Description
A powerful work of investigative journalism about a notorious cult based in Melbourne, Australia, that captured world-wide headlines.
The apocalyptic group The Family and their guru, Anne Hamilton-Byrne, captured international headlines throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Starting in Melbourne, Australia, their tentacles spread to Britain, Upstate New York, and Hawaii.
Hamilton-Byrne, who told some followers she was Jesus Christ returned in disguise, was glamorous and charismatic--and dangerous. She stole children through adoption scams and imprisoned them, bleaching their hair blonde to make them look like siblings and raising them as her own. In 1987, police swooped on The Family's lakeside compound and rescued children who claimed they were part of Anne's future master race, recounting terrible stories of near-starvation, emotional manipulation, and physical abuse. But Anne could not be found, sparking an international police hunt. After an extensive search, the FBI captured her in the Catskills, and helped bring her to trial.
How did such a notorious group come to flourish? How did Anne maintain a hold over her followers? The Family tells the strange and shocking story of one of the most bizarre cults in modern history.
Product Details
| Publisher | Scribe Us |
| Publish Date | November 14, 2017 |
| Pages | 288 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Paperback / softback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781925321678 |
| Dimensions | 9.3 X 6.0 X 0.9 inches | 0.9 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
"The Family is remarkably clear-sighted. The writers have a gift for temperate yet compelling prose that unflinchingly reveals the delusions and unreflective righteousness of much of what emerged from the counterculture. In this book, the best of what journalism should be--honest, unsentimental, incisive--is combined with the craft and storytelling skills of born writers."
--Christos Tsiolkas
"Harrowing but humane. An extraordinary story, impeccably researched."
--Martin McKenzie-Murray
"It's a remarkable [story]: hair-raising, unfathomable and deeply disturbing."
--Irish Independent
"Everyone loves a good cult story. And they don't come much better. This is the gripping story behind one of the strangest, most fascinating episodes in Australian history."
--GQ
"Perhaps the most sensational cult story out there, The Family does not disappoint with its examples of both a glittering charismatic leader and its downward spiral of abuse ... This story is shocking at every turn except one: the cruelty. And the ultimate destruction of innocent lives."
--Joanna Hershon, Electric Literature
"[A] compelling account of one of Australia's most notorious cults ... The authors trace the extraordinary life of a woman who operated "at the edges of human belief"."
--The Saturday Age
"Immaculately researched ... This important book looks at how (and asks why) these abuses happened, defying the cult's motto: "unseen, unheard, unknown"."
--Readings
"A powerful work of investigative journalism ... pieced together in exacting detail."
--Reading Matters
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