Cult Following: The Extreme Sects That Capture Our Imaginations--And Take Over Our Lives

From weird history expert J. W. Ocker, an eye-popping compendium of the 30 most infamous, audacious, and dangerous cults in history.

Everything you've ever wanted to know about history's most notorious cults--and the psychology of the people who join them--is packed into this accessible, engaging volume. Walk in the footsteps of those who were lured into sinister groups from Heaven's Gate to NXIVM. Contents also include:

• Los Narcosatánicos: This group of drug traffickers in 1980s Mexico committed human sacrifice and believed their leader had magic powers.
• Breatharianism: Breatharians believe that humans can live on air alone, and their founder claimed to have gone without food for seventeen years.
• Ordo Templi Orientis: Members of this mystical cult attempted to conceive and give birth to the Antichrist through sexual rituals.
• Rajneesh Movement: This spiritual commune committed the largest bioterrorism attack in American history when they contaminated local salad bars with salmonella.