Scan barcode
kailaflick's review against another edition
4.0
I must admit that I picked this book up because I took Tamm's class last fall. She is a truly inspiring woman and I enjoyed every moment of her class. As soon as she told us she was a published author, I knew I would be reading her book. It took me almost a year to get around to it. But I finally did.
And it was very interesting. I've always been fascinated by cult life and this was a really vivid, detailed look into it.
Tamm's a very talented writer and I hope she writes more in the future.
And it was very interesting. I've always been fascinated by cult life and this was a really vivid, detailed look into it.
Tamm's a very talented writer and I hope she writes more in the future.
natioak's review against another edition
4.0
I first heard of Sri Chinmoy when posters about his local mediation centre popped up all around town. When I did a little google research, you instantly find all these amazing feats and famous people he met but I wasn't truly sold on any of them. I've read a few biographies of people in high pressure groups and to me, the alarm bells were ringing, especially since I live only a few minutes away from the meditation centre now.
I'm so glad how this memoir shed some light of the underlying ideology and workings of this group and it just goes to show that while the author lived her life mostly in America, that ideology transverses borders and countries.
Now I've seen some criticism saying that the ending was abrupt - if this was an ordinary novel I'd be bound to agree but given this is a retelling of the author's personal life - I'm glad she gets to keep the life she chose and deserves closely to her chest.
All in all - If you see the posters about the Sri Chinmoy Group popping up - I'd suggest reading this
I'm so glad how this memoir shed some light of the underlying ideology and workings of this group and it just goes to show that while the author lived her life mostly in America, that ideology transverses borders and countries.
Now I've seen some criticism saying that the ending was abrupt - if this was an ordinary novel I'd be bound to agree but given this is a retelling of the author's personal life - I'm glad she gets to keep the life she chose and deserves closely to her chest.
All in all - If you see the posters about the Sri Chinmoy Group popping up - I'd suggest reading this
librarylapin's review against another edition
2.0
This was a pretty straightforward story but not the best book. I’m not sure what would make it better other than possibly more reflection from the author about her current feelings but it was like she didn’t want to reveal anything but the past so there was a dimension missing. It was a ping pinging of experiences and feelings from a narrator that seems removed from the story even though she loved it.
sheldonnylander's review against another edition
4.0
Note: A copy of this book was provided to this reviewer for free through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
A solid 3.5 out of 5 stars, although I’m giving “Cartwheels in a Sari” the benefit of the doubt and giving it 4 stars since we can’t give half stars on Goodreads.
As an outsider and understanding some of the background of various cults and their mind-controlling methods, the first thing I felt while reading this book was immense frustration, which may be where many readers could stumble in reading this and could be its biggest weakness. How do the people involved not see how they’re being manipulated? How can Jayanti Tamm (the author of this memoir) not understand the control being exerted by the obvious charlatan Sri Chinmoy?
This is where “Cartwheels in a Sari” also has its greatest strength. The book is bluntly honest as it is mostly told through the perspective of a child who literally knew nothing else, being born and raised in this cult and indoctrinated from birth. I had to remind myself that this was the perspective and knowledge of the writer at the time these events occurred in her life, and that she did not have the benefit of outside influence until much later. This will likely be the biggest area of frustration for most readers, but it’s also the most honest part of it, and the author seems to have taken great pains to regress her own perspective to the one she had as a child witnessing these events with very little hindsight added. At the same time, some more commentary of the events from her adult self using would likely have been appreciated, and the reader will need to wait until the end of the book to get more of this hindsight. I understand the author’s reasoning in wanting to ensure the reader stays enmeshed in her perspective as the events of her life without the benefit of hindsight, but it still adds to the frustration.
An insider perspective on cult life that is wholly unique, this book provides the reader with an interesting view on how cults control their members and how some ultimately break free, including the author. Even in moments of great despair, the author provides hope that even one born into and knowing nothing outside of a cult can create an independent life after breaking free. While not a spectacular book, it is solid enough to recommend and an interesting sociological case study on cults with a convenient reader’s guide with questions provided at the end for those who wish to use the book as a teaching tool.
A solid 3.5 out of 5 stars, although I’m giving “Cartwheels in a Sari” the benefit of the doubt and giving it 4 stars since we can’t give half stars on Goodreads.
As an outsider and understanding some of the background of various cults and their mind-controlling methods, the first thing I felt while reading this book was immense frustration, which may be where many readers could stumble in reading this and could be its biggest weakness. How do the people involved not see how they’re being manipulated? How can Jayanti Tamm (the author of this memoir) not understand the control being exerted by the obvious charlatan Sri Chinmoy?
This is where “Cartwheels in a Sari” also has its greatest strength. The book is bluntly honest as it is mostly told through the perspective of a child who literally knew nothing else, being born and raised in this cult and indoctrinated from birth. I had to remind myself that this was the perspective and knowledge of the writer at the time these events occurred in her life, and that she did not have the benefit of outside influence until much later. This will likely be the biggest area of frustration for most readers, but it’s also the most honest part of it, and the author seems to have taken great pains to regress her own perspective to the one she had as a child witnessing these events with very little hindsight added. At the same time, some more commentary of the events from her adult self using would likely have been appreciated, and the reader will need to wait until the end of the book to get more of this hindsight. I understand the author’s reasoning in wanting to ensure the reader stays enmeshed in her perspective as the events of her life without the benefit of hindsight, but it still adds to the frustration.
An insider perspective on cult life that is wholly unique, this book provides the reader with an interesting view on how cults control their members and how some ultimately break free, including the author. Even in moments of great despair, the author provides hope that even one born into and knowing nothing outside of a cult can create an independent life after breaking free. While not a spectacular book, it is solid enough to recommend and an interesting sociological case study on cults with a convenient reader’s guide with questions provided at the end for those who wish to use the book as a teaching tool.
tessypie's review against another edition
1.0
The back cover of this memoir intrigued me; however, in reality I found it far less interesting. A friend suggested Tamm was possibly not yet far enough removed from her experiences to properly tell her story. While that is likely true, I also felt that the language was not particularly sophisticated and some of the anecdotes Tamm tries to depict as "crazy" didn't seem like anything that bizarre or difficult to walk away from. Maybe a little cutlish, but more like those weird parents that you're embarrassed by and then immediately ditch when you leave the house.
camillejoy's review against another edition
3.0
I heard Jayanti speak at the NJLA Youth Services Forum and was fascinated by her story. The book was very interesting, but I think it dragged a little bit in the middle (could have just been my mood while reading, though). The uniqueness of her story kept me reading, along with the knowledge that she would eventually break free of the group. I liked reading about the encounters and thought processes that led her to leave.
val_halla's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a good insight into the mind of a child who grew up within a cult. I found that there were a lot of similarities between her life and the lives of many Mormons. Jayanti Tamm's cult was generally not malicious or dangerous, but the control their "Guru" held over his followers was just as powerful as the control Mormon leaders have over their church. Once Tamm tried to escape her unhappy life, she found that she could not function without the support of her fellow disciples, so she returned. Tamm was only able to break free when her Guru kicked her out of the cult, because building her own life from scratch seemed too overwhelming. Her story is amazing, but could have used better organization, since several characters are introduced as being crucial to her childhood halfway through the book.
wellington299's review against another edition
3.0
A strange tale of a girl born the "Chosen One" in a cult. Strangely, I found it light reading missing the depths of madness and brainwashing that I expected.
I didn't find the "guru", the cult leader named Sri Chinmoy, all that sinister or crazy. He just loved attention. Perhaps, the bar for insanity has raised in modern times (Michael Jackson any one?).
Unless you have some prior (and preferably negative) knowledge of Sri Chinmoy, it just doesn't hit the heart.
dandelionfluff's review against another edition
3.0
I feel it would be unfair to Jayanti Tamm if I judged her life's story as if it were a Lifetime movie-- I felt the characters weren't explored enough, I felt her storytelling voice was a bit passionless, etc. At the end of it, I just went, "Well. That was something."
Again, I don't feel like I should pass judgement on the quality of a story that actually happened, but I do always wonder at these types of things-- how can people look back on their lives and recall exact lines of dialogue, the feeling of a moment? I feel like too much is fabricated, or embellished.
It's interesting if you want to learn more about cult life or extreme religious organizations.
Again, I don't feel like I should pass judgement on the quality of a story that actually happened, but I do always wonder at these types of things-- how can people look back on their lives and recall exact lines of dialogue, the feeling of a moment? I feel like too much is fabricated, or embellished.
It's interesting if you want to learn more about cult life or extreme religious organizations.