Cult Following: The Extreme Sects That Capture Our Imaginations-and Take Over Our Lives

“A must-read.”—Publishers Weekly

From weird history expert J. W. Ocker, an eye-popping compendium of the 30 most infamous, audacious, and dangerous cults in history.

Everything 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:

• Los Narcosatánicos: This group of drug traffickers in 1980s Mexico committed human sacrifice and believed their leader had magic powers.
• Breatharianism: Breatharians believe that humans can live on air alone, and their founder claimed to have gone without food for seventeen years.
• Ordo Templi Orientis: Members of this mystical cult attempted to conceive and give birth to the Antichrist through sexual rituals.
• Rajneesh Movement: This spiritual commune committed the largest bioterrorism attack in American history when they contaminated local salad bars with salmonella.

Ocker 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.