This book rocked me to my core. I read it several months ago, and I still think about it on a weekly basis. Members of my own family grew up in a cult-environment, and hearing Mikel Jollett describe the impact that that had on him was astounding. Even though his family left the cult when he was a child, the lasting impact that that type of trauma has on a person is explored here with devastating results. You find yourself rooting for Mikel the entire time, while at the same time developing compassion for the other family members in his life who have not been able to cope as fully with the circumstances of their past.
"Hollywood Park" is a unique addition to the "cult survivor" canon, and one of the least exploitative and most introspective of the genre. Jollett's writing is gripping and impossible to turn away from, and I eagerly recommended this to everyone after finishing.
"Hollywood Park" is a unique addition to the "cult survivor" canon, and one of the least exploitative and most introspective of the genre. Jollett's writing is gripping and impossible to turn away from, and I eagerly recommended this to everyone after finishing.