Mating in Captivity

April 1, 2018

In 1999, Harvard graduate Zuman took a $13,500 travel grant to a pseudoutopian, environmentally conscious commune in Polk County, NC, called Zendik. But what seemed like an off-the-grid movement was actually a cult, with its mind control, cultural isolation, and disturbing conformity to a troubling sexual ethic--a kind of polyamory that was intended to fuel a social revolution. Zuman calls this "a special, ineffable Zendik kind of love," in opposition to the death culture from which Zendiks have freed themselves. This is a sexually explicit and disquieting narrative, in part because of the author's naiveté (she willingly turns over her entire grant to the commune signaling that she is no longer participant-observer but participant) and in part owing to the enthusiasm with which she willingly enters in and then struggles to escape. VERDICT Raw in perspective, this challenging memoir of religious fanaticism never adequately addresses the nagging question: Was Zuman a victim, or did she freely seek the group out because she was looking for the experiences Zendik promised to provide?--Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.