In the Shadow of the Moons

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For the book by Francis French, see In the Shadow of the Moon (book).
In the Shadow of the Moons  
Hardcover Edition
Book cover, Hardcover ed.
Author Nansook Hong
Country Canada
Language English
Subject(s) religion
Genre(s) non-fiction
Publisher Little, Brown and Company
Publication date September 2, 1998
Media type Hardcover
Pages 240
ISBN ISBN 0316348163
ISBN 978-0316348164
OCLC Number 39736042
Dewey Decimal 289.9/6/092 B 21
LC Classification BX9750.S483 H66 1998

In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family is a 1998, non-fiction work by Nansook Hong, published by Little, Brown and Company. The book is cited by at least six other books relating to cults and new religious movements.[1] Peter Maass, writing in the New Yorker Magazine, called what is revealed in the book Sun Myung Moon's "most damaging scandal", and categorized the book as a "tell-all memoir".[2]

The book has also been published in German, in 1998,[3] and in French, in 2000.[4]

In the copyright, Hong wrote that the book was dedicated: "For my children".

Contents

[edit] Background

Nansook Hong was chosen by Reverend Sun Myung Moon to be the wife of his eldest son, Hyo Jin Moon. According to Hong, Hyo Jin abused drugs and was a womanizer. His drug lapses were blamed on Hong. Bringing her children with her, Hong left the Unification Church and Hyo Jin, and recounts her experiences in In the Shadow of the Moons.[5] Hong's older brother, along with one of Sun Myung Moon's daughters to whom he is married - as well as Hong's parents - had all left the Unification Church prior to Hong.[6]

Hong recounted some of the material described in her book, in an interview by Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes, in September 1998.[7] According to an article in the New York Post, Hong stated that "she contracted a sexually transmitted disease from her husband" and was "a toy for his sexual pleasure or an outlet for his violent rages." She also reports she saw the elder Moon abusing his children."[8]

In October 1998, Hong participated in an online interview hosted by TIME Magazine, in which she stated: "Rev. Moon has been proclaiming that he has established his ideal family, and fulfilled his mission, and when I pinpointed that his family is just as dysfunctional as any other family - or more than most - then I think his theology falls apart."[9]

In May 1999, Hong presented a talk on her book at the International Cultic Studies Association Conference: Cults, Psychological Manipulation & Society.[10]

[edit] Reception

In her review of the book for Cultic Studies Journal, Marcia Rudin wrote that due to Nansook Hong's position within the Moon family, her story cannot simply be dismissed by cult apologists as an atrocity tale. Rudin went on to state that: "The compelling credibility of this book demands that Nansook's story be paid attention to. Many Unification Church members are paying it attention, for, according to Nansook and others, the first-hand testimony delivered through this book has already caused many Unification Church members to leave the group."[11]

Robert Parry of The Consortium reviewed the book, and wrote that "it adds first-person evidence that Rev. Moon has flouted U.S. currency laws through a long-running conspiracy to smuggle cash into the United States or to lie to customs agents about where the cash is going."[12] Rafael Martinez, Director, Spiritwatch Ministries writes that the book is a "...painfully honest and personal reflection of her life as a bride to Hyo Jin, Moon's eldest son...",[13] and goes on to comment that: "The Moons, as she recounted, made no attempt to ever intervene or confront him, and instead heaped abuse and blame on her for Hyo Jin's own personal irresponsibility and wickedness."[13]

[edit] Book covers

French edition,
L'Ombre de Moon,
September 1998,
ISBN 2-86391-883-4

German edition,
Ich schaue nicht zurück: Moons Schwiegertochter berichtet,
Bastei Lübbe, 2000,
ISBN 3-404-61446-1

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions, Dr. Ron Rhodes, p. 195; Twisted Scriptures, Mary Alice Chrnalogar; Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth' , Robert Parry, p. 291; The Power of Persuasion: How We're Bought and Sold, Robert V. Levine; Charts of Cults, Sects, and Religious Movements, Dr. H. Wayne House; Following Our Bliss: How the Spiritual Ideals of the Sixties Shape Our Lives Today, Don Lattin, p. 203.
  2. ^ Moon At Twilight: Amid scandal, the Unification Church has a strange new mission, Peter Maass New Yorker Magazine, September 14, 1998.
  3. ^ Hong, Nansook: Ich schaue nicht zurück: Moons Schwiegertochter berichtet. , Bastei Lübbe, 2000, ISBN 3-404-61446-1.
  4. ^ L'Ombre de Moon, French edition, September 1998, ISBN 2-86391-883-4.
  5. ^ Review, In the Shadow of the Moons, Library Journal, 1998, Reed Business Information, Inc.
  6. ^ The Reveal Library, Review, 1998, Kim Krecek.
  7. ^ Nansook Hong, interviewed by Mike Wallace, 60 Minutes, September 20, 1998
  8. ^ "Double Trouble for Moon Empire", New York Post, August 17, 1998.
  9. ^ Life with the Moons: A conversation with Nansook Hong, former daughter-in-law of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, TIME Magazine, October 13, 1998.
  10. ^ Conference Speakers, May 14-16, 1999, Minneapolis, Minnesota, International Cultic Studies Association, Cults, Psychological Manipulation & Society.
  11. ^ Book Review, Marcia Rudin, Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 16, Number 1, 1999.
  12. ^ Review, Robert Parry, The Consortium, October 1, 1998.
  13. ^ a b The True Family's Real Values, Rafael Martinez, Director, Spiritwatch Ministries.

[edit] External links

Excerpts
Book reviews
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