Book Review: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: My life with Carlos Castaneda, by Amy Wallace
August 15th, 2006This book about one woman’s intimate involvement with Carlos Castaneda and members of his inner circle affected me on a very personal level, as one of the spiritual groups I was involved with borrowed heavily from the teachings of Carlos and his female colleagues. Reading Amy’s account of the dysfunction and cruelty within that group, as well as discovering information that discredited many things that I had believed as fact, caused a crumbling of a large chunk of my world view that felt a lot like finding out there is no Santa Claus.
Amy handles her subject confidently and there are parts of this book that are truly gripping. It might not be as compelling to someone with less familiarity with Carlos’s work, as some scenes have repetitive themes. But I would strongly recommend it to anyone who was moved by the work of Castaneda and his female companions.
