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Dinner for Vampires
Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While Also in an Actual Cult!) | Bethany Joy Lenz
9 posts | 7 read | 1 reading | 2 to read
A deliciously witty and inspiring memoir by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz about her decade in a cult and her quest to break free. In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to breakthrough as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama One Tree Hill. Her career was about to take off, but her personal life was slowly beginning to unravel. What none of the shows millions of fans knew, hidden even from her costars, was her secret double life in a cult. An only child who often had to fend for herself and always wanted a place to belong, Lenz found the safe haven shed been searching for in a Bible study group with other Hollywood creatives. However, the group soon morphed into something more sinistera slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse, and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz began to give away her autonomy, ultimately relocating to the Familys Pacific Northwest compound, overseen by a domineering minister who would convince Lenz to marry one of his sons and steadily drained millions of her TV income without her knowledge. Family minders assigned to her on set, Maoist struggle sessioninspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counseling with Leadership were just part of the tactics used to keep her loyal. Only when she became a mother did Lenz find the courage to leave and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help of a One Tree Hill superfan), she finally managed to escape the familys grip and begin to heal from the deep trauma that forever altered her relationship with God and her understanding of faith. Written with powerful honesty and dark humor, Dinner for Vampires is an inspiring story about the importance of identity and understanding what you believe.
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MallenNC
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I kept seeing rave reviews for this so I dropped what I was planning to listen to and picked up the audiobook. It was such an engaging story, which may be a weird to say about a cult story. I feel so bad that she was taken advantage of in this way! So I was really rooting for her to find her way out. I am not really familiar with her acting but based on her audiobook performance she must be great. I finished this in just a couple of days.

JamieArc I just finished this too! 3d
MallenNC @JamieArc What did you think? I was surprised how much I liked it. 3d
JamieArc I liked it a lot, though it surprisingly hit home a bit too much 😳. I‘ll tag you in my review! 2d
23 likes3 comments
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nitalibrarian
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I was off today for working Saturday and the majority of the day was spent reading this book. Only put it down to eat and walk Periwinkle. It's a fascinating memoir that focuses on Lenz's decade in a cult. She grew up very religious and when she moved out to L.A. to try out for acting gigs, she joined what seemed like a simple, small group Bible study. I sympathized with her. She really showed how cults tear you down and consume you.

MallenNC I just finished this and agree that she really showed how a person could go from a normal Bible study to being trapped in a cult. The leader was so good at manipulating them. 3d
30 likes1 comment
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nitalibrarian
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I couldn't decide what genre of fiction I was in the mood for, so decided to read a non-fiction instead. I don't know this actress at all and didn't watch One Tree Hill, but I'm very interested in the being in a cult aspect of her life.

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jdiehr
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I am a sucker for stories about cults.

Her religious journey started off very much with the truth, but that truth was twisted by people who took advantage of her during a vulnerable time in her life.

I'm glad she's on the other side of this experience and still has faith in God.

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catiewithac
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Page-turner memoir about being a working actress who finds herself in a cult! I‘ve never watched “One Tree Hill” but I still enjoyed reading this book (mostly for the cult situations). It‘s unfortunate that the author cover photo is so unflattering; she looks like a 50-something starlet instead of a fashionable Millennial. #BOTM

Karisa This does sound interesting! You are right about the cover being unfortunate. 😬I totally thought this was an older book (like from the 70s or 80s) seeing the photo. 1w
iread2much I honestly thought it was going to be a drag queen memoir based on the cover 6d
catiewithac @iread2much it‘s the worst cover ever! 6d
TheBookHippie First glance thought it was Sharon Tate 😵‍💫 daughter is reading this first then it‘s my turn. 4d
59 likes4 comments
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Christine
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This one exceeded my expectations! Liked it a lot. My review would echo pretty much everything @ImperfectCJ recently posted about it, including that I've never seen a single episode of One Tree Hill (but now I'm kind of contemplating it as an age-inappropriate comfort bingewatch...??). I also relate to elements of the author's Christian upbringing and her Broadway musical nerdery.

MallenNC I saw her speak about this book but I‘m still waiting for my library hold to come in! I‘m looking forward to it. 1w
Christine @MallenNC How fun! I would imagine she was wonderful in conversation. Her narration was fantastic (and she has a beautiful singing voice, which I suppose some might find cheesy in the audio version but I adored)! 1w
MallenNC She was. Like you I hadn‘t watched her on TV so I didn‘t know much about her. I was surprised at how open she was. 1w
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ImperfectCJ
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I've never seen One Tree Hill and had never heard of Lenz, but I'm intrigued by cults. Lenz's vulnerability makes this story compelling. The common threads between cults and other abusive relationships come through clearly, as does the way increasingly bizarre behaviors can seem logical at any given point. Awareness of the tactics of abusers on any scale is important so that our own needs/wants don't keep us from seeing abuse for what it is.

ImperfectCJ The book also highlights how poorly we as a culture do at identifying and helping stop abuse. We forgive so many behaviors because someone is rich or "successful" or saying what we want to hear. (I'm kind of taking this on a tangent, but it's what's on my mind this week.) 1w
Megabooks I had never heard of her either, but her story sounded intriguing, so I'm on the list at the library. Thanks for the thoughtful review! 1w
ImperfectCJ @Megabooks I hope you enjoy it when it comes in! Some parts were so much like, "Argghh! Why are you doing this?" but it's clear Lenz feels the same way, which helps(?). I just keep thinking about how much our system is set up in a way that makes it difficult to get out of this kind of abuse. So many swear words come to mind. I wish I had some idea of what reforms would help, legally and culturally, and how to make those happen. 1w
Christine Evidently this book is trending in San Diego…about to finish it myself! 😄 1w
49 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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limada
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It's an interesting book, especially when in possession of just a touch more information than Joy provides (i.e., particular names). It's easy to see how someone could get swept up in the situation, and how a person's brain might make excuses for any red flags along the way. It's not earth shatteeing, but it's interesting. #56-2024

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MallenNC
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The tagged book was featured in a book talk held tonight at the college where I work. I always volunteer to usher at these so I can go for free! I‘m not a big One Tree Hill fan but her life — in a cult — sounds so interesting. I look forward to reading her book.