{"product_id":"cult-following-the-extreme-sects-that-capture-our-imaginations-and-take-over-our-lives-9781683694120","title":"Cult Following: The Extreme Sects That Capture Our Imaginations--And Take Over Our Lives","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"A must-read.\"--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom weird history expert J. W. Ocker, an eye-popping compendium of the 30 most infamous, audacious, and dangerous cults in history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEverything you've ever wanted to know about history's most notorious cults--and the psychology of the people who join them--is packed into this accessible, engaging volume. Walk in the footsteps of those who were lured into sinister groups from Heaven's Gate to NXIVM. Contents also include: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eLos Narcosat?nicos: \u003c\/b\u003e This group of drug traffickers in 1980s Mexico committed human sacrifice and believed their leader had magic powers.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eBreatharianism: \u003c\/b\u003e Breatharians believe that humans can live on air alone, and their founder claimed to have gone without food for seventeen years.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eOrdo Templi Orientis: \u003c\/b\u003e Members of this mystical cult attempted to conceive and give birth to the Antichrist through sexual rituals.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eRajneesh Movement: \u003c\/b\u003e This spiritual commune committed the largest bioterrorism attack in American history when they contaminated local salad bars with salmonella.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOcker brings his trademark curiosity and wonder to the subject of cults and the terrifying way they attract followers, demonstrating the elasticity of belief, the desperateness of belonging, and the tragedy of trust.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJ. W. (Jason) Ocker \u003c\/b\u003eis an Edgar Award winning travel writer, horror novelist, and blogger. His previous nonfiction books include \u003ci\u003ePoe-Land, The New England Grimpendium\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe New York Grimpendium\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA Season with the Witch, \u003c\/i\u003ethe \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e-reviewed \u003ci\u003eCursed Objects\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe United States of Cryptids\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the creator of the blog and podcast OTIS: Odd Things I've Seen (oddthingsiveseen.com).\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Quirk Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50874857881874,"sku":"9781683694120","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_9805422f-ea73-4c0c-8e99-4b5be5518ac6.jpg?v=1738009099","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/cult-following-the-extreme-sects-that-capture-our-imaginations-and-take-over-our-lives-9781683694120","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}