I continue to be fascinated by cults, both fictional and real. If there is a book about a cult, I am going to read it. However, this memoir fell flat for me. Schneider included so many minute details that it bogged down the story.

Wow! That was quite the ride! I find cult stories fascinating, and this one didn't disappoint. Spencer makes you really feel what it could have felt like to be sitting in the Space with Sharon. Scared to stick up for your friends, wanting her approval, just crazy to know these situations happen. I love the details shared even though this story took place over decades of time.

Cults really do seem to be abusive relationships on a larger scale, with more people crushed under the thumb of the wicked leader and more flying monkeys to do the abuser’s bidding. It’s impossible to not take notice of how identical the tactics are, including the early preying upon vulnerability. Manhattan Cult Story both intrigued and terrified me because of this.

It was easy to see how the author was lured into “School” and why he found it so difficult to leave. While stories investigating cults are important, this firsthand account allows readers to witness exactly how the manipulative dynamics play out.

The way human beings are so easily influenced and so wholly unaware of their propensity to be influenced is terrifying. Manhattan Cult Story paints a vivid picture of that true horror at play.

I am immensely grateful to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

2.5 Stars ( I received an audio arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I got about 30 % through the audiobook before considering this a DNF. The first few chapters were interesting but as we got into more of the cult stuff I just couldn’t keep my interest in the book.

Manhattan Cult Story by Spencer Schneider is about Schneider's own experience in a cult. I personally had never heard of this cult, so that made it even more interesting to me. The cult, called School, is an “esoteric school for inner development” attended by some of Manhattan's elite. Schneider recalls how some members endured physical and sexual abuse, forced labor, swindling of life savings and other horrific things all in the name of personal development by this highly secretive society (cult). With seemingly charismatic leader at the helm, Sharon Gans, School was poised to take its members to new levels of personal growth and development.

Manhattan Cult Story is one man's cult experience and how he survived trauma and ultimately went down the path to healing. It is also a cautionary story about what can happen when radicalized ideas mixed with group psychology can lead down a dangerous and slippery slope.

I listened to the audiobook version of Manhattan Cult Story and listening it it made the story that much more fascinating and horrifying. I feel a bit odd saying that I enjoyed this story as there were some aspects that made me absolutely cringe and wonder how seemingly normal, well educated people can fall for something as outrageous as Sharon Gans claimed. However, I was glued to my headphones because it was just utterly fascinating to me. If you are interested in cults, especially those super secret ones that no one ever hears about.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Schneider's memoir recapping his time as a member of a Manhattan based cult stood out from the crowd. While many of the cult memoirs I have read are from children who have left the cults as adults, this one is written from the prospective of someone who joined in adulthood. It was especially interesting as Schneider is a lawyer - educated, well-spoken, and seemingly successful. That is exactly who this cult targeted. I found it insightful to see how anyone, no matter how smart or successful, can be lulled into a cult when it seemingly offers that one missing piece they are looking for. The intertwining into all aspects of your life and the limited time and availability that you have for anyone outside of the organization is explored as well, giving us a glimpse into how difficult it can be to walk away, even when you fully begin to recognize all of the red flags for what they are.

#ManhattanCultStory by @officialspencerschneider is a #truelife #cultstory taking place in #nyc. It was very plainly referred to as #School.
I know a lot of you LoVE a good #cultstory even as you (falsely) believe that it could neverrr happen to you. No, because you are smart, well educated, street smart, savvy, etc etc blah de blah....but it could... I hate to say that, but all joking aside, a cult isn't a cult until it IS. By this I mean that when you find a community of like-minded people, or hell, just any community that welcomes you and buffers you from the world at large, you could just open your arms to it (much like we have with ehemmm our social media outlets). Not just for the sense of belonging (which is so needed) but also because while it might not feel quite normal, it also doesnt feel quite wrong either. In this first person narrative that reads like part memoir part true crime story, the author takes you along on that journey. He also tells you in hindsight how they vetted and recruited him, he being a young attorney in nyc. How they befriend you & make you feel like they are part of something unique, unknown to many, an inner sanctum of elites, etc. In this way they make you feel special & CHOSEN, and oh make no mistake about it, you ARE.
At first, the quirky meetings become routine. Over time, you become manipulated with every aspect of your life being subject to the demands of the leader of the group. They threaten that ostracization from the people who have become like family to you.
It's some wild stuff.
It totally intrigued and disgusted me at the same time. The gall of the woman that was leading these people was amazing. I read this more than a month ago, so some of the details on whether or not this cult still exists today are fuzzy to me, but if you check out the author Im pretty sure he has a ton of information on it online. I listened to this on audio and really enjoyed it. The best part for me was at the end the story starts to outline this simple test: would you tolerate someone you love be subjected to This? or how about This? or what about THIS??? if the answer is no, you are probably in a cult. Check this out!

I love stories about cults. It's just such a fascinating thing how smart people get caught up in groups without really figuring out that they're being taken advantage of and manipulated. The more in depth the discussion, the better. I want all the details about the charismatic leaders and what the members thought their own purposes were and the harrowing escape!

Unfortunately, Manhattan Cult Story didn't deliver those things. I found it very superficial and unengaging. By halfway through, I just wanted it to be over because I didn't care anymore. I felt no connection to the author at all. There are so many great books about cults that I'd recommend skipping this one and finding another.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a copy of the audiobook.

Spencer Schneider did an excellent job of making me feel like we were talking over dinner; like he was relating a crazy story. Spencer explains how he first came to know the cult School and became a member for over twenty years, giving us interesting tidbits and facts about cults along the way. It's amazing that he has come out the other side of this incredibly traumatic experience able to talk about it. There were some things I wish he had spent more time discussing, but obviously I understand the need for him to move quickly past some events. A very interesting read!

This is a first-person story of involvement with a secretive group in New York City that went on for years. I had never heard of The School before diving into this book, so I didn't know anything except what the book told me. It was definitely a unique story that told of an experience few have had and even fewer have talked about.

However, I found the pacing of the book too slow. As much as we need to understand the author, there was more information about his backstory than I felt was needed. It also took a long time for me to notice anything remotely cult-like in The School's activities.

It's an interesting read if you want to know about secret groups, but don't expect a bombshell about wild cult experiences here.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the ALC in return for my honest review.

I wrote a thesis on Cults. So, after reading the synopsis, I was all in. Unfortunately, I kept putting this down, picking it up again, and I just couldn’t get into it. I managed to get about halfway, but it was slow going and it just wasn’t enthralling enough. I think the narrator could have done a better job in making the story more interesting.

I stumbled across this audiobook on NetGalley, and I love a good cult story. I had heard a little about “School” through other cult media, but a full length book account of a member was way more comprehensive. Their leader…oof.

As an aspec arospec individual, I care nothing about the sex lives of anyone, and I cannot wrap my head around people being obsessed and controlling over other people’s sex lives. Though I’m not any of the members of the Supreme Court, either, soooo. 🔥

Anyway. This book was wild and I was finished in like a day. It’s available wherever you get your books.

This was a memoir detailing the firsthand account of a man who lived through “School” as they called it. Not a religious cult, or at least not starting out that way, but more of an ‘enlightenment’ and ‘knowledge’ seeking cult. Taking place in the 80’s and forward to mid 2010’s self help cults weren’t as popular or well known and the author, Spencer Schneider, speaks about his experience being indoctrinated into School. I’m really intrigued by stories about cults. It always amazes me the things cult leaders are able to get their followers to do, or that they’re always able to get so many people to follow them in the first place. The things people are willing to excuse in the name of their belief system always baffles me as well. The process of seemingly intelligent, well meaning people being conditioned to think and act completely different from their character, stripping them of who they were to serve the purpose of the cult leader. This was a really interesting read and I enjoyed hearing the perspective of someone that was in it, lived through it, and thankfully escaped.

*a copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Wow! At one point while reading this book, I had to double check to make sure it was nonfiction, and not fiction. This story is truly unbelievable, and I couldn’t put it down!

I just received this book via NetGalley as an audiobook arc. When I saw the title and read the synopsis, it seemed like an intense cult book. It was definitely a cult book and the author described his experience. However, I really felt it lacking in detail and intensity. Don’t get me wrong, it was interesting. It just wasn’t one of my favorites.

Not gonna lie, I’m not sure if this is an objectively good book, but I can’t resist a good cult story and this is a *good* cult story. I mean horrifying, obviously, but fascinating story.

It took me a little while to get hooked, and the level of insight/self-awareness varies throughout the book (I appreciated that the author was very candid about not knowing why they chose to return after the first meeting, for example). But it’s still an interesting case study of how somebody gets pulled into a group like this.

This was a quick read (listen). I am intrigued by cults and people who join them. His story was interesting and I’m glad he got out. I did feel like there were things that could have been more clear - like why or how did Sharon have/wield so much power over these people. Was she that charismatic? He doesn’t say. It seems like someone had to have been pretty charismatic and touted some great enlightenment to get people to join… but he doesn’t say that. It’s more like they all just joined a club and then couldn’t seem to extricate themselves due to fear. So much fear and coercion.

Breaking up families and suggesting people have extramarital affairs and have sex with people they shouldn’t, was also a theme. As was marrying or divorcing someone just because she said so.

Anyway, it was a good story and it I still liked hearing about yet another cult. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. 4 stars

This was such an interesting narrative. I wasn’t sure what to expect, since I wasn’t familiar with the group being explored- but it was so interesting! I also enjoyed the author’s style, and the narration.

Thank you so much Dreamscape Media & Netgalley!

I didn't enjoy this book and ended up stopping after 20%. It didn't feel engaging and was slow. The narrator was okay though.

An interesting story that of the authors journey from joining, being and leaving a New York City cult. I found this book to be incredibly interesting- I had not heard of “School” or Sharon (the cult and its leader) before, and I found myself immersed in the story. I had an audiobook, and I found the narrator to be very engaging, which is sometime difficult, I’ve found. Well written, a must read for anyone interested in learning about cults/the life of a former cult member.