Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz

An Four-Star Book

One Tree Hill wasn’t one of the early 2000s WB shows that I regularly watched, but I knew about it and most of the characters. So when I heard that Haley (Bethany Joy Lenz) was publishing a memoir about her involvement in a cult while on the hit teen TV show, I was intrigued.

Summary of Dinner for Vampires (No Spoilers)

Lenz’s acting career, including her star-turn on One Tree Hill, is a secondary force in Dinner for Vampires. The primary focus is her affiliation with an unnamed cult that begins in Hollywood and transitions to a small, isolated location jn Idaho. Lenz’s involvement starts as she’s beginning her career in California and is trying to find a community in Hollywood.

Her comfortable, reassuring Saturday night Bible study is soon overtaken by a man who seems to have good intentions, but who slowly indoctrinates the participants, including Lenz, into his interpretation of Christianity. Soon, Lenz finds sanctuary in the old farmstead in Idaho and as her One Tree Hill career takes off, she must balance her conflicting realities. Ultimately, she finds security by choosing herself and her daughter, but the journey is not easy.

[W]hen each case of psychological abuse is explained out of context, it often elicits a response like, Well, I

can see the other side of it, too. There is even less sympathy for cult members: Hey, lady, you’re a grown-

up. If you wanted to turn over your autonomy to some sociopath leading a little religious club, that’s on you.

Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz

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What I Enjoyed about Dinner for Vampires

Dinner for Vampires is an engrossing memoir. Here is why I enjoyed it so much.

• Honest Reflections: Lenz is honest about how she was constantly searching for something more, whether it be the next starring role or a closer relationship with God. This searching made her relatable and explained why she was drawn to the cult in the first place.

• Cultish Mentality and Activity: Cults fascinate me, and Lenz did a great job at explaining how her participation in a weekly Bible study slowly evolved into indoctrination into a cult. From want I understand, this is common cultish behavior as leaders start with slow, simple gaslighting and manipulation which then morphs into full absorption into the cult’s system.

What I Wanted to Be Different about Dinner for Vampires

I found Lenz’s writing to be a bit off-balance at times. She fell into clichés occasionally. Also, I’d liked to have learned more about her experiences on set as a young actress; although I understand why One Tree Hill was overshadowed by her involvement in the cult.

My Final Thoughts about Dinner for Vampires

If you find cults as fascinating as I do, Dinner for Vampires is a good memoir into the psyche of cult members and those who have escape. Lenz’s Hollywood ties and success on One Tree Hill show that even the most talented and highest achieving of U.S. can fall into a cult leaders’ grips.