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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I literally could not put this book down.,
By A Customer
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Monkey on a Stick: Murder, Madness, and the Hare Krishnas (Hardcover)
I was involved with the Hare Krishna movement from 1973 to 1977, after which I broke off all contact with them. Not because I was abused or whatever, just because I could not handle the austerity. I was never abused, I never witnessed anyone else being abused, nor did I ever hear of anyone being abused. And I wasn't at the bottom rung; I was a temple treasurer for a couple of years, then became a "pujari", or altar priest, for the remainder of my time there.
Anyway, it is also worth mentioning that most of the events in the book happened after I left, when the founder of the movement died. I found this book in the library, and actually read the entire book in one sitting. I was mesmerized, because I knew many of the people in the book. It is like a "whatever happend to..." type of thing. I was also a little self-satisfied, since many of the jerks I knew got their just desserts. Yes, I knew some jerks: people who got caught up in a "power trip", and made life miserable (but still not abusive) for the rest of us. Every organization has jerks. I was also shocked of learning of goings-on "behind the scenes". I have to admit I never saw any illegal things going on... but I did occasionally hear rumors. And reading this book helped all the jigsaw puzzles fall into place. Having spent several years in ISKCON (the Hare Krishna's organization), I can always tell when I read something that shows that the authors did not do their homework, which puts their credibility in question. It is not the case in this book. I found only one minor error (where they state that the devotees use the word "Krsna" instead of "Krishna" out of respect. That is not the reason; it has to do with the Roman transliteration of Sanskrit). The bottom line is, I felt this book to be credible, factual and authentic. And incredibly entertaining. Although the Gaudiya-Vaishnava religion (represented in part by the Hare Krishnas) is wonderfully rich in philosophical and theological content, this book shows what can happen when greed gets in the way.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From Krishna Consciousness to crime,
This review is from: Monkey on a Stick: Murder, Madness, and the Hare Krishnas (Hardcover)
As Chuck St. Denis turned to run, 12 bullets pierced his body. Somehow he got up and stumbled away. Thomas Drescher tackled him, then stabbed St. Denis with a kitchen knife until the blade broke.Switching to a screwdriver, Drescher kept stabbing St. Denis, then he punched a hole in St. Denis' skull with a hammer. Finally, as Drescher and Dan Reid were wrapping the body in plastic, St. Denis opened his eyes and pleaded. "Don't do that, you'll smother me." Incredible? You bet, but it's true. And it's just the first of many revelations about the American Hare Krishna movement in "Monkey on a Stick: Murder, Madness and the Hare Krishnas." This is a fascinating book that reads more like a crime thriller than the social history and expose that it is. Indeed, reporters John Hubner and Lindsey Gruson effectively use all the conventions of a crime novel to draw the reader into the real story: how murder, drugs and fraud turned the spiritual intentions of a generation into a nightmare. Besides the murder of Krishna devotee Chuck St. Denis, "Monkey on a Stick" also details the murder of a former devotee who tried to expose the movement's horrors and the supposed murder by pit bulls of a temple armorer. Other madness detailed in the book includes the sexual abuse of children, the beating of women, money-raising scams, arms-stockpiling, drug-running, a guru fueled by LSD and other gurus more concerned with empire- and palace-building than furthering "Krishna Consciousness." As do most thrillers, "Monkey on a Stick" also has its good guys, particularly Tom Westfall and Joe Sanchez, the only two cops to show any interest in the Krishna movement. Westfall became known as the "Krishna Cop" because of his detailed knowledge of the movement. Yet the thriller aspect mostly provides background for an examination of the social history of the Krishna movement by Hubner and Gruson. Through extensive interviews with current and former Hare Krishnas, as well as law enforcement officials, the authors provide some provocative clues to why "people who had set out make peace and love ended up molesting children, running drugs, committing murder." To their credit, Gruson and Hubner take pains to point out that not all the Krishnas were involved in crimes, nor were many even aware of them. If there is a downfall to "Monkey on a Stick," it's the book's structure. The facts and figures that make this engrossing story more credible are buried among the notes and citations at the end of the book. In a note on their methodology, Hubner and Gruson urge readers to consult the chapter-by-chapter notes as they read the book, a process that can be distracting at times. Still, "Monkey on a Stick" will leave you shaking your head in amazement.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
True story of the dark side of saffron in WV hills.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Monkey on a Stick (Onyx) (Paperback)
About 1981, I stumbled onto to grounds of the emerging palace the Krishnas were building in the West Virginia hills to honor Swami Prahupada. The Swami developed his following while living on 2nd Avenue in New York. Monkey on a Stick tells the utterly fascinating story of the Swami and his followers and how, after his death, the devotees built the grandiose and goldleafed palace that grew above the tree tops east of Moundsville, WV. Hubner and Gruson capture the power trips and plays that becomes a first rate murder mystery. My guess is that the book's grotesque title may have cost it some readers. Too bad. Highly recommended.
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