Author Susan Rosenbluth: "Blurred Vision"

Award-winning journalist Susan Rosenbluth will read from her new book, "Blurred Vision," on Monday, October 26 in the library Mackay Room. There will be a book signing afterwards.

Set along the Jersey shore in 1987, the novel deals with the havoc wreaked by one such group when a young woman, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, is lured into joining. The ramifications pit an African American police detective and his Jewish partner, haunted by the death of a child he couldn’t save, against a teenage runaway from a cult and its violent messianic leader, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the boy—even murder.

Grounded in procedural realism, Blurred Vision is a tense psychological thriller about justice perverted, faith abused, and the devastating cost of trauma to the survivors. At its heart, however, it’s also a story about the blessings of families forged by love rather than blood, resilience, and unlikely human connections.

Rosenbluth spent years interviewing former cult members and their families, as well as psychologists, deprogrammers, and law-enforcement officials. Her articles on cult recruitment, deprogramming, and recovery were widely published—and served as the inspiration for Blurred Vision.

The program would entail a short discussion on cults, including their attraction and how they lure participants, followed by a one-chapter reading, a question-and-answer session, and a book signing.

Due to limited space, registration is required below.