Heaven’s Gate: The History and Legacy of Marshall Applewhite’s Notorious Doomsday Cult Paperback – December 27, 2020

I read this kindle edition and never knew the back Story of Marshall Applewhite and his dooms day cult. The only thing I understood was the extents he went to in recruiting his followers to do the unthinkable, The reason for their suicides and the after effects of the decision. Not only was he a conman but a twisted messiah as well. The full extent of Heaven;s Gate will never be understood. I definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to know more about this story

Having lived in the San Diego area at the time I was familiar with the event but wanted to learn more of the details. The book did that for me. It's difficult to comprehend that such a large group of seemingly educated mature adults would believe this crap.

The overview summary claims that the phrase “drinking the Kool-Aid” is a reference to the Heaven’s Gate cults method of suicide. I am old enough to know that we used that term long before Heaven’s Gate. It is a reference to Ken Keisey’s Merry Pranksters events or concerts in which LSD was added to a punch bowl of KoolAid. Guests were allowed to chose whether they wanted to experience Acid which was still legal. Drinking the Kool-Aid was seen as changing one’s entire view of reality. It isn’t a negative reference to suicide but doing something that changes everything about a person.

The reason I am overall disappointed in this is due to the poor format. For example: 1) There are no page numbers, and 2) the sources are not cited.The Bibliography in the back lists several online sources, with ALL of them being "retrieved December 25, 2020," so this tells me the compiler simply pulled from the internet to "write" this short text. But none of the sources are cited WITHIN the text, which is a big publishing no-no.The poor format is sloppy and lazy, and leaves huge holes in the story.If one is interested in a quick overview of Marshall Applewhite and his cohort Nettles, this would serve the purpose. But if you are looking for an indept case study, WITH sources which are cited in the text, WITH page numbers, WITH obvious breaks (i.e. chapters), and WITH other resources besides online articles, this is not the book to get.This was my first Charles River Editors purchase and it will be my last. Not a scholarly or academic effort. This is just somebody trying to make a dollar. Last page reads, "Made in the USA, Coppell, TX, 01 October 2023." So it's simply thrown together as people order it.Save your money.

Wanting to know more about Marshall Applewhite and the Heavens Gate Cult, I decided to read this. I definitely learned more about Applewhite and his doomsday cult but I felt this book is way too short and just a recitation of dates and events leading up to the mass suicide of 38 people. This book answers the how of the cult, how they recruited, rules for living and isolation and rejection of society. The book does not really get into the why , why Applewhite and Nettles did what they did and got educated people to join, abandon their families, subject themselves in some cases to castration and ultimately give their life waiting for a heaven sent spaceship to collect their souls. Applewhite was an educated man, son of a preacher and spent time in the Military. How he became so twisted and got others to go along may never be explained or understood. In this book I was expecting more background on the leader as to why he turned out the way he did. This story requires a more in-depth study.

I love history and Charles River Editors make it so easy to keep you informed! As I have aged, I find that I have forgotten many things, and this is a quick way to refresh my knowledge. The world is so big and so much has happened in it, no education no matter how good it is, could cover all of it! Life gives us a great big view of the world. Keeping your mind active and engaged will keep you mentally fit. Do not miss your chance to learn and stay mentally active with the quickest and yet highly informative books from these editors. Thank you, guys! Quick and easy learning for every age.

Good book, but a lot shorter than I thought it would be. I wanted much more info on Applewhite, and the Heaven’s Gate members. But, a good read. I finished it in an hour or less.