Cult Bride by Liz Cameron

As I was engrossed in Cameron’s account of how she was lured into the cult, JMS, and anxiously awaiting the bit where she detailed her escape, she states that we ought not watch docos or read books about cults because it sheds no light, provides no better understanding of cult leaders or cult members. She states that cult leaders are all the same – driven by a need for power, money and sex (generally all three) and usually a person who is narcissistic or with a cluster B personality disorder.  Hmmm… intriguing coming from the author of a book about cults!

Anyway, a really interesting exploration of how cults brainwash; the use of coercive control; and the legalities around cults in Australia (with an emphasis on the fact that many extreme religious groups enjoy ‘charity’ status in Australia and therefore don’t pay tax).

The structure of the book was excellent – chapters of Cameron’s personal story were interspersed with chapters on how cults ‘work’ and the tactics they use to recruit and influence members. Her eventual escape relied on the persistence of her parents to ‘de-program’ her, which highlighted the fact that many vulnerable people do not have family members with the resources and capacity to rescue them.

3/5

The Woman Who Fooled the World by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano

As it was unfolding, I was glued to the story of Belle Gibson because I am generally skeptical about the wellness industry. Depending on how you define it, there are aspects of the industry that I participate in (I like float tanks and sound bathing), but always because I find it fun, or relaxing, or it makes me feel good for an hour or so. Anything that promises to change your life, claims to cure you of something, or delivers a ‘magic bullet’, I’ll automatically dismiss.

Donelly and Toscano’s account of the rise and fall of Belle Gibson is gripping. Everything covered in the Netflix series about Gibson, Apple Cider Vinegar, was there, in addition to lots of insights and interviews with various experts, from dieticians who are clear about the fact that there is no such thing as a ‘superfood’ and psychiatrists who discuss ‘Munchausen by Internet‘.

The Woman Who Fooled the World is well worth a read, even if you have watched the Netflix series. Caroline Crampton provided similar insights into the fraudulence associated with the wellness industry in her memoir, A Body Made of Glass.

4/5

Gatsby by Jane Crowther

Clever Crowther – her re-imagining of The Great Gatsby, simply titled Gatsby, is thoroughly modern, and riffs on Fitzgerald’s classic without mimicking. Crowther captures the essence of the characters but also recasts them which provides her version with a straightforward point-of-difference – Gatsby is a female influencer and Nic, a woman staying in West Egg during her summer college break, is a would-be journalist, looking for inspiration. You know the story and this version won’t offend die-hard fans looking for a beach-read.

3/5