Dinner for Vampires Book Review by Bethany Joy Lenz
If you were a fan of the television show One Tree Hill, you may want to check out this memoir that just came out! Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While also in an Actual Cult!) is the memoir of Bethany Joy Lenz, who played Haley James Scott on the show. I love to read about cults so this book title immediately caught my attention. Keep reading my full Dinner for Vampires book review for the scoop on this harrowing memoir.
To be completely honest, I have never seen One Tree Hill. I know. That’s probably pretty shocking because I love high school drama and teen tv shows. But the show first came out in 2003, so I would have been 11 at the time. And as I grew older, it was just never on my radar. I completely understand why the show has such a cult following though. When a show is on for a long time and you get invested in the characters, you feel like you really know them.
I think that’s part of the reason why Dinner for Vampires is such an interesting (and somewhat shocking) story. Bethany Joy Lenz was an up and coming actress, known for playing lovable girl next door Haley. But that was just in public. Behind the scenes she was dealing with a lot in her personal life, which included a manipulative bible study group who did their best to control her.
If you want to find out more about this book, keep reading for my full Dinner for Vampires book review.
If you enjoy today’s book review, you can find more of my book discussions here.
What is Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz About?
A deliciously witty and inspiring memoir by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz about her decade in a cult and her quest to break free.
In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to breakthrough as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama One Tree Hill. Her career was about to take off, but her personal life was slowly beginning to unravel. What none of the show’s millions of fans knew, hidden even from her costars, was her secret double life in a cult.
An only child who often had to fend for herself and always wanted a place to belong, Lenz found the safe haven she’d been searching for in a Bible study group with other Hollywood creatives. However, the group soon morphed into something more sinister—a slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse, and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz began to give away her autonomy, ultimately relocating to the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound, overseen by a domineering minister who would convince Lenz to marry one of his sons and steadily drained millions of her TV income without her knowledge. Family “minders” assigned to her on set, “Maoist struggle session”–inspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counseling with “Leadership” were just part of the tactics used to keep her loyal.
Only when she became a mother did Lenz find the courage to leave and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help of a One Tree Hill superfan), she finally managed to escape the family’s grip and begin to heal from the deep trauma that forever altered her relationship with God and her understanding of faith.
Written with powerful honesty and dark humor, Dinner for Vampires is an inspiring story about the importance of identity and understanding what you believe. (from Amazon.com)
My Initial Thoughts
I’ve read quite a few cult memoirs (about religious cults and others) and I always try to go into them with an open mind. In some instances, people are born into cults. In other situations, a cult may prey on a vulnerable person and lure them into the group later on in life. Bethany Joy Lenz’s story is very interesting because the process of bringing her into the group was so gradual that by the end of her time with the big house family, I think even she was shocked by how far away from reality she was.
The book begins with her childhood as she reflects on her younger self. She was raised in a religious family and eventually, her parents divorced. By the end of high school, her parents had moved to separate places and although they still cared for her, she had to transition into adulthood very quickly. By that point she was booking roles and making a bit of money.
In a way, I think the sudden independence and moving to Los Angeles by herself is part of what led her to the big house family. That’s why I really wanted to read this book and share my Dinner for Vampires book review on the blog.
The Group
I found the story of how Joy (It seems that Bethany Joy Lenz is her stage name, but in her personal life she was going by Joy at the time) got involved with the group really interesting. New to LA and looking for a place to belong, she started attending a home bible study with her roommate. There was not pastor or sermon or even a church. It was simply a group of people meeting together (at one point, they even had a dinner party) to discuss their beliefs and get to know each other.
I find this confusing because it didn’t really seem like they were reading the bible at all. Or if they were, they weren’t reading it at face value. Instead they were interpreting it in ways that benefitted them the most. To me, that is a huge red flag. But I’m also in my thirties while Joy was barely out of high school at the time.
I think when you’re younger and you just moved to a new place, you’re going to try to be open to everything. You want to see what life has to offer. It feels so adult to be talking to new people and having deep conversations about life. Joy’s experiences make complete sense to me. While I’ve never been in that situation, I think it’s very easy to understand how these things happen.
The Cultish Behavior
I read some reviews on Goodreads where readers who were one tree hill tv show fans were disappointed by this book. They wanted behind the scenes details on the show. But I don’t believe that’s what this book is about. It’s simple purpose is to explain how her experience with the cult affected every aspect in her life, including her job and her work on the tv show.
It’s a little sad to read about how different things that the cult leader told her would affect how she acted on set. This show was such a big opportunity for her and I feel like they really messed up some things for her. The isolation of the group really cut into bonding with her castmates and participating in that life.
Would I Recommend this Book?
Yes, I would. Bethany Joy Lenz really lays it all out there. I imagine it was incredibly difficult for her to relive some of these memories. The fact that she shared them with us at all is really brave. This is a cautionary tale that reminds me not to judge people because these kinds of situations are so nuanced.
In Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed today’s Dinner for Vampires book review.
I think you’ll find this book interesting whether you’re a huge one tree hill fan or not. There’s really not all that much talk about the show. Instead, it mainly focuses on Bethany Joy Lenz’s break into Hollywood and the people who helped (but also hindered) her. This is a celebrity memoir that discusses heavy topics. It really gives you a better understanding of why cults succeed in the way that they do.
Dear Simon & Schuster:
In my opinion, I found Bethany Joy Lenz’s first book to be super interesting. By the end, I was so relieved to find out that she was putting herself (and her child) first and doing what was right for them. I think it would be really interesting to read a follow up book to this story. Bethany could write another book as a follow up. She could share what she did after her divorce to get her acting career back.
