If reading our interview with Peter Rock (and getting psyched for his reading tomorrow) has whetted your appetite for cult stories, check out this piece on Synanon by George Pendle, highlighted by Longform earlier this week.

Things start out all right, with a recovering alcoholic named Chuck Dederich meeting with some Alcoholics Anonymous pals for “bull sessions.” By the end, we’ve got forcibly shaved heads and farmers waking up to the sounds of child runaways.