lilybear3's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

I might be a little obsessed about reading cults and MLMs.  I think it's because myself and people outside of them can't fathom how powerful and influential they are on people.  It's a car crash you can't seem to look away from.  What makes this book stand out from others is the fact that Paulson was high up in the MLM scheme.  She is brutally honest about her privilege as a white woman with a heteronormative family, her addiction recovery, and the inner workings of an MLM.

Writing is casual while giving readers information.  At times, it is humorous with little quips, but overall, it is vulnerable and honest.  I also appreciated the design of the cover.  Best of all, the beginning of each chapter had flow chart/pyramid graphic of how her rank and downline continued to grow (and diminish).  Absolutely genius.

While I'm super interested in the topic, objectively, this book is great and should be on everyone's reading list.  I also appreciated that she says people who are in MLMs are simultaneously victims and abusers (may have used a different term, enablers?).  It can seem like only fools would fall for these scams but the scams prey on vulnerable people and use compelling rhetoric.  She says the book isn't to scold people, but to hopefully help them realize the danger these companies are.  In addition, there's a paragraph about how be there for someone you know in an MLM.  Importantly, she has resources for help with MLMs and addiction in the back of the book.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...