Book The Fifty-Sixth

Sins of the Father by Fleur Beale

The true story of the Cooperite sect, New Zealand’s favourite cult.

This is a very one-sided story, as Beale gets almost all of her information from Phil Cooper, the “wayward” son of cult leader Neville Cooper aka Hopeful Christian. Not, of course, that there was an alternative – the Cooperites keep very much to themselves, and refused all requests to give their side of the story.

A solid transcription of events, and it’s nice to be reminded that this sort of thing happens here as well, and isn’t just confined to backward states in America.