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The Cult That Snapped
Dr. Wierwille had a farm, and on that farm he had a cult.... "The Cult That Snapped" is the definitive history and exposé of The Way International, once one of the largest cults in America. Written by a seven-year member and graduate of the 14th Way Corps, it's a personal story within a detailed history, illuminated by interviews with former top leaders and the women who knew them.
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First published December 29, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 25, 2025
Finally finished my re-read. I took a break in the middle to have a bit of a mental reset, but I'm glad I kept going with it. I thought it was a bit redundant to be rereading it so soon, but since my first read-through, I have learned a lot about my family's involvement in TWI and it gave a lot more context for me. I also purchased a bound copy of the book (some sort of special order, I don't believe it is in print) so that I could write notes in it. It was engaging to add my little bits of knowledge and personal connections as I went through, and I had a specific color of highlighter to indicate "WTF" when that's all that needed to be said (there's a lot of pink highlights!!)
Karl Kahler gives a really interesting form of narrative, mixing between his personal experience in TWI and the Corps, as well as an overall timeline including interviews with some key historical members of TWI. Since this read-through was more academic in nature for me, I had a tough time understanding the overall topic of the chapters, though once I stopped looking at the forest for the trees, they were relatively easy to understand the broader topic.
While I understand the way he grouped information from all his interviews, I would LOVE to be able to read the interviews raw. I have also been trying to lock down a Way Corps timeline so I can get a better context of where my parent's stories fit into the broader strokes, but it has been difficult to get official Start and End years for many of the Corps. The list Kahler included of Corps graduating members was a HUGE help to get graduation years for a good handful of Corps.
I'm also very grateful that the last few pages of the book give a couple online communities that I have been able to poke around to get more personal stories of people that have distanced themselves from the Way. Even though my experiences with TWI are a bit more indirect, it is super interesting to see the echoes of TWI on my family's rhetoric and values today.
I'm hoping that my husband will read through my annotated copy so he can get a glimpse of some of the 'truths' I was brought up with and how I am still working on unlearning some patterns. I have a viceral memory of asking my husband one night, "Why do people believe in the trinity?" without realizing I was the odd man out, not just a few churches!
There's a lot more I would like to say about my personal life, but maybe I'll save that for GreaseSpot Cafe someday :p
Overall, this book was my huge revelation and wake up call, and I will always hold it with respect and esteem.
Karl Kahler gives a really interesting form of narrative, mixing between his personal experience in TWI and the Corps, as well as an overall timeline including interviews with some key historical members of TWI. Since this read-through was more academic in nature for me, I had a tough time understanding the overall topic of the chapters, though once I stopped looking at the forest for the trees, they were relatively easy to understand the broader topic.
While I understand the way he grouped information from all his interviews, I would LOVE to be able to read the interviews raw. I have also been trying to lock down a Way Corps timeline so I can get a better context of where my parent's stories fit into the broader strokes, but it has been difficult to get official Start and End years for many of the Corps. The list Kahler included of Corps graduating members was a HUGE help to get graduation years for a good handful of Corps.
I'm also very grateful that the last few pages of the book give a couple online communities that I have been able to poke around to get more personal stories of people that have distanced themselves from the Way. Even though my experiences with TWI are a bit more indirect, it is super interesting to see the echoes of TWI on my family's rhetoric and values today.
I'm hoping that my husband will read through my annotated copy so he can get a glimpse of some of the 'truths' I was brought up with and how I am still working on unlearning some patterns. I have a viceral memory of asking my husband one night, "Why do people believe in the trinity?" without realizing I was the odd man out, not just a few churches!
There's a lot more I would like to say about my personal life, but maybe I'll save that for GreaseSpot Cafe someday :p
Overall, this book was my huge revelation and wake up call, and I will always hold it with respect and esteem.
March 21, 2021
I hope to meet Karl in person someday. Excellent book! So many of his adventures in Fayetteville, AR and beyond brought me back to the glory days, despite the dark topic.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews