A Slice of Orange
Loving and Leaving the Osho/Rajneesh Cult
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Pub Date Dec 8 2026 | Archive Date Dec 15 2026
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Description
A Slice of Orange: Loving and Leaving the Osho/Rajneesh Cult is a tale of spiritual discovery that goes horribly wrong. In search of bliss and belonging, Nicola Ranson travels from her Canadian convent school to India, and then to the cult headquarters in Oregon where she was on security duty when the FBI uncovered the source of the largest domestic bioterrorism attack in modern U.S. history. Forty years later, she shares her deeply personal experiences of the free-love utopia that devolved into conspiracy, poisonings, and attempted murder.
Advance Praise
“Ranson’s memoir is one helluva ride! Revealing, but self-reflective. Chock full of gripping detail."
—Janja Lalich, PhD, Professor Emerita of Sociology, author of Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships
"A Slice of Orange is one of the most evocative, clear-eyed, and empathetic memoirs I've read from Rajneesh's disciples.”
—Russell King, author of Rajneeshpuram: Inside the Cult of Bhagwan and Its Failed American Utopia
"Nicola Ranson's memoir, A Slice of Orange, is wonderful, absorbing, mesmerizing—a gift."
—Satya Franklin, author of The Promise of Paradise: A Woman's Intimate Story of the Perils of Life with Rajneesh
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Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781963115635 |
| PRICE | $25.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 418 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 2 members
Featured Reviews
Lisa R, Reviewer
I thought this book was absolutely fascinating. It's the story of a woman's journey into a cult, out of a cult and finding her way in the "normal" world while still trying to be her authentic self.
It's so fascinating to me how anyone can become so embroiled in a cult. There were so many red flags just explained away that I was starting to question my own reality! The story moved right along and it had a satisfying ending.
The one thing that stood out the most to me was, I'm not sure how to put this, who was talking, Was it today's Nicola or is it in the past Nicola? I felt there were a lot of mixed messages and I wasn't ever really sure how she felt or if she was being sarcastic or ironic? It wasn't until the last third of the book, that I had any clarity on her ACTUAL opinion on things.
I also felt like she told a lot of stories, but never really told THE story. It was all very superficial, the way someone at a 12-Step group makes their introduction. I wanted to know how she was feeling, how the situations affected her in the moment but, there wasn't a lot of that payoff. I also felt like sex was glossed over a LOT when it could have provided a lot of needed context. I'm not sure if that's just how it was or if it's a literary device or what but it was very unsatisfying. I'm really curious about the drug situation because if there weren't a lot of drugs flowing, how do people fall for this? I am genuinely puzzled and don't feel like I have a better understanding of it now.
I wish she had explained the terms better and maybe repeat it a few times. Many of these terms were unfamiliar to me and it took me out of the story to have to look them up.
Still, the book was just a rollercoaster ride! I enjoyed it so much. I vaguely remember hearing of this cult and it's great to hear from an insider to shine some light on how cults work and how they continue to work to this day.