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Slonim Woods 9

By: Daniel Barban Levin
Narrated by: Jay Myers
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Publisher's Summary

An “extraordinary” (Nylon) firsthand account of the creation of a modern cult and the costs paid by its young victims: a group of college roommates

“Intense . . . [a tale] of hard-won survival, and creating a life after the unimaginable.”—Salon

In September 2010, at the beginning of the academic year at Sarah Lawrence College, a sophomore named Talia Ray asked her roommates if her father could stay with them for a while. No one objected. Her father, Larry Ray, was just released from prison, having spent three years behind bars after a conviction during a bitter custody dispute.

Larry Ray arrived at the dorm, a communal house called Slonim Woods 9, and stayed for the whole year. Over the course of innumerable counseling sessions and “family meetings,” the intense and forceful Ray convinced his daughter’s friends that he alone could help them “achieve clarity.” Eventually, Ray and the students moved into a small Manhattan apartment, beginning years of manipulation and abuse, as Ray tightened his control over his young charges through blackmail, extortion, and ritualized humiliation. After a decade of secrecy, Larry Ray was finally indicted on charges of extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor, and money laundering.

Daniel Barban Levin was one of the original residents of Slonim Woods 9. Beginning the moment Daniel set foot on Sarah Lawrence’s idyllic campus and spanning the two years he spent in the grip of a megalomaniac, this brave, lyrical, and redemptive memoir reveals how a group of friends were led from college to a cult without the world even noticing.

©2021 Daniel Barban Levin (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"Disturbing, extremely vulnerable and extraordinary. . . . A biting, observant memoir about his experience, as he excavates the reasons he was so drawn into Ray’s grasp.”Nylon

“An intense tale of coercion, humiliation, gaslighting, and physical torment. It's also one of hard-won survival, and creating a life after the unimaginable.”Salon

“Insightful and often heart wrenching . . . This book will be a tremendous help to others who have gone through something similar.”Bomb

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Excellent!!

Fantastic writing! Excellent reading. Psychologically informed. disturbing but very important topic. Well done, all the best.

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Breaking down those walls

Daniel has done an excellent job at sharing his experience. Straight away you are taken into the moments Daniel survived through. You truly see and feel how easily things snow ball out of your control. How you can be swept up in a tornado of another human so easily when they say and do things that makes us feel safe or connected to them.

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Most boring

I found this book very boring and long-winded. Could not wait to finish it

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