Cult Insanity, Irene Spencer
Cult Insanity, Irene Spencer
3 Rating(s)
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Cult Insanity
A Memoir of Polygamy, Prophets, and Blood Atonement

Author: Irene Spencer

Narrator: Laural Merlington

Unabridged: 10 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/26/2009


Synopsis

Life for Irene Spencer was a series of devastating disappointments and hardships. Irene's first book, Shattered Dreams, is the staggering chronicle of her struggle to provide for her children in abject poverty and feelings of abandonment each time her husband left to be with one of his other wives. Irene was raised to believe that polygamy was the way of life necessary for her ticket to heaven. The hard knocks of her environment were just the beginning of Irene's shocking tale.

In Cult Insanity, Spencer reveals the outrageous behavior of her brother-in-law Ervil—a self-proclaimed prophet who determined he was called to set the house of God in order—and how he terrorized their colony. Claiming to be God's avenger and to have a license to kill in the name of God, Ervil ordered the murders of friends and family members, eliminating all those who challenged his authority. Cult Insanity is a riveting, terrifying memoir of polygamist life under the tyranny of a madman.

About Irene Spencer

Irene Spencer came from four generations of polygamy. As the second of ten wives, she was the mother of fourteen of her husband's fifty-eight children. Irene lives in Anchorage Alaska, with her faithful husband of nineteen years, Hector J. Spencer, who never leaves her side. At eighty-four years of age, Hector travels with Irene, proudly basking in her recent, new-found success. They currently reside in Woodbridge, California with Irene's oldest daughter, where Irene continues to write and work on various projects.

When she's not writing or speaking, Irene is on the road, traveling the globe from Alaska to Mexico, Idaho, California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Louisiana to visit her family. Irene is also a world traveler, having traveled through twenty-five of the fifty U.S. states and to twenty-three foreign countries. She speaks both Spanish and English fluently.

Although she had only a ninth-grade education, Irene earned her GED and took a creative writing class at University of Las Vegas. In fulfilling her passion and calling as an inspirational speaker, Irene shocks, amazes and motivates her audience. Irene interweaves humor throughout her testimony of her former, unconventional lifestyle. Irene serves as a keynote speaker for "rescue missions," church congregations, women's centers, and other groups and events throughout the country as invited. Despite the demands on her time to fulfill her speaking engagements, Irene finds time to continue her writing and spend time with her family. She plans to author additional books.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mariah Roze on September 19, 2017

I am fascinated with cults, so the minute I saw this book I had to read it. It definitely lived up to my expectations of craziness. This is an autobiography by Irene Spencer. She was raised in a polygamist family and was educated that it was her ticket to heaven. Irene is living in Mexico in a very......more

Goodreads review by Katrina on November 03, 2010

I really like Irene Spencers first book "Shattered Dreams" but this one was only ok. Still very interesting subject, but not written as well. My conjecture is that this book is all the stuff that was edited out of the first one. It doesn't have a good narrative flow. It is much more disjointed. Also......more

Goodreads review by ♥Milica♥ on December 21, 2024

This book covers pretty much everything that was skipped over in Spencer's first book, and it jumps around a lot as a result, so I'd recommend you read Shattered Dreams before this one for a clearer picture. The first book has a bigger focus on her own experiences, while this one focuses more on Ervi......more

Goodreads review by Rena on December 23, 2014

Think you're stupid? Cheer yourself up by reading this -- a whole book about dozens of polygamist Mormons that have the combined IQs of lawn furniture. The author is not a good storyteller. She tells but does not show. She also does not explain why she felt trapped in an abusive cult for 28 years. I......more

Goodreads review by Amie's Book on September 13, 2017

CULT INSANITY is the perfect name for this book. This book reads almost like fiction, BUT it is NOT FICTION. The horrific events outlined in this book actually happened and in various groups, continue to happen to this day. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. Irene Spencer showed great bravery in writing this b......more