Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

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

7 reviews

moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective tense

4.25

What does it take to make a self improvement curriculum into a cult with an even more sick cult inside of it? It starts with one man with too much stock in a sketchy self-administered IQ test and an obsession with psychogical manipulation, MLMs, and Ayn Rand, but couldn't be realized without an intense social network. 

The writing itself is very engaging and this is thoroughly researched. There was intense background on Raniere along with the full scope of his network and how it grew, but Berman also interviewed many women who were in NXIVM and used information from the court case to show their stories. 

The events of what happened are truely wild. At a few points, I had to take a break from it and even considered stopping about 3/4 of the way in because as horrid as things had been at that point, there were a few really intense experiences that they went into. But I'm glad I did finish it. I didn't plan it this way, but I think this was a good bridge from Hey Hun by Emily Lynn Paulson into some of the books on Scientology that are on my TBR (yes, Raniere was clearly inspired by both Amway and L Ron Hubbard, though he denies clearly being inspired by dianetics).

If you're interested in cults or social psychology (and are ready for the sort of content that is present when talking about such awful groups), I would definitely recommend this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Suicide, Gaslighting, Rape, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Trafficking

Moderate: Abortion

Branding, forced abortion, spiritual abuse, abuse under threat of deportation

melissahawco's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Deportation, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Self harm, Trafficking, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Eating disorder

winnifred's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Abandonment, Sexism, Fatphobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Stalking

Moderate: Slavery, Stalking, Trafficking, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Minor: Pregnancy and Alcohol

cassiecraycray's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

5.0

I knew very little when I started this book, and holy sh*t, I wasn't prepared for everything I was about to read. Several times I had to put the book down to give my mind a minute to process. 
This book was very informative, and I feel laid out in a good way. It covers alot of heavy topics but in a respectful way. It wasn't extremely graphic, covering what needed to be said while not giving some more horrible details.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Sexism, Suicide, Trafficking, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Rape, and Pedophilia

hollymich's review against another edition

dark informative tense medium-paced

4.0

A chilling and thorough account of the disturbing events surrounding NXIVM. The facts are presented logically and understandably, despite there being so many people involved over so many years. It is haunting how this happened so recently, right under our noses. I think there is a lot to be learned in this book about the signs of manipulation and abuse, although that is not the book's goal. All in all, I praise Berman for her diligent research and dedication to sharing this story.

I recommend the audiobook!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Sexism, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Racism, Slavery, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Cancer, Alcohol, and Cursing

clarabooksit's review against another edition

dark emotional informative medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, Trafficking, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Torture, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Self harm, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Confinement, Child abuse, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, and Abandonment

alexandrap529's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexism, and Eating disorder