Sorcerer's Apprentice: My Life with Carlos Castaneda - Hardcover

Wallace, Amy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1583940766 ISBN 13: 9781583940761

Publisher: North Atlantic Books,U.S., 2004

Synopsis

Amy Wallace's memoir of her complex relationship with Carlos Castaneda plunges readers deep into the reality of the Castaneda cult and the psychological terrors it perpetrated. With the skill of a master storyteller, Wallace recounts early meetings with Castaneda, shares previously unpublished material straight from the Nagual, and explores the aftermath of Castaneda's death and the long term effects of his legacy. Insightful and unwaveringly honest, Sorcerer's Apprentice is simultaneously a love story, a cautionary tale about the dangers of giving one's power to another, and a joyous account of healing and self-affirmation.

About this title

Review:

"Truth hurts ... and so does Sorcerer's Apprentice. Amy Wallace's harrowing account of her years as Carlos Castaneda's lover and disciple is a cautionary tale for our times, the story of a woman whose search for meaning took her to the brink, and damned near cost her everything. In this painfully honest memoir, she takes us deep inside the Castaneda cult and shows us the mind games, ego trips, and petty cruelties that wore the guise of wisdom. 'Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!' the Wizard once tried to tell Dorothy. Amy Wallace has ripped the curtain down, and laid the wizard bare for all to see."
--George R.R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones

"Amy Wallace expertly maps the territory where mysticism merges into insanity, or perhaps the unmarked land between screwball comedy and terrifying tragedy. I can't recall a stranger, sadder narrative than this."
--Carolyn See, author of Making a Literary Life

"Having grown up reading Carlos Castaneda's books and finding them intriguing and enlightening like many countless others, I was shocked when I stumbled across Amy Wallace's book. I cannot recommend it enough. It certainly will change your perspective on the scenario and raise awareness of the horrors of cults--and of how sometimes hell lurks right around the corner."
--Jeffery Pritchett, Examiner.com

"Sorcerer's Apprentice is a haunting and brutally honest memoir that reads like a tender love story and, at the same time, a taut psychological thriller. Amy Wallace writes with wisdom, grace, courage, and candor about one of the most charismatic figures of all our times, and she allows us to witness both the splendor and the danger of entrusting one's fate to a powerful man or woman."
--Jonathan Kirsch, author of The Harlot by the Side of the Road and The Woman Who Laughed at God

"I simply could not put this book down. Amy Wallace's relationship with Carlos Castaneda was transformative, exciting, abusive, and painful. This is a cautionary tale, containing essential insights for all of us. Thank you, Amy, for having the courage to tell your story so that others may learn from it, and from the redemptive powers of your own healing."
--Susan Piver, author of The Hard Questions

Synopsis:

A tale of anthropologist-turned-shaman Carlos Castaneda's life and Amy's own role within his world, Sorcerer's Apprentice is intriguing and mind-boggling. Aware of the strange and manipulative measures Carlos took in pursuing her, Amy was still drawn into his inner circle in a whirlwind romance that appealed to her passionate craving for love, adventure, and mystery. This is an intricate and tragic account of love and dedication mixed with deception and betrayal.

About this edition

• Publisher: North Atlantic Books,U.S.
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1583940766
• ISBN 13: 9781583940761
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 200