Cults in Our Midst: The Hidden Menace in Our Everyday Lives

A word of warning against cult apologists - see the review by Lucille M. Cozzolino. Her suggested reading by James Lewis and Gordon Melton is nothing more than pushing the view of cult apologists. They insist there is no such thing as brainwashing, mind control or whatever you wish to call it. Melton, by the way, after the Aum Shinrikyo sarin gas attacks in Japan, was flown to Japan by the cult and once there he declared that the group could not have produced the Sarin poison gas. WRONG. They did. For good insight into cults, try the Rick Ross website at http://www.rickross.com/ There is plenty of information on different groups, and much can also be learnt from the message boards. It is interesting to note that the reviewer Lucille M. Cozzolino has published only one review. It is a pattern that was commonly seen when Jon Atack released A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed. Don't be fooled, there are cults out there and they can be dangerous. Self-help seminars, so-called 'human potential' organisations, are also potentially dangerous and should be thoroughly investigated before one commits to a course with one of them. Many of them employ mind control methods similar to those used by cults and the effects can be devastating. Again, for information on this, the Rick Ross website is excellent. I speak from experience.

I had seen so many cults on campus at the schools I have attended I think this should be required reading. Singer takes the disaster that is cult involvement and shows the telltail signs of this plague that is eating away at the fabric of societies vulnerable populations. Don't be confused though it could happen to anyone and does. This book could save you or someone you love alot of trouble. I was never in a cult but had been on the fringes of a couple and could only say I thought the people trying to recuit me were vaguely obnoxious, and manipulative but couldn't really put my finger on what it was because I couldn't identify them as cult members. This is no longer a problem. This book is engaging and very important. Read it for the people in your life and yourself.

Dr. Singer has written a very valuable resource for all readers who are interested in cults, who have a loved one in a cult, or who, like myself -- ended up being greatly deceived by a cult. Dr. Singer was supportive and helpful to me when I finally extracted myself from the cult I had been a member of for six years. She took the time to speak to me numerous times on the telephone and through various e-mails. Her book is a tremendous resource for anyone interested in this subject. It is literally one of the best published and I've researched religious cults for over a decade now. For a comprehensive look at mind altering organizations, this is a book no one should pass up.

I have the unfortunate situation of being a father(divorced)with two children who dissapaered in a religious /o cuasi-religious Cult. In my quest for answers and for learning, I met with Janja Lalich and we became friends and pen-pals. I have read hundreds of books on the New Age movement, and I have also compared them with Cults in our Midst. This book very succintly describes with graphic and explosive words what a Cult leader is, and as I am an Attorney and are familiar with Law suits against Cults such as Scientology, New Aghe, Sevnth Day Adventist, Jehovah Witnesses, and others, Margaret Thaler Singer and Janja Lalich(who is a former cult member herself)describe what the characteristics of a Cult leader are with wisdom and tought, and it makes for very good material for people like me who suddenly one day woke up and found ourselves in this impossible situation; together with personal therapy and support groups, I highly reccomend people in similar situations like mine to read it and open their eyes to the danger of these societal menaces who destroy minds and families, excelent work, Paul Hirsch Pels

OK, folks, I'm one of the "culties" Singer wrote about. I have an IQ of 140, an MBA and a successful business career. None-the-less, for 27 years I followed the "advice" and received the twisted, NOT "unconditional love" of a guru. Along with my "special" friends we supported him while he lied to us about just about everything... his background, our "faults and inadequacies," and especially, about our likelihood of surviving without his "help." Pretty bizarre, definately true, and all too common. Singer and Lalich's book describes perfectly the way he ate away at our self-confidence and kept us dependant. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT BOOK! We are all more susceptable to brainwashing than we want to believe. Read the book, discuss it with your friends, with your children, with your parents. Learn the difference between a convincing argrument and being brainwashed. The mind you save may be your own. This should be required reading in every school and in every parent's group in the country.