Many thanks to NetGalley, Skyhorse Publishing Arcade and Dreamscape Media for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this nonfiction book by Spencer Schneider, narrated by Austin Rising - 4 stars!

Spencer Schneider was a 29-year-old lawyer when he was approached by an acquaintance to attend a meeting of a group focused on inner development, called "School." This secretive group was made up of wealthy, successful individuals all focused on the "work." Sharon Gans, a former actress, led the group and felt she was almost at the level of Christ and Buddha. Schneider spent 23 years in this cult before finally escaping.

Cults are fascinating to me and this one even more so - how can so many very successful people get roped into being habitually degraded, abused and wiped of their money? And how can one person have such power over these people? There are many similarities to other so-called self-improvement cults like NXIVM and Scientology, both led by sadistic leaders who want only adoration and money. The more stories that we can hear about these abuses will hopefully bring these groups out of the dark.

Honest, Apalling, and Illuminating

Manhattan Cult Story is a fascinating memoir about Spencer Schneider's experience in a lesser known cult called School or The Work. Schneider describes his entanglement with The Work impassionately. A few things I found the most intriguing about this cult exposure was Schneider's close relationship with the leader Sharon Gans, the fact he stayed in so long (23 years), the step by step instructions of how unsuspecting people got reeled in, and he provided ways to recognize a cult. This memoir was interesting, but made me feel as if there is much more to the story. I believe Schneider is reliable, but his telling appears unforthcoming. How much is he not saying because he doesn't want to divulge the breadth of his involvement? It was suspicious to me that he was a favorite of Sharon Gans, but didn't partake in any serious abuse of which the cult was accused. There were times he tried to evoke pity that was alittle cringeworthy but understandable. I found the majority of this story compelling because the followers were mainly successful rich people in NYC who had trauma, and that made them easier to manipulate and control. I believe deep down they all knew it was a cult, but gave control of their finances, relationships, and daily lives over willingly. This is ultimately what made me feel the most empathy. Lonely people with trauma will do anything to feel connected, and evil people will take advantage of that. Readers who enjoy memoirs that expose cults might like the distinctiveness of this one.

3.5/5 Stars

I buddy read this in a GR group and we all felt pretty meh about this one. "Abuse, Crime, Sex, and My Life inside a Secret Organization" sounds way more exciting than it is. Sharon Gans was charlatan and I could see through her from a mile away. I have a hard time understanding why people join these "organizations" but I guess from longing for a sense of community and belonging? But then they put up with so much garbage?! I'm not sure what I was looking for out of this but it was just dull. And I feel bad for saying that, this was this author's life for over 20 years. But it didn't hold my attention enough.

I always think that it is difficult to judge or rate someone's experience when they are the author of a book. But I figure he survived a cult, so he would be able to survive a book rating. This book definitely had some interesting facts about cults and what it is like to get caught up in one. I found it fascinating how the recruitment process works and how hard it is to leave once a person is involved. I like the beginning and ending sections of this book best. For me, the middle was a bit slow and the writing a little dry. I appreciate that author putting his experiences out there and hope he is doing well today.

When reading Manhattan Cult Story, I thought about other stories I had heard about cults or secret societies and immediately knew that this was different.

The way that Spencer Schneider writes this book was easy to follow, detailed and never boring. You immediately understand The School and the ravings that Sharon “taught” and how she was able to control the members of the cult.

Schneider allows readers to have a passenger seat view of the School experience and how someone could be enamored with Sharon and the lengths she would go to control such as arranged marriages and verbal abuse.

I enjoyed Manhattan Cult Story immensely and could see this becoming a documentary or show with how seamless Spencer shows his own journey through these events!

Spencer Schneider tells the story of his decades in School, “an esoteric school for inner development,” which was really just a cult.

I love reading about cults – they’re fascinating in a horrifying, often voyeuristic way. Schneider was writing about his own story, about a cult I’d never heard of – two points in this book’s favor. I was excited to learn about how people could go about their daily business in New York City whilst having their lives held in a chokehold by a cult leader the whole time.

For the most part, Manhattan Cult Story delivers. The author details his involvement with School from beginning to end, showing how he fell under its sway and how it pervaded every aspect of his life. The author does a good job of reducing the distance between the events and the reader, making the abuses that he and his friends suffered quite vivid.

However, I did think the pacing quite odd, as we jump forward quite a lot in the timeline – inevitable when we are covering over two decades, I suppose, but I did feel that some events got brushed over as a result. I also wished that the author could have talked more about how exactly the cult managed to stay hidden while exerting so much control over its followers – things like how him distancing himself from his family and old friends went unnoticed.

Overall, a good read with a compelling narrator.

A good memoir in that I learned about a cult I had no idea existed, it was interesting to learn about the 'inside,' but overall this wasn't written in an engaging way. There was a lot of information presented about the cult from the recruiting phase thru to the entrenched and desire to get out phases and I appreciated the author's story but I didn't find myself gravitating towards the book. I think for someone finding themselves in a similar situation (or before they get to this situation) and just for more information about cults this is would be a helpful book.

This book was such an eye opener of what is lurking right below the edge. Why it is so important for each of us to guard our hearts and our minds when trusting anyone.

The Author put everything out there to write this book and I hope that he continues to help others get out of "school" and heal from the trauma caused by this cult.

This was an interesting read about how the author, Spencer Schneider, was recruited into a cult - the School - when he was 29 years old. He was part of the cult for 23 years and become part of the cult leader Sharon Gans’ close inner circle during his last few years there. The book charts his observations and experiences over those 23 years. The book kicks off well - drawing the reader in immediately with its pace, author’s background (he’s a corporate lawyer), and stage setting for the recruitment into the cult by a casual “friend.” The book showcases how, given certain conditions and circumstances, whether it’s dissatisfaction in their lives, wanting more out of life, seeking fulfillment, etc., people can be lured into situations - in this case, a cult - regardless of how “smart” they may be. I found the first quarter of the book to be the most engagingly presented. The next three quarters dive into the guts of the cult, but the writing felt “drier” and more reporter-like in its approach - still interesting though. I would have liked the author to have delved more than he did into how and why the cult leader was able to sustain such a large and ardent following - maybe it was too difficult for him to do that, and understandably so. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around how she was able to do that. The other part I wanted to learn more about was how the author left the cult. He does describe how and what he went though to extricate himself, but it sort of felt like he was describing what was happening to someone else - it didn’t seem so very personal. Again, maybe it was the trauma he experienced, which made it difficult to share - or maybe that is how he experienced it. I just expected a more personal approach, similar to the style of the first quarter of the book. Overall, I’m glad I read the book - an interesting account of how being drawn into a cult can happen, how it’s so difficult to leave, and the overall devastating emotional, mental, and psychological damage it leaves on people. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I’ve always been intrigued by cults, so I was excited to read this book. Although it’s an interesting subject, it really didn’t grab me. I unfortunately couldn’t get into it.

What a amazing book. Not easy to read because the theme is very dark.
We start reading about how the author grew up and how he ended knowing about the cult. Shows really how anyone can enter a cult.
It's a very heavy book. Lots of page but easy to read. Also it's about a cult that not many of us know about it (for sure I will look for more now!). And wow! That cult is crazy. From forced marriages, private adoptions and public humiliations while the members payed to experience all that and more.
I give 5 stars because the author shows us really well what he lived and saw there.

Manhattan Cult Story: My Unbelievable True Story of Sex, Crimes, Chaos, and Survival by Spencer Schneider is expected to be published on July 5th, 2022. A big thank you goes to Netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing for providing a free copy of this book for me to review.

This was a surprisingly easy read. The subject is harrowing and dark, yet the style of writing makes it feel like you've sat down for coffee with a friend and they've just started telling you about their past. There are several instances in the book that make you ask, "Why didn't you simply leave?" or "Why didn't you stand up and do something?" yet Schneider does an excellent job of conveying the trapped feeling that many people experience when they find themselves in similar situations. The cult relationship appears to be extremely similar to the type of relationship found in domestic abuse cases. This is something I had never considered before, and I am grateful that this book has helped me comprehend both survivors and those who remain trapped in the deception.

I do think that the title of the book is a tiny bit misleading. It sets it up as a story full of depraved cult behaviors. While there is quite a bit of abuse described in the book, the way it is written about is very tame. As a result, the sensationalist title comes across as a little gross. I also have to ask if the author was granted permission to tell some of the accounts of those involved.

Schneider's inclusion of the resources at the end of the book, as well as the list of signs you may be in a cult, was a great touch. Someone who may be in a similar situation may randomly pick up the book to briefly glance through and find a way to escape (or just realize they need to). Of course, the most important thing about this book is that it gives hope. Spencer was in the Odyssey Study Group/School/Theater of All Possibilities for decades but he still managed to finally leave. Writing this book and starting his blog gives hope to those still stuck that things can get better and it is possible to find freedom again.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3/5

This book had me up all night googling after I finished! What a wild ride Spencer Schneider had. Being slowly lured into a cult in his early 20's, he suffered two decades of abuse under the sadistic hand of Sharon Gans, it is amazing he was even able to articulate everything that he witnessed while part of "School"

Group think is a seriously absurd way of thinking, and it is how cults THRIVE. You never think it can happen to you, but Spencer Schneider did an excellent job detailing exactly how a smart and eager businessman could be duped and brainwashed into thinking School was awakening his mind.

Right from the start I was engaged with the writer and his long ordeal in this cult hiding in plain sight. At various points, I wanted to grab him and say, “This isn’t right. People don’t treat people they care about this way. Just leave.” But I also understand why he was drawn in and how he stayed so long, not having the benefit of the perspective from a comfy reading chair. Highly recommend and I gave 4 stars because of the uncomfortable empathy I felt while reading, which actually proves what a good tale it is. I am all for bringing these cults and dark controllers into the light of day. Well done, and thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

This is a very vulnerable and open book about the author's journey before, during, and after being a part of a cult. Spencer Schneider spent over 20 years thinking School was the reason why he was successful, where he would find love, the reason he was who he was during that time. From the outside and as a reader you see the red flags jumping and you do think to yourself how can the members of this cult not see what we are seeing, everyone goes through things and they process things differently and that's okay, it is a shame that people like those "teachers" took advantage of the vulnerabilities of others. The journey was intense, reading this book was intense, with a more open way to shed light on the cult and their fraud, illegalities, and just crimes committed can only help save lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance readers copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

In Manhattan Cult Story, author Spencer Schneider reveals his experiences over twenty-three years in a shadowy New York cult known as "School. "This story was a wild ride and a fascinating peek into a secret society of which I was unfamiliar, as Schneider details the chilling, wildly abusive lengths to which the cult’s leaders, particularly Sharon Gans, would go to to enforce the cult’s precepts.

Manhattan Cult Story was a tragic but compelling read, as Schneider reveals the ways in which the cult’s leaders ensnared some of Manhattan’s wealthiest and most successful professionals in its net. I did find the pace and writing of this book a little uneven in parts, and there were a few bumps in the narrative that seemed to drag. However, on the whole, I think this book is a fascinating read on a little-known cult, and I know it will be a hit with lovers of true crime. 4 stars.

This is a compelling story of a cult in New York City. I had heard about this group, but it was interesting to learn about it from someone who spent over 20 years involved in it.

The narrative is unbelievable but I did not enjoy the author’s writing style.

The story was really interesting. it's hard to believe that something like this could really happen in modern day society. This book is all about our main character Spencer and how he got roped into a modern-day cult. I liked how it started off with our main character not fully getting into the "School" however him slowly becoming roped in simply by power. This cult was so powerful that it was easy to see how anyone could get sucked into their web. It was nice to see a version of cults not just full of abuse and violence but still showing the psychological damage that they cause their members. I liked how this book started by showing how people can get roped in and then how things can slowly turn sour without the person even being aware that it is happening. I really enjoyed the main character and I found him to be very relatable and interesting to read about. While I haven't read many books about cults this was one that I had never heard of before and it always amazes me how things like this take such a strong hold on their members. Very good read as I found that it helped open my eyes and helped me understand a little bit more fully on what a strong grip these terrible people have on their members and partly on why the members don't want to leave or come forward after they are disbanded. I'm glad I got the chance to check out this book and if you want to learn more about the underbelly of society then I really think that this is the book for you.

I keep going back and forth between 4 and 5 stars, so I'm going to stick with 4.5 and round up.

This story was incredible. If you've ever wondered what it's like to be in a cult without putting yourself through that trauma, read this book.

Spencer Schneider was a member of a group simply called "the School" for over twenty years of his life (late '80's to 2010's). His story begins with where his life circumstances and the flattery tactics of the School led him to join in the first place. It explained the initial teachings of the group, and how they normalize the concepts to their members. Spencer often mentions how something would be said and he'd think "what the hell?!" But the teacher would 'explain' and it would all make sense. It then introduces their eccentric (truly bat-shit crazy) leader and how these people were all already so conditioned that they just accepted what she did and said - and let her abuse and exploit them.
He then wraps up with how he began to see the group clearly for what it was, got out, and his life after.

I obviously know that cults are real and they definitely are still around today, but it's so easy to just be blown away by the absurdity of how people get duped into these situations and Spencer did an incredible job making you truly understand his thoughts and feelings throughout the whole experience.

I think the only thing holding me back from a true 5 star rating is I just wish I could have been able to read about other people's perspectives as well, but this book already has me doing research to find other accounts.

Thank you to Spencer Schneider, Skyhorse Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

Very good exploration of a specific cult, and why people were drawn to it. The book feels very authentic. I especially appreciated the extension of the story beyond the downfall of the cult, and the author getting out of it. His revelations in therapy took the reader along with his recovery.