Combining behind-the-scenes coverage of an often besieged religious group with a personal account of one woman's struggle to find meaning in it, Betrayal of the Spirit takes readers to the center of life in the Hare Krishna movement.

Nori J. Muster joined the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)—the Hare Krishnas—in 1978, shortly after the death of the movement's spiritual master, and worked for ten years as a public relations secretary and editor of the organization's newspaper, the ISKCON World Review. In this candid and critical account, Muster follows the inner workings of the movement and the Hare Krishnas' progressive decline.

Combining personal reminiscences, published articles, and internal documents, Betrayal of the Spirit details the scandals that beset the Krishnas—drug dealing, weapons stockpiling, deceptive fundraising, child abuse, and murder within ISKCON–as well as the dynamics of schisms that forced some 95 percent of the group's original members to leave. In the midst of this institutional disarray, Muster continued her personal search for truth and religious meaning as an ISKCON member until, disillusioned at last with the movement's internal divisions, she quit her job and left the organization.

In a new preface to the paperback edition, Muster discusses the personal circumstances that led her to ISKCON and kept her there as the movement's image worsened. She also talks about "the darkest secret"–child abuse in the ISKCON parochial schools—that was covered up by the public relations office where she worked.

| Front Cover Title Copyright Contents Preface to thePaperback Edition Foreword Preface People in This Volume 1. ISKCON: The Krishnas' International Society 2. Unexpected Requirements 3. Going Solo into ISKCON 4. My Zonal Guru 5. Jonestown Fallout 6. A Spiritual Disneyland 7. Drug Busts, Guns, and Gangsters 8. Who's Watching the Children? 9. The Gurus Start World War III 10. The Storm Within: The Guru Issue 11. P.R. Publications Promote ISKCON Photo Gallery 12. Ramesvara Crashes 13. The Revolution of Guru Reform 14. P.R. Bails Out of L.A. 15. 1986: The Year of Crisis 16. The Budget Axe 17. The ISKCON World Review Crosses the Line 18. Six Months Out of Print 19. Women's Lesser Intelligence 20. Moving On Appendix Notes Glossary Bibliography Index Author Information Back Cover | "Muster's narrative of her insider's experience of ISKCON is nothing less than mesmerizing."—Publisher's Weekly


"Scholars of religion will find much of value in Muster's thoughtful and well written account. Anti-cultists will find ammunition for their crusade as well."—Catherine Wessinger, Nova Religio
|Nori J. Muster, a freelance writer and website designer, lives in Arizona. Larry D. Shinn, president of Berea College, is the author of The Dark Lord: Cult Images and the Hare Krishnas in America.