At a new age festival in Byron Bay, Australia, German journalist Anke Richter is finding her spiritual awakening when she meets a woman - a survivor of the Centrepoint cult - who will change the course of her life and career.

Over the next ten years, Anke pursued a labyrinthine investigation into how and why cults attract, entrap and destroy otherwise ordinary people, asking what the line is between tribe and cult, participant and perpetrator, seduction and sexual abuse.

From the emotional and criminal carnage of Centrepoint in Auckland, New Zealand, to an anti-cult conference in Manchester, the infamous Osho's ashram in India, the tantric Agama Yoga school in remote Thailand and culminating in a visit to Gloriavale on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island, Anke uncovers a disturbing pattern of violence and suffering.

Cult Trip is a powerful exploration of what really goes on inside the groups we call cults, and how to reckon with their aftermath.

About the Author

Anke Richter is a columnist and reporter. Her investigative and personal features have been published in Die Zeit, Spiegel, FAZ, taz, New Zealand Geographic, North & South, The Spinoff, Canvas and others. She has written three previous books that were published in Germany. She now lives in New Zealand.

Reviews

'Bringing together information from around the globe, Anke Richter pinpoints the internal struggles of those coming out of cults, and the debilitating harm that lingers afterwards'

-- Rachel Bernstein, cult specialist and educator

'Wild stuff. Anke Richter is one of my favourite writers, blurring the line between participant and reporter'

-- David Farrier, journalist behind Dark Tourist and Tickled

'Thorough and compassionate . . . Cult Trip is a brittle, sensitive book'

-- Steve Braunias

'What a book and what a writer! Cult Trip is an incredibly immersive, intense and necessary reading experience put together with doggedness and skill. The stories are heart-rending, told with bravery and care.'

* Noelle McCarthy, author of Grand *

A 'powerful must read'

* Style *

'Cult Trip is incredibly painful and powerful - an eye opener, a tour de force and a call for justice. Those voices of survivors can't be silenced. Thanks to Anke Richter's courage and compassion, they will be heard.'

* Janja Lalich, author of Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships *



Book Information
ISBN 9781802471762
Author Anke Richter
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Ad Lib Publishers Ltd
Publisher Ad Lib Publishers Ltd