%-forced to drink blood; 84%-tied up; 78%- drugged; 61%-deprived of food; 57%-forced to eat flesh; 54%-deprived of sleep;
54%-had electric shock
75%- reported being isolated
61%-ejaculated on
54%- urinated on
38%- defecated on
50%- put in coffins(46% with corpses)
44%-buried alive
39%-put in graves
84%-reported human sacrifice
14%-were breeders for sacrifices.
And it goes on and on.
Research on allegations of ritual abuse is important and needed. Until we can better clarify this troubling subject we will continue to hear innocent children's outcries not being taken seriously.
The people involved hold powerful positions in society who aid in the cover up of SRA.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews