Inside the World's Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them
September 1, 2022
Humans are naturally inclined to search for life's deeper meaning and hope to live each day with purpose. It's the human condition; cults and their leaders know this, and prey on that natural inclination. Outsiders may wonder what kind of person begins a cult, and more importantly, who chooses to follow them. Murder, manipulation, and intrigue all come together to tell the story. Cutler, founder of Parcast Studios and creator of the podcast Cults, takes a deep dive into cults, examining well-known groups such as Charles Manson's Family, Jim Jones, and the Branch Davidians, as well as smaller cults and their leaders. Cutler's gripping book provides a window into this uncomfortable world, focusing on the beliefs of each group and revealing what ties their leaders together. A full cast of talented narrators, including Pete Simonelli, Raquel Beattie, Erin Walker, Danny Campbell, Daniel Henning, and several others, tell the stories of various cults, presenting each with unique voices. This engaging presentation will immediately captivate listeners, whether they are new or well versed in the subject. VERDICT A welcome addition where well-researched books on cults, true crime, and religious outliers are popular.--Elyssa Everling
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 16, 2022
In this chilling account, Parcast podcaster Cutler surveys 10 mainly high-profile cults and their leaders from recent decades. Familiar names include Charles Manson, who introduced the cult image to America thanks to the TV coverage of the Tate-LaBianca murders; David Koresh, whose followers joined him in a deadly standoff with the FBI at their compound in Waco, Tex., in 1993; and Marshall Applewhite, who in 1997 persuaded his Heaven’s Gate followers to swallow poison in the largest mass suicide in U.S. history. Among lesser known cult leaders is Canadian Roch Thériault, who used charisma and religion to keep his followers under his sway as he abused them, going so far as to amputate his wife’s arm. (He died in prison.) While most met violent ends, Uganda’s Credonia Mwerinde, one of the rare female cult leaders, vanished after burning alive 530 of her followers after locking them into a wooden “ark” she made them build. Cutler insightfully explores what attracts people to cults and the psychology of their leaders, but much of this won’t be news to true crime buffs. This works best as a companion volume to the author’s podcasts. Agent: Eve Attermann, WME.