The Imposters is the memoir of a young would-be writer making her way alone in Manhattan in the early 1980s. With no long-term friends and a family that is going literally bankrupt, she finds friendship and community in a tiny yoga school on Eighth Avenue run by a dynamic leader of a merry band of outsider yogis. Here, she thinks, she will find meaning and purpose. With little hesitation, she gives it her all. The tyranny of a charismatic personality is one of the most blindingly seductive. The circumstances of this journey with a small cult are unique, but the experience will resonate with anyone who has fallen prey to something or someone promising ecstasy and delivering poison.

This is a personal memoir of over ten years spent in a Siddha Yoga ashram, a yogic monastery. Marta describes clearly what drew her into the movement, what working closely to the guru was like, and how she came to move away from the organization. It is a revealing behind-the-scenes look at a major international spiritual organization written with skill and artistry.