A definitive and shocking expose that reveals what cults are and how they work. With vital information on how to help people escape cult entrapments and recover from the experience, this book will be an invaluable resource to former cult members. In 1992, Singer (emeritus adjunct, psychology, Univ. of California at Berkeley) unsuccessfully sued the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association, alleging conspiracy to discredit her research and destroy her reputation. That suit and this book hinge on whether Singer's theory of "coercive persuasion" (i.e., nonphysical coercion) is demonstrably valid. Fully a third of this book is a replay of Singer's previous studies and arguments, with the remainder applying her questioned paradigm to cult-associated tragedies. While Midst does present numerous examples of deceptive recruitment and other unethical practices, no new ground is broken. Further, as the title implies, Singer's approach is alarmist and often tabloidesque. Lalich's earlier Captive Hearts, Captive Minds (LJ 7/94) is a better choice, contending with cult-associated problems in a more pragmatic, more substantial, and less hysterical manner. In addition, all libraries should own a copy of J. Gordon Melton's definitive Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America (Garland, 1992. 2d. rev. ed.).?Bill Piekarski, Southwestern Coll. Lib., Chula Vista, Cal. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. Though the title may seem sensational, the book is a well-researched, enlightening introduction to a serious subject. Singer is a clinical psychologist and emeritus adjunct professor at the University of California at Berkeley who has interviewed several thousand former cult members and testified about cults and their "thought reform" tactics; Lalich is a professional writer and former cult member. The strength of Cults in Our Midst is its clear explanation of the nature of cults, how they operate, the threat they pose to individuals, families, and society, and how others can help cult survivors escape and recover. Many types of cultic relationships are considered, from tiny religious or occult groups to the "large group awareness training" programs that have infiltrated workplaces. The book makes key distinctions between New Age ideas and the cults that use these concepts and between types of persuasion, from education to propaganda to cults' manipulative "thought reform." Most Americans, Cults in Our Midst stresses, will be vulnerable to cults at some point in their lives. Includes resource and suggested reading lists. Mary Carroll "The definitive A to Z work on cults.... It would have been a tremAndous resource and comfort to me and my family through our ordeals.'' —Patricia Ryan, daughter of Congressman Leo Ryan, who was assassinated by members of Jim Jones's Peoples Temple "This straightforward overview offers a clear explanation of the nature of cults and the threat they pose to individuals, families, and society. Perhaps the most striking point made here is the contention that most Americans will be vulnerable to cults at some point in their lives." ``Essential reading for all citizens in a free society to learn how even here it is possible to coercively persuade people to give up their freedom and harm themselves and their children in the process.'' —Edgar H. Schein, author of Coercive Persuasion (1961), and professor of management, MIT Sloan School of Management ``Many Americans feel helpless when manipulative, mind-stealing seducers take our children, our parents, our wealth... Singer explains the process, exposes their methods, and strengthens us all.'' —Mike Farrell, actor and producer, member of the board of advisors of the Cult Awareness Network ``Should be read by everyone who wishes to understand the incoherence in the therapeutic movements damaging families and destoying public confidence in mental health professionals. This is a superbly written, carefully detailed, enlightening book.'' —Paul McHugh, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medical School ``Age, education, sophistication, and wealth are not vaccinations against getting involved in a cult.'' —Margaret Singer "The author, an expert on the phenomenon of cults, presents a comprehensive, sobering account of their history and workings." "The author, an expert on the phenomenon of cults, presents a comprehensive, sobering account of their history and workings." —Bulletin og the Menninger Clinic Most people believe that cult members are mentally unbalanced or are misfits who live in remote places, like the doomed devotees of Jim Jones and David Koresh. We take comfort in the fact that the influences of cults are far removed from our everyday lives.Nothing could be further from the truth.Over the past two decades, in the United States alone, an estimated twenty million people have joined cults. Today, three to five thousand cults are working to recruit new membe