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MONKEY ON A STICK
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MURDER, MADNESS, AND
THE HARE KRISHNAS
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Bestseller
and Novel, describing dishonest gurus, death threats and murder in ISKCON
"a must for every devotee who want's to know
the truth"
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Book Reviews: Booknews, Inc. , August 1, 1989
The history of the movement in America based on taped interviews with present
and former devotees, newspaper stories, magazine articles, and trial transcripts.
Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
pearljam@deathsdoor.com from India , September 24, 1998
Comments:
EXCELLENT EXPOSURE OF BLOODY TRUTH .....
Monkey on a Stick is a classic...... It's an acknowledgement of the hard work
done by the authors. It thoroughly exposes the crime & politics in the ISKCON
Movement in the most sensational way....aaah crime in the name of Lord Krishna.....he
oughta punish all such creatures....
A reader from Madison, Wisconsin , December 6, 1998 Comments:
True story of the dark side of saffron in WV hills.
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.
A reader from Chicago , October 15, 1998 Comments:
Rarely circulated expose. I am surprised just how rare this material is! The
Book describes a lot of the evil things that happend to ISKCON after the death
of Prabhupada. Men raised to the rank of gods, while still seeking the pleasures
of this world. Seems to be very carefully researched, but rarely reviewed.
ESCAPED WITH HIS LIFE? An ex-devotee from
New Vrindavana says that in the mid-1980s he came across a scene in the woods
where "a big temple authority" was smoking pot with a group of young
(gurukuli?) boys, and the leader had the children open their robes to expose
their genitals. When the devotee was found out by the leader he said "I
did not see anything" --fearing for his safety.
Yet, that night he heard a number of men in the grass outside his window. He
jumped out of the window and ran, hearing several people chasing him. He ran
through brambles, bushes, branches, he ran up ravines, fell down ravines, and
got cuts all over his body. He ran until the next morning. He finally got to
a highway and flagged down a car and escaped. This is why many of the molesters
went on, it was perhaps, deadly to object. This devotee said there was a rumor,
"there are bodies buried on the property." God only knows what they
would have done to him if he had been caught....
Reviewer: A reader from Moundsville, WV
A very truthful account of what occurred in new vrindaban.
October 2, 1999
As a young child growing up in the Ashram in New Vrindaban, West Virginia I
can verify that the accounts describe in this book are true. I know a large
amount of people in the book including the family of Chuck St. Dennis and the
son of Bryant. This book is a must read for anyone who enjoys realistic horror,
murder, and deceit. Unfortunately this book does not tell of the aftermath of
"The Swami's" reign and the devastation it left so many families in. So many
families have to start form scratch, penniless, picking up the loose ends and
finding their way back into society after being remove from reality for ten
or twenty years. John Hubner should write a sequel containing the stories of
the children in the Hare Krsna movement and the abuse (physical, mental, and
sexual) and the neglect they endured due to "The Swami's" direct orders. I believe
that a sequel would become a best seller. Anyone interested in cults and the
chaos they bring to the unsuspecting person should read this book because Monkey
on a Stick will outrage you as well as keep you on the edge of your seat wanting
to know more of what went on.
| Dear
Nori,
I took your advice and through the internet found some used
book stores and a number had a copy of
"Monkey on a Stick". Couple
of questions-- Do you think that book was an accurate portrayal?
Do you know what sentence Bhaktipada got? |
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Dear
B: Monkey
on a Stick
validated rumors of chauvinism, guns, child abuse, drug
use and drug dealing, dishonest gurus,
death threats and murder in ISKCON. When I was a
member, I ignored these rumors, but in researching Betrayal
of the Spirit I learned that most ISKCON rumors are
basically true. Betrayal of the Spirit mentions
practically every ISKCON rumor, covering some of the same
area as
"Monkey on a Stick".
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The
guru of New Vrindaban, Kirtanananda aka Bhaktipada,
was fined $250,000 and is serving the third year of a twenty-year
federal prison sentence for racketeering and conspiracy
in two murders (described in Monkey on a Stick).
According to Hinduism Today, he denied complicity
in the murders, despite pleading guilty.
The only hyped thing about "Monkey"
is the writing style, it sounds like a cops & robbers
novel.
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"They
fell upon Jadurani and severely
beat her, kicking her in the face and not stopping until
she was literally drenched in blood. Then, they attempted
to take her bloody sari to
hang on a post as a warning to anyone else who would
"dare to blaspheme Kirtanananda."
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please also visit:
http://members.tripod.de/pada/
http://members.tripod.de/gbc