Cults : inside the world's most notorious groups and understanding the people who joined them

Summary: "Cults prey on the very attributes that make us human: our desire to belong, to find a deeper meaning in life, and to live every day with a divine purpose. Their existence creates a sense that any one of us, at any time, could step off a cliff's edge and fall into that daunting abyss of manipulation and unhinged dedication to a misplaced cause. Perhaps it's this mindset that keeps us utterly captivated and yearning to learn more, or it's that the stories themselves are so bizarre and unsettling that we are simply in awe of the mechanics that make these infamous groups tick. The premier storytelling podcast studio Parcast has been focusing on unearthing these mechanics - the cult leaders and followers, and the world and culture that gave birth to them. Parcast's work in analyzing dozens of case studies has revealed patterns: the distinct ways in which cult leaders from different generations resemble one another. The things that link the ten notorious figures profiled in Cults are as disturbing as they are stunning - from Manson to Applewhite, Koresh to Raël, the stories woven here are both spellbinding and haunting. Cults is more than just a compilation of grisly biographies, however. In these pages, Parcast's founder, Max Cutler, and national bestselling author Kevin Conley closely examine the lives of some of the most disreputable cult figures and tell the stories of their rise to power and fall from grace, sanity, and decency. Beyond that, it is a study of humanity, an unflinching look at what happens when the most vulnerable recesses of the mind are manipulated and how the things we hold most sacred can be twisted into extreme acts of malevolence."--