Meet the new cult — same as the old cult. It seems that while cults find new ways to sell their wares, or should I say control, they inevitably end the same way. Namely, every cult eventually becomes a sex cult. OneTaste skipped the beginning and intermediate steps by going directly to sex cult so they get points of some type of innovation.

Ellen Huet tells the story of OneTaste in her exquisitely reported Empire of Orgasm. (Obviously, additional points for the titillating title.) For those unaware of OneTaste, it was founded by a sociopath named Nicole Daedone. Daedone stole the methods of older cults and added a feminist twist. Namely, many introductions to the organization involved full frontal nudity and sexual contact in front of a room full of attendees. Before you think maybe this is just a women trying to win in a man's world, let me assure you that she could be just as despicable as any man. She could, and she did.

Huet writes the type of book I love from a journalist. There is no long diatribes about what Huet thinks. Instead, she did the legwork of talking to everyone who would make themselves available. She tells both sides of the story and is willing to place the responsibility on the reader to decide what is harmless, harmful, and downright sadistic. This is a wonderfully built narrative which makes me want to read anything Huet puts out. There will be plenty of books, documentaries, and podcasts which will only tell you the dirty details. Huet tells you the whole story. That's my favorite.

(This book was provided as a review copy by NetGalley and FSG Books.)

Little did I know that one of my random 2am scrolls through upcoming releases would result in me coming across one of the most engrossing nonfiction books l've read this year! I'm going to assume that future readers (who didn't have prior knowledge of OneTaste (aka me)) will go through a series of thoughts when they come across this book. For me, that thought process was "wow that's a pretty cover! wait... did I just see the word "orgasm"? *scrolls back up to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me* well... definitely didn't imagine that! But what the heck is OneTaste?"

Which then led me to request this book on NetGalley, and I'm so glad I did!

Empire of Orgasm by Ellen Huet completely captivated me from start to finish. I went into this book not knowing anything about OneTaste, and I was blown away by how eye-opening and deeply researched it was. Every single moment of this story had my jaw dropping in disbelief.
Huet's writing is sharp, balanced, and endlessly compelling-she manages to tell a story that's both investigative journalism and human drama. It's disturbing, fascinating, and impossible to put down. I occasionally read chapters out loud to my husband, and he found it to be just as shocking as I did! I found myself thinking about it long after finishing, and I even continued to look up stories and research after I was finished.

This is a must-read for anyone interested in power, consent, and the fine line between empowerment and exploitation A huge thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the eARC!