Nonfiction

Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of Nxivm

Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of Nxivm

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  • Create Date：2021-04-19 15:50:56
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Sarah Berman
  • ISBN：0735237891
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Summary

They draw you in with the promise of empowerment， self-discovery， women helping women。 The more secretive those connections are， the more exclusive you feel。 Little did you know， you just joined a cult。

Sex trafficking。 Self-help coaching。 Forced labour。 Mentorship。 Multi-level marketing。 Gaslighting。 Investigative journalist Sarah Berman explores the shocking practices of NXIVM， a global organization run by Keith Raniere and his high-profile enablers （Seagram heir Clare Bronfman; Smallville actor Allison Mack; Battlestar Galactica actor Nicki Clyne）。 Through the accounts of central NXIVM figures， Berman unravels how young women seeking creative coaching and networking opportunities found themselves blackmailed， literally branded， near-starved， and enslaved。 With the help of the Bronfman fortune Raniere built a wall of silence around these abuses， leveraging the legal system to go after enemies and whistleblowers。

Don't Call It a Cult shows that these abuses looked very different from the inside， where young women initially received mentorship and protection。 Don't Call It a Cult is a riveting account of NXIVM's rise to power， its ability to evade prosecution for decades， and the investigation that finally revealed its dark secrets to the world。 It explores why so many were drawn to its message of empowerment yet could not recognize its manipulative and harmful leader for what he was—a criminal。

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Reviews

Alicia Bayer ，

I am definitely in the minority but I just could not get into this book。 That really surprised me since it was such a bizarre real life story and I was especially drawn to it since my kids and I had watched 9 1/2 seasons of Smallville （star Allison Mack was heavily involved in NXIVM）。 To my surprise， I found it incredibly dull。 Another reviewer described it as "unputdownable" but I found it "unpickupable。" I kept telling myself to just open it and read one more chapter to get closer to finishing I am definitely in the minority but I just could not get into this book。 That really surprised me since it was such a bizarre real life story and I was especially drawn to it since my kids and I had watched 9 1/2 seasons of Smallville （star Allison Mack was heavily involved in NXIVM）。 To my surprise， I found it incredibly dull。 Another reviewer described it as "unputdownable" but I found it "unpickupable。" I kept telling myself to just open it and read one more chapter to get closer to finishing it and being done with it。 Why was it not a hit with me？ First off， there's an incredibly long cast of characters who were nearly impossible for me to keep straight。 There were so many women who were business partners or financial backers or girlfriends or whatever， and I felt like I needed Cliff notes to remember who she was ever talking about。 Secondly， it's incredibly heavy on details。 This goes all the way back to the beginnings and tells you everything that happened， starting with Raniere's college days and the start of the company as some sort of MLM company。 Thirdly， there are no photographs at all。 Berman frequently went to great lengths to describe people， and I found myself hopping out of Kindle to just google them and try to find out what they looked like。 It would have been made so much better with copious photographs， news clippings， etc。 Lastly， it just read like the world's longest article。 It was all terrible stuff that happened to people， and it was just chapter upon chapter of details about it。 Ultimately， this wasn't a book that I enjoyed or would read again。 If you want to know the full history of this *sshole and all the awful stuff these people did， then this will definitely give it to you。I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review。 。。。more

Mary Reagan Richardson （prescribedreads） ，

Don't Call it a Cult takes a deep dive into the inner workings of NXIVM， Keith Raniere， and those closest to them。 The book follows the story from the beginning of Keith Raniere's career in multi level marketing campaigns all the way through his downfall and trial。 This book may be one of the best well done nonfictions I have ever read。 The flow and organization of the facts made it so effortless to follow the story in a very linear way。 It was so easy to follow the facts and， even though there Don't Call it a Cult takes a deep dive into the inner workings of NXIVM， Keith Raniere， and those closest to them。 The book follows the story from the beginning of Keith Raniere's career in multi level marketing campaigns all the way through his downfall and trial。 This book may be one of the best well done nonfictions I have ever read。 The flow and organization of the facts made it so effortless to follow the story in a very linear way。 It was so easy to follow the facts and， even though there were a lot of players in the story， the organization made it easy to follow who was who。 I went into this book thinkin that I knew a lot about NXIVM。 Turns out I did。 However， there was so much more that I did not know。 I kept looking up from reading and looking around the room trying to wrap my brain around how just truly abusive， coercive， and wrong this whole thing it。 The fact that there were women at the top encouraging it too is just baffling to me。 I was mortified， intrigued， floored， and disgusted all at once。 Few books have ever made me feel that way。 This is a must read nonfiction for anyone interested in group think， cults， abuse， or just learning about the worst things humans can do to one another。 。。。more

Ashley Morris ，

This book is long， like really long but I guess what's that happens when you write a book about one of the most insidious cults in the last 20 years。 The author leaves no stone unturned and breaks it up into sections based on the groups history。 A lot of it is common knowledge if you've watched any TV shows or documentaries on NXIVM。 A lot of it is hard to read too， especially when you get to the sexual grooming。 Hopefully in another 20 years we'll look back at this as a text book to learn from This book is long， like really long but I guess what's that happens when you write a book about one of the most insidious cults in the last 20 years。 The author leaves no stone unturned and breaks it up into sections based on the groups history。 A lot of it is common knowledge if you've watched any TV shows or documentaries on NXIVM。 A lot of it is hard to read too， especially when you get to the sexual grooming。 Hopefully in another 20 years we'll look back at this as a text book to learn from our mistakes。 。。。more

Jordan ，

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for an advanced copy of this book， Below is my honest opinion。I remember vague mentions of NXIVM in the news a few years back， but I didn't follow the headlines closely。 I knew there were some actresses， unknown to me， who were in trouble for some type of cult-like activities。 And while I am always fascinated by cults， the sixty-second news clips as the story is unfolding aren't enough。 When I saw this book was coming out I knew I wanted to read all about what a Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for an advanced copy of this book， Below is my honest opinion。I remember vague mentions of NXIVM in the news a few years back， but I didn't follow the headlines closely。 I knew there were some actresses， unknown to me， who were in trouble for some type of cult-like activities。 And while I am always fascinated by cults， the sixty-second news clips as the story is unfolding aren't enough。 When I saw this book was coming out I knew I wanted to read all about what actually happened inside the supposed self-help group。This book was fantastic。 Sarah Berman effortlessly pulled me in with her easy-to-follow writing。 The book starts out with a lengthy cast of characters， which can be intimidating at times。 I worried I wouldn't be able to keep the various people involved straight but it didn't wind up being a problem。 Berman almost never inserted herself into the story unless absolutely necessary which I appreciate so much in a true-crime book。 The research was thorough and the writing was engaging。 I would recommend this book for fans of true crime or readers who are curious about what happened to make so many smart， successful women get involved with an organization that ultimately did more harm than good。 Beware that some of the content is difficult to read， however。 There was a good amount of abuse， manipulation， and harm that occurred。 The subject matter may be triggering to some readers but is also necessary to the story。 。。。more

Bob Lingle ，

Just finished reading Sarah Berman’s， Don’t Call it a Cult， ahead of our event with Sarah next week。 If you thought a 9 hour HBO docu-series， and a 4 hour Starz docu-series gave you everything you needed to know about NXIVM。。。 you’d be wrong。Well researched， and well presented。 This story will take you down a rabbit hole。

Lauren Archer ，

This is the in depth story of the women of the NXIVM organization。 Over last summer HBO and Starz both released in-depth documentaries on NXIVM， both focused mostly on the same players that brought the cult down。 This book has a similar focus， with a much more in-depth look at the sub-group DOS。When I first started learning about them， they identified as Executive Success Program which businesses would invest in their methods for their employees。 I could totally see why people would want to inve This is the in depth story of the women of the NXIVM organization。 Over last summer HBO and Starz both released in-depth documentaries on NXIVM， both focused mostly on the same players that brought the cult down。 This book has a similar focus， with a much more in-depth look at the sub-group DOS。When I first started learning about them， they identified as Executive Success Program which businesses would invest in their methods for their employees。 I could totally see why people would want to invest more time in them。 Then this group quickly moves into what I think is completely deranged， because their leader is now serving a 120 year sentence for sex-trafficking。What these women were subjected to， is nothing but vile， having to take nude pictures of themselves， engage in sexual acts with multiple partners， call themselves slaves， and brand themselves is just the start of all the issues that occurred。Sarah Berman is slightly late to the game with this story。 For me， this did not add much that I was not already aware of。 For people that have not engaged in the documentaries， this book definitely gives justice to what occurred to the women by being members of this cult。 This book lays everything out there， and is extremely graphic， but it is an important story to tell。Thank you NetGalley and Steerforth Press for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Fran ，

I know what you are thinking。。。 "I've watched the documentaries， read both Oxenberg and Edmondson's books。 Do I really need ANOTHER book on NXIVM？" Yes， yes you do。 This book written by an investigative journalist gives so many more tales and sides of the story that have been left out of the other books and shows。 This is a thorough telling of the start of NXIVM， giving more insight into the real Reniere， and the deception involved to be able to trap a woman trapped in the room for 2 years and s I know what you are thinking。。。 "I've watched the documentaries， read both Oxenberg and Edmondson's books。 Do I really need ANOTHER book on NXIVM？" Yes， yes you do。 This book written by an investigative journalist gives so many more tales and sides of the story that have been left out of the other books and shows。 This is a thorough telling of the start of NXIVM， giving more insight into the real Reniere， and the deception involved to be able to trap a woman trapped in the room for 2 years and start DOS。 If you are a fan of true crime or cult genre books， this one is definitely worth a read。 。。。more

Amy Zmolek ，

3。5 Stars

Annie ，

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Don't Call It a Cult is a well written journalistic examination of the often lurid and sordid facts surrounding Keith Raniere and NXIVM。 Due out 20th April 2021 from Steerforth Press， it's 336 pages and will be available in paperback， audio， and ebook formats。 I vaguely remember reading about the various trials surrounding NXIVM and Raniere。 I have never been much of a true-crime reader， so I came into this read mostly ignorant of the situation， b Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Don't Call It a Cult is a well written journalistic examination of the often lurid and sordid facts surrounding Keith Raniere and NXIVM。 Due out 20th April 2021 from Steerforth Press， it's 336 pages and will be available in paperback， audio， and ebook formats。 I vaguely remember reading about the various trials surrounding NXIVM and Raniere。 I have never been much of a true-crime reader， so I came into this read mostly ignorant of the situation， background， and facts of the cases。 Sarah Berman is very capable and writes simply and convincingly。 Although the book is meticulously annotated and supported with references throughout， it's accessible and understandable。 I didn't feel that the author had an agenda and she didn't sensationalize the facts of the case （which are pretty shocking on that scale）。 To me， NXIVM was even more remarkable for the vast scope of all the intertwined aspects and arms of the organization and also for the wealth and resources of its adherents。 It's sobering to think that no matter how intelligent， well educated， or self-sufficient we are， no matter what economic advantages we have， we can all be manipulated and hoodwinked by charismatic and unscrupulous people/media。 The author presents the material factually and baldly， without flowery language or overemphasis。 In my case that made the subject matter even more forceful: "It was uncomfortable imagining the words What was it like being branded？ coming out of my mouth， but I knew I had to get there somehow"。 Many of the interviews which she relates make for uncomfortable reading and were related in such a direct way that it took my breath away。 The book includes a dramatis personae at the front to keep the primary players straight。 The author has also done a good job with the annotations and the chapter notes and bibliography will keep readers busy for a long time。Well done book。 Uncomfortable reading in places though。 Potential trigger warnings for sensitive readers: discussions on psychosexual torture and manipulation。 Four stars。Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more

Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell ，

Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || PinterestI remember following the NXIVM story on my phone after work。 On packed buses and trains， I'd read the BuzzFeed articles that seemed to be "breaking" every day。 It came as a huge blow because I used to be a huge fan of Allison Mack and Smallville， and I couldn't help feeling that instinctive betrayal you feel as a fan when someone whose work you used to admire and admire ends up showing to you， their now ex-fan， that they aren't exactly a Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || PinterestI remember following the NXIVM story on my phone after work。 On packed buses and trains， I'd read the BuzzFeed articles that seemed to be "breaking" every day。 It came as a huge blow because I used to be a huge fan of Allison Mack and Smallville， and I couldn't help feeling that instinctive betrayal you feel as a fan when someone whose work you used to admire and admire ends up showing to you， their now ex-fan， that they aren't exactly a model human being。DON'T CALL IT A CULT is an investigative journalist's story on the NXIVM cult， headed by Keith Raniere。 Even though the involvement of B-list celebrities and the Seagram heiresses ended up blowing up the story and providing a hook for many， the focus of the story is primarily on Raniere and the women he abused。 We see the origins of NXIVM and Raniere's more aggressive tactics at recruiting and ill-treatment of the women he took into his fold， closing with the court case and prosecution of Raniere and those in his inner-circle。I'm not really sure what to say about this book。 It was fascinating and I read through it in just a few hours （once again， this review is dedicated to my cat; I wouldn't get as much reading done if she weren't there to make it so I can't get up）， but it was also a really difficult read because of what some of these women had to endure。 I guess I find it hard to get into the mindset of someone for whom a cult would be appealing-- but I guess that's almost the point。 Cults appeal to people who are vulnerable and impressionable and made to feel as if they don't belong。I definitely appreciate all the work that went into putting together this story。 If you want the deets on NXIVM， this is a pretty cohesive story。Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review！3。5 to 4 stars 。。。more

Sue ，

I knew about Nxivm due to being headquartered in Albany。 I followed the trial a bit as I was intrigued by the people involved （actresses & trust fund girls）。 I had no idea the inner workings and how former members finally got themselves out & involved in the prosecution of Raniere （who referred to himself as the smartest person in the world）。

Nikki ，

Wow。 Just wow。 This book is chock full of all the craziness you ever wanted to know about NXIVM & Keith Raniere， the mastermind behind the cult。 Wait。 You can't call it a cult， though， or you could get sued。 Or have your life ruined。 Or your finances。 Or be deported。 Or any number of things that seem too unbelievable to have happened to normal people。 It seems strange how people can even get roped into something like this。 It all started as a MLM （multi-level marketing） scheme and went from ther Wow。 Just wow。 This book is chock full of all the craziness you ever wanted to know about NXIVM & Keith Raniere， the mastermind behind the cult。 Wait。 You can't call it a cult， though， or you could get sued。 Or have your life ruined。 Or your finances。 Or be deported。 Or any number of things that seem too unbelievable to have happened to normal people。 It seems strange how people can even get roped into something like this。 It all started as a MLM （multi-level marketing） scheme and went from there。 And Keith Raniere doesn't seem like someone who could get thousands of people to believe in him and his malarcky。 But he did。 They did。 There was even a "sorority" that branded his initials onto their bodies。 Crazy。This book was fascinating and I don't even understand how the author/journalist sleeps at night after researching something like this subject。 *Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC。* 。。。more

Teresa ，

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Don't Call it a Cult by Sarah Berman。If you enjoyed The Vow， or Seduced， then get yourself comfy and hunker down with Berman's other deep dive into the history of the NXIVM cult， founded by Keith Raniere。I honestly can't get enough about this cult。 It absolutely blows my mind， and maybe the fascination with cults in general is how we see ourselves， and our own potential to get pulled into a high control group without being able to see the obvious harms that it Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Don't Call it a Cult by Sarah Berman。If you enjoyed The Vow， or Seduced， then get yourself comfy and hunker down with Berman's other deep dive into the history of the NXIVM cult， founded by Keith Raniere。I honestly can't get enough about this cult。 It absolutely blows my mind， and maybe the fascination with cults in general is how we see ourselves， and our own potential to get pulled into a high control group without being able to see the obvious harms that it is perpetuating。 Keith Raniere has years and years of fraud， grifting， predatory behavior， sexual assault， and emotional abuse/manipulation under his belt。 It's amazing how one man can get away with so much when he surrounds himself with strong women who believe in him so strongly。 It's patriarchal abuse and narcissism as it's very worst， and it makes me sick。 Yet somehow， I just can't look away。A giant "brava" to Berman for her story telling skills， and ability to shine a glaring light on things that were kept in the dark for far too long。 I don't care what anyone says， journalism has definitely saved people。 。。。more

Amy Dendy ，

Don’t Call It a Cult is the story of the NXIVM cult and the ordeals endured by its participants and members。 Award winning investigative journalist Bergman takes us on a journey of learning the horrors bestowed onto these members by the leader Ranier and his chosen connectors/traffickers。。。 You will be amazed to learn some of the participants of this group。 It is a true to life story， that will remind of what you have only seen in movies！

Darian Hailes ，

~*~ Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 ~*~I would give this 4。5 stars if I could。I went into this book knowing the Cliffnotes of the NXIVM cult， namely the outcome and some of the celebrity relations。 This book does a good job of laying it all out in a way that is very easy to consume and kind of reads like a long form blog。 It is articulate and handles some of the more sensitive topics gracefully。 I believe it suffers from a lack of organization that I cannot say is completely the books fault。 It ~*~ Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 ~*~I would give this 4。5 stars if I could。I went into this book knowing the Cliffnotes of the NXIVM cult， namely the outcome and some of the celebrity relations。 This book does a good job of laying it all out in a way that is very easy to consume and kind of reads like a long form blog。 It is articulate and handles some of the more sensitive topics gracefully。 I believe it suffers from a lack of organization that I cannot say is completely the books fault。 It seems hard to wrangle the mind of Raniere in a linear way， as he did not appear to be a linear guy。 I would have liked the stories broken up into categories maybe since there is so much overlap between the women that experienced them。 Also， this book might have benefited from a timeline at the beginning since these crimes were committed over the course of multiple decades。 Lastly， I would suggest anyone who is reading this to watch the docu series， The Vow on HBO。 These two properties have differing intentions （with the book doing a much better job of laying out the facts）， but I found it easier to piece together the people once I was able to put a face to a name。 。。。more

Carol Campbell ，

"They draw you in with the promise of empowerment， self-discovery， women helping women。 The more secretive those connections are， the more exclusive you feel。 Little did you know， you just joined a cult。"In Don’t Call It A Cult， Sarah Berman provides readers with a fascinating yet frightening and sometimes unimaginable account of NXIVM。 Before reading this book， I had read a brief news article or two about NXIVM but nothing that would prepare me for what I learned by reading this book。 I was com "They draw you in with the promise of empowerment， self-discovery， women helping women。 The more secretive those connections are， the more exclusive you feel。 Little did you know， you just joined a cult。"In Don’t Call It A Cult， Sarah Berman provides readers with a fascinating yet frightening and sometimes unimaginable account of NXIVM。 Before reading this book， I had read a brief news article or two about NXIVM but nothing that would prepare me for what I learned by reading this book。 I was completely blown away by the levels of manipulation and coercion as it seemed to permeate the entire organization。 The fact that Raniere’s strategy was getting women in the organization， making them ‘his’ and then when he had complete control over them， he was able to have them perpetuate the abuse on other women – is sickening and psychologically damaging to all of the women。 Don't Call it a Cult is an easy read but not necessarily a light read。 Well-written and thoroughly researched。 Highly recommended if you enjoy cults or true crime。 #DontCallitaCult #NetGalley 。。。more

Victoria ，

Thanks to Steerforth Press， Netgalley and Edelweiss for providing this ARC。 This is a great companion to the HBO series about NXVIM。 This book is well reported and provides more in depth explanations for the willingness of the women involved and gives much greater insight into the methods of control used by Keith Raniere and his closest associates。 Recommended for anyone interested in this story。

Tai ，

Wow。 Just wow。 I was aware of NXIVM， but this situation is considerably deeper than I thought。 Sarah Berman does a wonderful job of weaving the story in a way that isn't overwhelming。 If you were to look at the history of Keith Raniere， it would not be what would be called linear。 He was weaving lies on top of lies and building a very large web。 In this Berman compares him to a spider luring prey in and trapping it。 That couldn't be more accurate。 I'm glad that the author did such a good job rep Wow。 Just wow。 I was aware of NXIVM， but this situation is considerably deeper than I thought。 Sarah Berman does a wonderful job of weaving the story in a way that isn't overwhelming。 If you were to look at the history of Keith Raniere， it would not be what would be called linear。 He was weaving lies on top of lies and building a very large web。 In this Berman compares him to a spider luring prey in and trapping it。 That couldn't be more accurate。 I'm glad that the author did such a good job representing the victims and their many stories。 There's a consistent theme between the victims but she makes sure to make all the victims people。 This was very well written and put together。 There is ample information and resources cited。 I loved reading this， honestly。 It gives off the true crime/cult vibes but has considerably less murder。 。。。more

Meghan PageUs ，

I have a long standing fascination with cults and this is the first time I have taken the time to read a non fiction book on one。 I had not expected such richness in examination of the patterns， behaviors， and relationships that were a part of this cult and as I read I felt I had a strong understanding of the years of events that lead to the much more recent media attention to Nxivm。 I think most astonishing （or not）， or at least what I reflected on the most with friends， was how many women were I have a long standing fascination with cults and this is the first time I have taken the time to read a non fiction book on one。 I had not expected such richness in examination of the patterns， behaviors， and relationships that were a part of this cult and as I read I felt I had a strong understanding of the years of events that lead to the much more recent media attention to Nxivm。 I think most astonishing （or not）， or at least what I reflected on the most with friends， was how many women were involved in recruitment of other women， their involvement in emotional and other abuse towards other women and victims/slaves; the capacity of people to hurt others is a theme I was left to ponder as I stepped back from what was uncovered in this investigation and in other legal proceedings。I found the in depth investigative examination of Nxivm to be highly engaging and to have the depth， and external analysis， I thought was lacking in documentaries and long form reporting on this cult。 As a lecturer in psychology I also found the examination of underlying themes with cults， the "Mega Society IQ test， and recruiting/gaslighting and manipulation to be a really necessary and useful aspect of the book; I can see myself perhaps even using some of the material on the IQ test to explain a concept or two in a class I teach on measurement issues （nerdy but true statement）。 Though academically I valued this aspect to the writing， as I reader I also appreciated the inclusion of more than just interviews as it allowed the reader to also step back from just participants and victims， to see how to place these people and this group as a whole in a larger context of pathological and harmful behavior and to appreciate that research and theory can also help understand， intervene， and assess cults。 As I finished reading the book I found myself wondering， in response to how long Raniere got away with his harmful behaviors， what is happening now， who is the next person I will be reading about in another investigative piece in five or ten years？ Who right now is being victimized？ 。。。more

Leah ，

Absolutely solid and captivating investigative journalism here。 Berman has so clearly done incredible research and sticks to the points she has been able to substantiate and delve into。 The number of layers to this scheme was such a huge rabbit hole for me and it makes me so intrigued to learn more。 I had heard bits and pieces about NXIVM in the news and through cult documentaries and such， but there was so much here I had absolutely no idea about。 The layers of coercion and manipulation far exc Absolutely solid and captivating investigative journalism here。 Berman has so clearly done incredible research and sticks to the points she has been able to substantiate and delve into。 The number of layers to this scheme was such a huge rabbit hole for me and it makes me so intrigued to learn more。 I had heard bits and pieces about NXIVM in the news and through cult documentaries and such， but there was so much here I had absolutely no idea about。 The layers of coercion and manipulation far exceeded the complexity I had anticipated。 The treatment of women described in this book is mindblowing sadistic--both physically and especially psychologically--and yet there is much that is also glossed over。 The biggest thing about this book that stood out to me is that Berman's descriptions of cult members are respectful and dignified。 Berman talked to women involved in NXIVM， not to further exploit them for the a story， but to truly understand what they experienced and tell the whole truth。 She talked about how they were duped and always at a disadvantage， rather than portraying them as gullible or desperate， as is often the case in discussing members of cults。 She also did highlight how young a lot of these women were and how vulnerable that made them。Don't Call it a Cult is also not a profile of Raniere （although he is obviously discussed at length throughout）。 He is not the main character and it's not about trying to understand him; it's about understanding what these women went through and how sickening this abuse was。 In a world where Raniere has constructed himself at the center， Berman disrupts that dynamic in a really refreshing way as she recounts the horrors he imposed on these women。 She focuses on how women got sucked into participating in and perpetuating this abuse on other women， and how damaging that was to everyone involved。 She also doesn't focus at length on white celebrities like Allison Mack， and instead dives at length into atrocities against undocumented Latina immigrants like "Daniela" and her family。 The second-biggest thing that I appreciated about Don't Call it a Cult is the way Berman situates her story in the broader social context。 She discusses NXIVM in the context of #MeToo and the way Raniere could get away with crimes like these for so long because of bias in our justice system （although I think the latter was practically a throwaway comment and should have been explored in more depth）。 She makes a point of highlighting the discretion of the judge during Raniere's trial to interrupt misogynistic and sadistic dynamics in his courtroom that were employed in the name of giving Raniere a fair trial。 There is one reference to the Milgram experiment （which I guess is kind of a requirement for discussing a cult）， but the rest of the book is situated in a very contemporary way， which to me seemed very important because these are such recent events。My only complaints are that there were moments where I was really left wanting more information， and that it was chronologically difficult to follow at times。 By the end， I understood a lot better what had happened and when， but as I was going through I was constantly confused about what year it was and which woman's perspective I was getting。 And it just leaves me with an overall feeling that there is so much more to this story。Much thanks to NetGalley and Steerforth Press for the eARC！ 。。。more

Lindsey ，

I got this book from Net Galley。 I went into it not knowing much about NXIVM， and I think that wasn't the expectation because I had a hard time following the timeline and remembering who was who。 It was organized more as a deep dive rather than a primer。 It was still fascinating but I'd probably have enjoyed it more if I'd listened to the podcast about NXIVM first。 I got this book from Net Galley。 I went into it not knowing much about NXIVM， and I think that wasn't the expectation because I had a hard time following the timeline and remembering who was who。 It was organized more as a deep dive rather than a primer。 It was still fascinating but I'd probably have enjoyed it more if I'd listened to the podcast about NXIVM first。 。。。more

Paperbackwitches ，

This book is an in depth look at cults， and how they are able to present themselves to people as positive forces in the world。 I was hooked on each page， and completely aghast at the actions of human beings。 Overall this has been added to my list of favorite nonfictions。 It is made up of interviews， personal accounts， and factual reports。 I have previously not read anything on this particular cult， and was completely taken aback at the extremity of a cult that had penetrated the rich and famous。 This book is an in depth look at cults， and how they are able to present themselves to people as positive forces in the world。 I was hooked on each page， and completely aghast at the actions of human beings。 Overall this has been added to my list of favorite nonfictions。 It is made up of interviews， personal accounts， and factual reports。 I have previously not read anything on this particular cult， and was completely taken aback at the extremity of a cult that had penetrated the rich and famous。 This novel was written with taste and sensitivity， and did not victim blame or hold any obvious opinions。 It is a factual account， and a complex one at that。 I would recommend this book highly！I want to sincerely thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me chance to review this ARC。 I will be purchasing it！ 。。。more

Ellen Gail ，

Unputdownable and fantastically written。 Easily five stars and likely one of the best nonfiction reads of 2021。 "NXIVM was all about teaching people how to be more honest， honorable， forthcoming， and genuine。 So nobody ever expected that the leadership were all liars。"Nonfiction written by investigative journalists is pretty consistently at the top of the pack。 （See Catch and Kill: Lies， Spies， and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators， Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup， and Unputdownable and fantastically written。 Easily five stars and likely one of the best nonfiction reads of 2021。 "NXIVM was all about teaching people how to be more honest， honorable， forthcoming， and genuine。 So nobody ever expected that the leadership were all liars。"Nonfiction written by investigative journalists is pretty consistently at the top of the pack。 （See Catch and Kill: Lies， Spies， and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators， Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup， and The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine， Madness， and Murder， among others。）I also find cults fascinating - I mean， who wouldn't？ So I knew just from a glance at the cover of Don't Call it a Cult that I was in for something great。If you haven't heard of Keith Raniere and / or NXIVM， I'm not going to try to summarize it here， because I can't really。 It's an expansive organization that grew across years and continents， and involved everything from leadership seminars and tax evasion， to abuse and slavery。 And that's just scratching the surface。 There's really no way for me to write an easy， readable review detailing what you're in for。 I think that's why this book felt so necessary to me; a case this complicated and multifaceted is hard to reduce down to a catchy narrative or a quick summary。 This story needed to be able to stretch out across over 300 pages， to give voice to Rainere's many victims and dimension to the trauma so many both suffered and inflicted。It's wonderfully written， both in style and technicality。 I love the number of primary sources Sarah Berman was able to include。 I also really liked how balanced the narrative was。 There were plenty of times when Berman had to drop her 'voice' so to speak， and just let the facts speak for themselves。 This would smoothly transition into sections where Berman was an active participant in the story， detailing the intricacies of interviews and fighting paranoia。It also doesn't ignore the larger context these events happened in。 You can't talk about NXIVM and Rainere without also looking at the Weinstein case that crashed into public awareness almost simultaneously， along with the #metoo movement in general。 The story itself can't be separated from the wider concepts of consent and compliance， white romanticization of slavery， and our universal psychological need for inclusion。Don't Call it a Cult isn't a light read， but it's one that feels honest and important。 It's not here to shock the reader or exploit the victims， giving the so-called "gory details" with a careful deftness and sensitivity that I appreciated。 It's completely compelling without having to be sensationalist。If you enjoy true crime， cults， or just thoroughly researched， well written nonfiction， Don't Call it a Cult needs to be on your radar。Quote taken from drc and may appear differently in the final version。Big thanks to Edelweiss and Steerforth Press for the review copy！ 。。。more

Jill ，

5 starsDon't Call it a Cultby Sarah BermanThis is an incredibly well-written and remarkably in-depth researched look at the horror of what was NXIVM。 The insidiousness of Keith Raniere and even Mack is hard to fathom。Is Allison Mack really sorry or just sorry she got caught？ Why and how are people still following this man？ The atrociously horrific things he got parents to do to their own children and women to other women is mind-boggling。This is a book that I will not soon forget。 If you ever wa 5 starsDon't Call it a Cultby Sarah BermanThis is an incredibly well-written and remarkably in-depth researched look at the horror of what was NXIVM。 The insidiousness of Keith Raniere and even Mack is hard to fathom。Is Allison Mack really sorry or just sorry she got caught？ Why and how are people still following this man？ The atrociously horrific things he got parents to do to their own children and women to other women is mind-boggling。This is a book that I will not soon forget。 If you ever wanted a look at the inner workings of a cult then， this is the book for you。 Berman has written an incredible， readable and utterly unputdownable book。 Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the NXIVM story is Raniere is how he made himself out to be some sort of all-powerful guru yet this is not a religious cult in any way。 I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley。 。。。more

Christen ，

If you have seen The Vow， then this book is easy to understand。 If you haven't watched any of the documentaries or haven't been following along， this book does explain well， but it feels like reporting and not telling the story。It's full of information not mentioned in the documentaries and from what I haven't read， so I found that interesting。 It was the stories about Mexico。 I wished the author spent more time building the backstories， so some of the things she wrote about were vague。 This is If you have seen The Vow， then this book is easy to understand。 If you haven't watched any of the documentaries or haven't been following along， this book does explain well， but it feels like reporting and not telling the story。It's full of information not mentioned in the documentaries and from what I haven't read， so I found that interesting。 It was the stories about Mexico。 I wished the author spent more time building the backstories， so some of the things she wrote about were vague。 This is an ARC， so perhaps the author will finesse it a bit before publication。But overall， an easy to read but quick history and downfall of NXIVM。I received an ARC from Edelweiss and Steerforth。 。。。more

Amy Phelps ，

Very interesting book。

Valerity （Val） ，

This book turned out to be very thorough on the subject， which has been bouncing around the news for quite a few years now。 It seemed that no matter how much I tried to ignore it at first， it still managed to capture my attention with the more and more bizarre stories that kept coming out。 I thought I knew quite a bit for an interested reader， but I found that there was much more to it as I got further into it。I think most are fairly familiar with the Executive Success Program， which later becam This book turned out to be very thorough on the subject， which has been bouncing around the news for quite a few years now。 It seemed that no matter how much I tried to ignore it at first， it still managed to capture my attention with the more and more bizarre stories that kept coming out。 I thought I knew quite a bit for an interested reader， but I found that there was much more to it as I got further into it。I think most are fairly familiar with the Executive Success Program， which later became NXIUM。 When stories started coming out at long last， they were almost afraid to go after the story too hard and make them angry because of the money and power that had been amassed。 They were known for suing those who didn’t please them， or running a campaign of harassment。 But the more that was found out and then confirmed， about rumors of cult-like behaviors behind the secrecy， and worse， drove it to become a huge story。 After a couple of insiders left the group and compared notes， it became clear that there was a serious problem。For anyone with an interest in this group and what happened， this is an excellent source of information to learn about it。 It’s amazing， the amount of details that seemed to have come out at the trial， and all of the craziness that was going on。 Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley， author Sarah Berman， and the publisher。 。。。more

A Yusuf ，

This is a most-excellent book， and you can tell the author has put in a lot of blood， sweat and tears into conveying a most sensitive and tragic set of stories， and affording dignity to the voices and lives that have been affected。 I'm not typically a non-fiction reader， but this book has moved me to encourage others to pick up and get a copy too。 This is a most-excellent book， and you can tell the author has put in a lot of blood， sweat and tears into conveying a most sensitive and tragic set of stories， and affording dignity to the voices and lives that have been affected。 I'm not typically a non-fiction reader， but this book has moved me to encourage others to pick up and get a copy too。 。。。more

Jeff ，

Don’t Call It A Cult is the sickening， sordid story of the NXIVM organization and its leader Keith Raniere。 The book is apparently well researched and meticulously detailed， although it can get a little bogged down with the voluminous amount of information。 The author does a good job as she walks you through the founding of the organization and its hierarchy， as well as the uncomfortable and despicable crimes committed by the defendants。 I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through Don’t Call It A Cult is the sickening， sordid story of the NXIVM organization and its leader Keith Raniere。 The book is apparently well researched and meticulously detailed， although it can get a little bogged down with the voluminous amount of information。 The author does a good job as she walks you through the founding of the organization and its hierarchy， as well as the uncomfortable and despicable crimes committed by the defendants。 I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Stephanie ，

Fascinating and terrifying look into a twisted story。 Even if you have watched the recent documentaries or listened to the podcasts， there's much that is added to the puzzle。 Fascinating and terrifying look into a twisted story。 Even if you have watched the recent documentaries or listened to the podcasts， there's much that is added to the puzzle。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of Nxivm

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of Nxivm&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of Nxivm&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0