Rating: 
Summary: A thoughtful and thorough look at mind-control techniques
Review: First of all, in response to those reviewers who argue that "all religions practice mind control" and "Hassan is against freedom of religion," I would like to point out that Hassan states very plainly that just because a group is not mainstream does not make it a cult. He provides very detailed, specific criteria as to what makes a cult (including deception, attempts to isolate people from their friends and family, refusal to let members leave, and pronounced control of information), and also includes a handy checklist of questions to ask potential cult recruiters, including "Does your group practice deception?" "Is your group considered controversial and if so, why?" and "Tell me three things you don't like about your group and your leader." As Hassan states, legitimate organizations will be honest about their motives, and members of legitimate organizations should be able to discuss their group's failings as well as its strengths. Hassan is not out to demonize religion in general, nor (as he states) are all cults necessarily religious in nature.
Hassan provides an excellent breakdown of the dynamics of cults, beginning with his own experience being recruited by the Moonies. Dissatisfied with his own experience of being "kidnapped" and deprogrammed (though he readily concedes that it was, overall, a beneficial experience), he has developed a less-drastic approach to counseling members out of cults, based around attempts to reactivate the original personality underneath the cult one (his own mention of how the sight of his father's tears provided the first step on his road to leaving the Moonies is touching and convincing). As previously mentioned, he offers warning signs that a group might be cultish, provides detailed, common-sense advice for how to deal with family members who might have been indoctrinated, and offers advice for former cult members who are attempting to readjust to life in normal society.
While Hassan mentions that not all cults are religious in nature, he spends most of his time dealing with religious ones, except for brief mentions of psychotherapeutic cults. I was a little disappointed by this, since I found the notion of non-religious cults fascinating and would have liked to see more of an exploration of the differences, if any, between religious and non-religious cults. This is an area I wish he had explored in more depth. Hassan's discussions of Satanic cults, while brief, also clearly date the book to the late '80s/early '90s, during which the "Satanic Panic" was at its height.
Overall, however, this is an excellent introduction to the phenomenon of cults and mind control, and I would recommend this to anyone interested in the subject, for whatever reason.
Rating:
Summary: This book SAVES LIVES!
Review: For four years I was a member of America's worse, criminal, abusive mind control organization (Scientology). During my fourth year I began to "wake up" from what Steve Hassen calls "the honeymoon phase," and I went seeking information about what had happened to me. I am highly intelligent, so my falling for a criminal cult was mystifying: Hassen's book helped explain what happened to me (and so many others), and was key to my emotional and physical recovery.PLEASE, if you or a loved one is involved in a mind control culyt, I highly recommend that you read this book. It is now cionsidered a classic, and has undoubtidly helped untold thousands.
Rating: 
Summary: A interesting (and very biased) book
Review: Hassan's book was my first contact with the literature about "cults". It was an easy and very interesting reading. Everything was so reasonable! I was stunned about the danger of mind control... If it was so easy to "brainwash" people, how would our future be? Fortunately, I have made some research about the theme in the Internet and have found a lot of others opinions and more reliable information. If you want to buy this book, don't take it at face value. It's very well-written, has some good anecdotes, but the "science" behind the idea of mind control (the very essence of the book) is VERY questionable and has never survived a close scrutiny by social scientists. Neither the Anti-Cult "scientists" (e.g. Margareth Singer) have ever proved in a satisfactory manner that mind control really exists and is practiced by every minor religion. Hassan, himself an ex-member of Moon's Unification Church who was "deprogrammed", really believes that a good number of gurus abroad the world (many of them without a formal education) has achieved mastery of highly intrusive and sophisticated techniques of behavioral change and hipnosis. Nevertheless this miraculous talent, the number of theirs followers, according to many scholars, has decreased significantly along the years. Even the Unification Church has not as many members as it should, given their "mind control" tactics. Moreover, there are many "cultists" who leave the cult spontaneously, without any need of deprogramming. Curiously, it's the "deprogrammed" people, like Hassan himself, who blame the cults as uniquely responsible for their illusions and religious mistakes. Very comfortable, indeed. So, if you want to be well informed about the cult issue, take care. Do not read only one or two sensationalistic books, don't trust alarming theological pamphlets. Instead, read academic studies, compare the authors' backgrounds, use the Web, talk to people, look for the sources of information of each good book you read. And always keep in mind that the world is not just black and white; many areas are in gray... Then, just then, take your conclusions and good luck. I apologize for any errors; my English is a bit out of shape, but I think it's readable.
Rating:
Summary: A interesting (and very biased) book
Review: Hassan's book was my first contact with the literature about "cults". It was an easy and very interesting reading. Everything was so reasonable! I was stunned about the danger of mind control... If it was so easy to "brainwash" people, how would our future be? Fortunately, I have made some research about the theme in the Internet and have found a lot of others opinions and more reliable information. If you want to buy this book, don't take it at face value. It's very well-written, has some good anecdotes, but the "science" behind the idea of mind control (the very essence of the book) is VERY questionable and has never survived a close scrutiny by social scientists. Neither the Anti-Cult "scientists" (e.g. Margareth Singer) have ever proved in a satisfactory manner that mind control really exists and is practiced by every minor religion. Hassan, himself an ex-member of Moon's Unification Church who was "deprogrammed", really believes that a good number of gurus abroad the world (many of them without a formal education) has achieved mastery of highly intrusive and sophisticated techniques of behavioral change and hipnosis. Nevertheless this miraculous talent, the number of theirs followers, according to many scholars, has decreased significantly along the years. Even the Unification Church has not as many members as it should, given their "mind control" tactics. Moreover, there are many "cultists" who leave the cult spontaneously, without any need of deprogramming. Curiously, it's the "deprogrammed" people, like Hassan himself, who blame the cults as uniquely responsible for their illusions and religious mistakes. Very comfortable, indeed. So, if you want to be well informed about the cult issue, take care. Do not read only one or two sensationalistic books, don't trust alarming theological pamphlets. Instead, read academic studies, compare the authors' backgrounds, use the Web, talk to people, look for the sources of information of each good book you read. And always keep in mind that the world is not just black and white; many areas are in gray... Then, just then, take your conclusions and good luck. I apologize for any errors; my English is a bit out of shape, but I think it's readable.
Rating:
Summary: This should be required reading in high school.
Review: I am a mental health professional and also the relative of someone who was taken in - so carefully, so subtly, so lovingly,that other family members STILL think, after 20 years, that my brother, a neurosurgeon, wants to be in the caves that you hear about....Too bad he hadn't read this book.
Rating:
Summary: An informative and easy to read book
Review: I found Steve Hassan's book on Cult Mind control both interesting and informative. His overview of the major techniques of mind control and manipulation via true life tales kept my interest until the very end. I'd recommend this book to anyone who may come in contact with any shady organizations. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Crispy details of mind controls techniques
Review: I loved the book. The book is very precise, very clear and has many examples. I am not an (ex)member of any cult, I am a Roman-Catholic person, but this book opened my eyes to our modern world of 'supermarked of beliefs'. I advice it to everybody supporting anti-cults, ex-members and parents and friends of cult members. Drugs, AIDS and Criminality are a problem today, and so are destructive cults.
Rating:
Summary: He was talking about me!
Review: I read this book about 3 months after being "exit counseled" out of the Church of Christ (the International Church of Christ, not the traditional churches with buildings). As Hassan started describing his experience in the Moonies, it sounded exactly like what had happened to me.
If a cult group has ever affected you, this book will help you to understand what they did to you. It will also help you learn to pause and look at all the data when confronted with a manipulative situation. Reading this book along with many Bible commentaries and other books such as "Thought Reform" by Robert Lifton, "Churches that Abuse" by Enroth and the "Discipling Dilemma" by Yeakley has helped me find the real Jesus that preaches freedom in Christ, asking questions, and coming up with my own personal decisions about how I want to worship God.
For those of you who are currently experiencing the guilt, pressure and sleep deprivation from a manipulative group: Yes, people do have good reasons for leaving your group (chapter 9). It will take time to heal and stop being mad at God, but rather than burning in Hell, you can learn to praise God in your own unique and fulfilling way.
Rating: 
Summary: Negative book!!! What happened to Tolerence?
Review: I wouldn't hold stalk on anything book suggesting that A.A. is a cult.But i mean really, what about tolerence? Whats with the fear spreading? Can't we all just get along?
Rating:
Summary: Your mind is the prime target...
Review: I've read this book again and again and I can say that it is clear and to the point. If there's someone claiming to be god and/or his agent on earth, beware and ask yourself: what is this person up to? As mentioned in this book: if you don't ask questions, you are paving the way to your personal hell. Always question others' motives as well as yours!
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