Under the pseudonym Ella James, a former member of the infamous North Shore community details her experiences within it, and her ongoing struggle to deal with the physical, emotional and psychological consequences.
It is not a pleasant read.
Chapters begin with the author's brief summary of each year she spent at Centrepoint, and are structured around her teenage thoughts and observations from the time.
Although sometimes vague, the narrative provides an interesting personal account of life in the Albany commune, which disintegrated in the 1990s following the arrest and incarceration of founder Bert Potter.
The author, now in her late 30s, moved with her family to Centrepoint as a 12-year-old in the late 1980s.
The community was at its peak, accommodating about 250 residents including many children and teenagers.
Intergenerational and polyamorous sex and drug-taking were actively encouraged, and the author's first sexual experience at the age of 12 was typical of Centrepoint, as was her first ecstasy trip soon after.
Ecstasy and acid trips involved group sex, and the author describes the horror of ''waking'' from her many drugged stupors.
She, like all residents, was stripped of privacy and dignity: forced to sleep, shower and go to the toilet in full sight of others, told it was to rid them of societal shame about their bodies.
The book is a powerful example of the damage cult communities have caused.
Almost more incredible than what occurred within Centrepoint is the fact its young residents, including the author, attended public schools and maintained double lives.
They battled to belong in two contrasting realities, and through omission protected those responsible for their fear, confusion and shame.
The last part of the book deals with the author's difficult decision to share her experiences with police and testify against a former Centrepoint member in court and ends with a verifying statement from the detective involved and a referenced overview of Centrepoint's rise and fall.
- Rosie Manins is an ODT reporter in Dunedin.
