Reviews

Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM by Sarah Berman

crimket's review against another edition

dark informative sad fast-paced

3.75

Fascinating, and Berman clearly has a deep and insightful understanding about the events she details. I was thoroughly invested but felt like the book ended suddenly. I'm kind of wondering why the trial section of the book was so condensed and just a report on the outcomes, essentially. I felt like there was more to that part of the story that should have been included, but I suspect maybe there are still unresolved legal issues preventing it since the case was so recent. 

a_chickletz's review against another edition

3.0

This was a story that I had had seen often in the news but did not quite understand it, beyond knowing that Alison Mack was involved and that it had to do with a cult.

I like to thank the publisher and Edelweiss for allowing me a chance to read it.

I think there was some excellent journalism here, and a very clear and linear plot line of Keith Raniere and his grooming and control over the women.

It kept escalating and escalating and the sickening bit through this all is that these are women doing these things to each other, to other women. It was painful the ritualistic things they went through all for some man who was gross as fuck to look at and talked of weird things.

abbie_reads_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

ames599's review against another edition

challenging informative

3.5

torabella216's review against another edition

5.0

This book is better than any of the documentaries about Nxivm.

rerosenthal85's review against another edition

4.0

Best book I’ve read about this particular group. The investigative research is very good and the details reveal that what was happening was even sicker than other books about NXIVM I’ve read have depicted.

mhugie2's review against another edition

3.0

This was a really interesting read. Not quite what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it. It was more of a history lesson then anything. I went in thinking it would be more of a psychological deep dive.

kimia_hyperfocuser's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

Informative and comprehensive. Sarah Berman interviewed several people who I hadn't heard of before directly in the two documentaries and two other books I read on this case. And she procides details I found crucial in the story of the mexican sisters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault

angela_juniper's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

bitesizedbeet's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75