Don’t Call It A Cult provides a comprehensive overview of the case of Keith Raniere and NXIVM. There is a lot of information packed into this 320 page book. While I’d been following the case on the news, the story is presented in such a way that someone could easily enjoy it even if they didn’t know anything going into it.
There is a lot of background information provided in order to help set the stage for NXIVM. We get backstories for every person involved, which helps to humanize them and provides just enough information for us to understand just how they could get involved in a cult. Most of us think: I would never join a cult. But sometimes it isn’t quite so black and white, and the insidious underpinnings of an organization such as this one aren’t obvious to everyone.
Just as there is a lot of backstory for the “cast of characters”, there is also a lot of historical information provided that an information junkie like myself ate right up. For instance, Berman doesn’t just casually mention or even define what a pyramid scheme is. She provides that historical information about the first ever pyramid scheme to be prosecuted. I learned about Holiday Magic, an organization whose crimes went far beyond that ridiculous name.
Don’t Call It A Cult also has a lot of content on the psychology and the thought processes behind Raniere’s teachings. His subtle manipulations are eerie and insidious and oh-so fascinating. Berman dives deep into his teaching on “disintegration”, “suppressive”, and other terms that sent chills down my spine. They are quite simple, yet creepy. The ways that he gradually gaslighted his victims is incredibly subtle and I can completely understand how someone wouldn’t realize what was happening until it was too late…
Berman at times frames the story with her own investigation into NXIVM, which reminds me a little of Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. I love this approach to telling a true crime story. Let’s not focus on the bad guy, but the reporter/investigator who’s researching them. That said, this angle isn’t continuously presented, possibly because of how much this story differs from that of the Golden State Killer–when he hadn’t been caught by the time of the first publication of that book. We also don’t get a full picture of who Sara Berman is–is she just a reporter fascinated by cults? Does she have a personal connection to the case? She mentions going to the trial, but was that out of pure professional interest, or was there another reason at play? What drove her to spend two years of her life following this story? Was it just a job for her, or something more? We’re provided with a little more personal connection to Sara Berman towards the end of the book, but I would have liked for that to have been at play throughout.
All in all, this book provides a comprehensive overview of Keith Raniere, NXIVM, and DOS and should be read by any true crime junkie who is fascinated by cults.