Walking With the Enemy: A Testimony is a provocative and highly controversial exposé revealing Read’s struggles and triumphs while “Walking With the Enemy.”
This true story is about the author’s involvement with a Bible study group that turned out to be a cult remarkably similar to the Branch Davidians of Waco, Texas, led by David Koresh.
As of 28 February 1993, Read had been with them for some three years, and had grown to love and trust the leaders completely; but after she found out the truth about them she could no longer remain. That did not stop them from wanting her back under their control and influence; and her testimony will show how they tried so hard to convince her that they were right, and she was wrong.
Cults are on the rise, and no one is exempt from their evil influences! And even though David Koresh was violently removed from this earth over twenty years ago, his “spirit” still lives on in the hearts of some very deceived and wicked men.
Assessment:
Plot: The story the author tells is a fascinating one, but the narrative is in need of more clarity and could move more smoothly and at a greater pace. As it is, readers may have trouble engaging with a story that has a lot of potential.
Prose: The prose is straightforward and contains letters and quotes from The Bible. On the sentence level, the writing is quite strong, but the narrative does not flow smoothly, which will take readers out of the story.
Originality: While cults are nothing new, this memoir is certainly original both in its structure and content.
Character Development: Although readers get to know the author, she remains distant and readers will come away from the book wanting a fuller understanding of her character and how/why she changed over the course of the narrative. Some of the other players—in particular Bill and Ira—could also be fuller and more fleshed out.
Date Submitted: July 31, 2017
Reviewed by Gabrie'l Atchison
August 27, 2015
Walking with the Enemy is Read’s story of a three-year engagement with a religious cult and the miraculous event that gave her the courage to escape. Shortly after the 1993 standoff between law enforcement and David Koresh in Waco, Texas, C. Read went on local radio to break her silence about her own escape from a cult that was quite similar to Koresh’s group.
In Walking with the Enemy, Read provides her testimony about her involvement with a religious group that was marketed as a Bible study group, but was more nefarious in its mission. Read’s use of an epistolary form to tell her story is creative and unique. For three years, Read, who defines herself as a “naïve and unsuspecting, non-conformist woman,” found herself involved with a cult led by a charismatic duo named Bill and Ira.
...Despite its organizational flaws, this book is an important narrative for any Christian believer, and might be of particular interest to anyone who is a survivor of a religious cult.
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The author of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the author will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
April 17, 2017 / Indie Book Reviews,Inspirational/Spiritual, Religion
by IR Staff
Designed to be an inspirational story for those seduced, at times literally, by a cult, WALKING WITH THE ENEMY does have relevance for those wanting out. But Read’s relentless Manichaeism, and reduction of everything down to God vs. Satan, will repel readers of less fundamentalist persuasion.
If there is a phrase that runs throughout this sincere, but at the same time, somehow repellent memoir/spiritual journey book, then it would be “the Devil can quote scripture.” It is apparent that Read’s journey out of a cult that masqueraded as a Bible study group has value, and can be instructive in a “you can too” kind of way for those deceived by Bible-thumping libertines. Such an escape has relevance in our own era of red-state fundamentalism, where religious leaders perform exorcisms and speak in “tongues,” and more often than not, young girls on the verge of puberty and teenage runaways fall under their sway.
And it must be said that Read, unlike other cult members, doesn’t go to the other extreme by chucking her Christianity overboard and bashing those who don’t with public expressions of atheism and paeans to the joys of hedonism. Read, a former Marine, doesn’t give up on her Christian fundamentalism. But there is a difference between keeping one’s faith and retaining its Manichaeism. Read is as uncompromising in her reduction of everything down to God vs. The Devil as she was when in the charismatic way of a David Koresh-style leader (the leader, unmasked, has Koresh’s sexual appetites with his “flock”).
As recounted in the book, God is repeatedly saving her from the Devil, and the Devil, and his earthly beings are everywhere, especially in the guise of those pretending to be Christians. A woman who successfully “exorcises” Read’s daughter by speaking in many “tongues” turns out to be an acolyte of Satan. Reading through this book I was reminded of the fundamentalist parents in Stephen King’s Carrie (1974), in which the father carried a gun in his lunchbox to work in case he ran into the “Anti-Christ.”
Read is not as lethal-minded, and to her credit, she does pray for those in the sway of “Satan.” But if her “ravenous wolves,” “false prophets,” and other undercover followers of Satan are truly so embedded in our society, then it is hard to see where prayer will be enough; and violence will begin to look more attractive. Read does not subscribe to such actions—she states she continues to pray for the cult leader—but ultimately, that is where the book leads, especially if her cult leader truly is like David Koresh, who armed himself and his followers against the “unbelievers” in the government.
Meant to be an inspirational story, and at times it is that (Read literally ran out of the cult, and had, for a time, to use evasive tactics), what WALKING WITH THE ENEMY ultimately leaves even fundamentalist readers with is depression. For if everything is reduced down to God vs. Satan, then that leaves the humans in between as nothing more than puppets a la Job (and we know what he went through). And if, as Read attests, the devil is everywhere, and in all guises, especially those who brandish Bibles, then the only way out is to give oneself completely over to God, without reservations. Those who seek to bring free will and rationality into the mix are only fooling themselves and inviting the Koreshes in.
~Ron Capshaw for IndieReader
Message from C. Read:
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and that is so true when I consider that Mr. Capshaw of Indie Reader gave Walking With the Enemy two stars, and Ms. Atchison of Foreword Reviews gave it four.
It is obvious they took the time to read my book, and even though they came from two very different perspectives, I loved both of their reviews of "Walking With the Enemy: A Testimony."
I have never aspired to be an author, but I know God wanted me to tell my story, and He has put in me a burining desire to share my testimony, not only to warn others about the tactics of the enemy of our soul, but to show how gracious and forgiving the LORD God Almighty is to those who love Him.
And even though Mr. Capshaw did not recommend "Walking With the Enemy," I am thankful he was able to see “one or two bright spots.” I would like to highlight one of his quotes: “And if, as Read attests, the devil is everywhere, and in all guises, especially those who brandish Bibles, then the only way out is to give oneself completely over to God, without reservations.” Whether he understands it or not, that statement is the absolute truth, and the very crux of my message!
Review Posted Online: April 23rd, 2015
Read offers her personal tale of religious awakening, including her experiences with people whom she says were falsely serving Jesus Christ.The author tells of how she joined a small Bible study and prayer group led by a man named Bill, and goes on to explain the ways in which her relationship with the group soured before she finally left in the 1990s.
She states at the outset that she “was able to be deceived into thinking that I was walking with followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, when in truth, I was walking with the enemy.” She relates her journey of discovery in this memoir, in which she makes allegations regarding the group’s leader; for example, in a 1993 statement, she said, “He pursued the ladies in the group in a sexual way if they would have it.” Her account makes frequent use of such primary sources, including letters, diary entries, and transcriptions of tape-recorded conversations. She compares her own struggle with that of the infamous Branch Davidians, led by the charismatic David Koresh, and she makes clear that Koresh was “of the same ‘antichrist spirit’ as the man sent to try to destroy me, and my family!”
Although Read’s account doesn’t end in fiery government intervention, it does contain stories of demonic attacks, the author’s ruminations on the nature of evil, and the recurring question of whom one can trust when committing to follow Jesus Christ. Debut author Read’s story is clearly heartfelt. However, it’s somewhat repetitive, with frequent declarations on such subjects as the power of God (“God is all-powerful! God is in control! And it doesn’t matter whether men believe it or not”), which don’t make for the most engaging prose.
Readers will likely be convinced of the author’s devoutness early on, which she bolsters with many biblical references, so subsequent mentions of her devotion often seem extraneous. Nevertheless, her memoir delivers a quick, highly personalized account of her life’s journey.An earnest, if occasionally redundant, description of one woman’s rocky spiritual path.
Critique: An inherently fascinating, thoroughly absorbing, candidly personal story that should be considered urgent reading for anyone having to deal with a loved one tempted to join a cult or already part of one.
Simply stated, "Walking With the Enemy: A Testimony" is very highly recommended for personal, church, community, and academic library collections. Indeed, "Walking With the Enemy: A Testimony" is critically important reading for all members of the Christian community regardless of their denominational affiliation!
Small Press Bookwatch: Volume 15, Number 1 ~ January 2016
Reviewed by Gabrie'l Atchison
August 27, 2015
Walking with the Enemy is Read’s story of a three-year engagement with a religious cult and the miraculous event that gave her the courage to escape.
“Walking With the Enemy: A Testimony,” by C. Read has been named among the best in family-friendly media, products and services.
