Cartwheels in a Sari: A Memoir of Growing Up Cult

Holly says: This memoir explores one woman’s experiences with Sri Chinmoy, a spiritual leader who taught yoga, advocated celibacy, and became a widely followed teacher of meditation in New York before his organization and leadership were plagued by accusations of sexual misconduct and other abuses. Tamm shares her account of time spent with the man who counted among his fans Sting, Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, and others. From her birth into the organization, when Chinmoy claimed she would become the “perfect disciple,” to her banishment from the group at the age of 25, she takes the reader through her realization of Chinmoy’s hypocrisy. After observing his failure to abide by harsh restrictions required of group members, such as abstaining from sex, alcohol, caffeine, meat, and owning pets, as well as emotional and social abuse toward members of the group, Tamm was banned. I learned a lot about a group that I’d never heard of before, and appreciated Tamm’s willingness to share her story. Content warnings apply.