Dead, Insane, or in Jail Audiobook By Zack Bonnie cover art

Dead, Insane, or in Jail

A CEDU Memoir

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Dead, Insane, or in Jail

By: Zack Bonnie
Narrated by: Zack Bonnie, Anne M. Carley
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.95

Buy for $19.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Zack Bonnie was 14 when his parents sent him to a "troubled teen" facility. The author takes listeners there in a thrilling psychological ride. Sequestered where bizarre cult-like techniques become the norm, hear for yourself exactly what the controversy is about. Should we mold a child's behavior using the tools of brainwashing? With coarse, brutal dialog and authentic source materials, this nonfiction memoir, the first in a series, exposes the secrets and tells it all.

Dead, Insane, or in Jail: A CEDU Memoir is named for the range of options open to the author at 14, if he ran away from the cult his parents inadvertently inducted him into. This is the first time he has told his story. And it’s a doozy. Too many people can relate to this account, unfortunately. Although Rocky Mountain Academy has closed its doors, several hundred residential teen-treatment programs, religious reeducation camps, and places that commit spiritual assassination still operate without oversight in the United States.

©2015 Zack Bonnie (P)2018 Zack Bonnie
Law
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup

Critic reviews

"Imagine (or remember) being a confused teenager. Now imagine that the only solution your parents can devise is sending you away to be 'fixed.' Zack’s touching, true account of being trapped in the 'scared straight' industry just might be the book your reluctant teenage reader has been seeking." (Barbara J. Danis, Literacy Specialist/Coach)

"Zack Bonnie’s work is a gift to those interested in the history and dynamics of coercive residential teen-treatment programs. With gut-level insight, humor and frankness, he describes the inner experience of a precocious 14 year-old who was engulfed and overwhelmed by these bizarre, yet legal, forms of psychological abuse." (Marcus Chatfield, author, Institutionalized Persuasion)

Compelling Story • Well-written Memoir • Powerful Narration • Informative Account • Vivid Truths
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
Reading this book was very cathartic, as somebody who has been to one of these schools. Also had my mom listen, to gain insight into my experience. She found the book both entertaining, and informative.

well written, with a lively, heartfelt narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What an odd set of obstacles the parents imposed on their rebellious son! He had an intense adventure.

i think this is a great listen during plane trips.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This was an incredibly well explained rendition of the intense situations you went through. I’m in awe of the fact that people can condone these types of institutions and I am so grateful that you are shedding light on the matter. I’m so sorry for everything you have gone through, but I am so grateful you decided to share your story. I hope it continues to take part in correcting the issue with the troubled teen industry.

Thank you for sharing your story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Even if you forget the fact that this book documents one of the darkest parts of American education first hand, this is still just a well written and interesting book. Zach tells a hard to tell story with humor and intelligence. This is a must read for everyone!

This book is as important as it is well written.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

An incredibly entertaining and accurate telling of a manipulative cult and their mistreatment of teenagers, bound to the word of Khalil Gibran. An amusing way to expose a traumatic institution and their nefarious ways. PG56

Incredibly entertaining and unimaginably accurate storytelling

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Shocking Truth.
As someone who struggled through this unbelievable experience in the same years as the Author .
To some it may seem a amazing fictional tale.
To others scattered amongst you it is our past ..and In many ways our everyday still.

Zack brings vivid truths to paper and audio.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I read this book when it first came out and was "blown away." Listening to it in the author's voice was powerful. While the narration was a little rough in spots, the story is compelling and heartbreaking. Educators working with at-risk youth need to give this a listen.

intense doesn't even begin to describe it...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is a must read for anyone who has been in the troubled teen industry.

Emotional and relatable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I also was sent to a program, CEDU was a predecessor of wwasp, and he was captive in ‘88 the year I was born, but so relatable. The author does an excellent job of portraying how horrid life is in a program. And I love the monotonous lady voice who reads the letters from his mother and the program brochure lol. DO NOT SEND YOUR “REBELLIOUS” TEEN TO A THOUGHT REFORM PROGRAM!!! It will traumatize them!

So accurate, and so well done!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Really excellent. My only minor gripe is that it leaves you with so many questions. Mainly - did Zack really finish at RMA on the 2nd attempt? is there a 2nd memoir? I'd be thrilled to read one.

great, painful memoir

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews