Scarred
The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life
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4.3 • 124 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
As seen in the HBO docuseries THE VOW: The shocking and subversive memoir of a 12-year-NXIVM-member-turned-whistleblower, and her inspiring true story of abuse, escape, and redemption.
"'Master, would you brand me? It would be an honor.' From the second I climb onto the table, acutely aware that I am lying in the sweat of my sisters, I will have blocked that out. Lying there completely naked, I am at my most vulnerable but determined to prove my strength. I try to keep my legs closed as my body wills itself to protect my most private area. . . . I tell myself: I am a warrior. I birthed a human. I can handle pain. But nothing could have ever prepared me for the feel of this fire on my skin."
Scarred is Sarah Edmondson's compelling memoir of her recruitment into the NXIVM cult, the 12 years she spent within the organization (during which she enrolled over 2,000 members and entered DOS—NXIVM's "secret sisterhood"), her breaking point, and her harrowing fight to get out, to expose Keith Raniere and the leadership, to help others, and to heal. Complete with personal photographs, Scarred is also an eye-opening story about abuses of power, female trust and friendship, and how sometimes the search to be "better" can override everything else.
• In the tradition of Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman, Escape by Carolyn Jessop, and Troublemaker by Leah Remini
• This tell-all follows Sarah from the moment she takes her first NXIVM seminar, to the invitation she accepts from her best friend, Lauren Salzman, into DOS, to her journey toward become a key witness in the federal case against its founders
• Evokes questions about friendship, ethics, good and evil, making it a brilliant selection for book clubs
Audio edition read by the author.
Customer Reviews
Do it
Very honest, a little slow at first but I think that was deliberate. Over all a good book and a horrible experience. The author took a lot of time making sure you understand how she got from point a to point b and that was eye opening! Worth the read for sure.
Excellent
This is a fantastic account/ time line from Edmonson’s experience within NXIVM. I have read Toni Natalie’s book (phenomenal), India Oxenberg’s (very emotional), and watched the Vow pt 1 and 2, but I still felt the time line and evolution of what the organization ultimately became was very confusing. Sarah lays it out for us in this book, beginning in 2005, speaking thoughtful, clearly, and carefully from her own experience about the facts of what occurred for her but also illuminated the evolution of the programming in the company and the players. Sarah is an incredible, strong woman beyond measure- bravo on writing such a personal raw account of what you lived through Sarah, and I am so glad you are healing and helping others find the path to do the same.
Gripping
This well written and brutally honest story of Sarah’s descent into a dark cult and then her escape is well worth the read. While a gripping tale, it is also tragic. My heart goes out to everyone brutalized by Keith Raniere and NXIVM.