Slonim Woods 9: A Memoir
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Slonim Woods 9: A Memoir Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Daniel Barban Levin (Author), Jay Myers (Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 247 ratings
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An “extraordinary” (Nylon) firsthand account of the creation of a modern cult and the costs paid by its young victims: a group of college roommates

“Intense . . . [a tale] of hard-won survival, and creating a life after the unimaginable.”—Salon

In September 2010, at the beginning of the academic year at Sarah Lawrence College, a sophomore named Talia Ray asked her roommates if her father could stay with them for a while. No one objected. Her father, Larry Ray, was just released from prison, having spent three years behind bars after a conviction during a bitter custody dispute.

Larry Ray arrived at the dorm, a communal house called Slonim Woods 9, and stayed for the whole year. Over the course of innumerable counseling sessions and “family meetings,” the intense and forceful Ray convinced his daughter’s friends that he alone could help them “achieve clarity.” Eventually, Ray and the students moved into a small Manhattan apartment, beginning years of manipulation and abuse, as Ray tightened his control over his young charges through blackmail, extortion, and ritualized humiliation. After a decade of secrecy, Larry Ray was finally indicted on charges of extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor, and money laundering.

Daniel Barban Levin was one of the original residents of Slonim Woods 9. Beginning the moment Daniel set foot on Sarah Lawrence’s idyllic campus and spanning the two years he spent in the grip of a megalomaniac, this brave, lyrical, and redemptive memoir reveals how a group of friends were led from college to a cult without the world even noticing.

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  1. Listening Length
    11 hours and 13 minutes
  2. Author
    Daniel Barban Levin
  3. Narrator
    Jay Myers
  4. Audible release date
    September 7, 2021
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B08GSTHDYS
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 11 hours and 13 minutes
Author Daniel Barban Levin
Narrator Jay Myers
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date September 07, 2021
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B08GSTHDYS
Best Sellers Rank #52,879 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#28 in Religious Cults (Audible Books & Originals)
#49 in Con Artists, Hoaxes & Deceptions True Crime
#98 in Religious Cults (Books)

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
247 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Sasha
5.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking story
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2024
Verified Purchase
Wow, this book was impossible to put down. I read it after watching the Hulu doc, which I also liked. The book doesn't cover the exact same ground as the doc (which goes into other victims' experiences, as well as Daniel's), but it adds a lot of interesting detail and color to the story. What I most liked in this book were the sections where the author describes how it felt to be waking up and wresting himself from the grip of Larry Ray's mind control. Kudos to Daniel Barban Levin for being brave enough to tell the story and for telling it so well. I'm sure it will help a lot of people. Hopefully Daniel and all of Larry Ray's victims are prospering and recovering from the trauma of what happened.
3 people found this helpful
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Crazy cat lady
4.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2021
This is a good book. Though I'd like to have known what ended up happening to Larry 🤔
2 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Small cuts are still cults
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2024
Verified Purchase
I read about cults ..... And at 1st I was like how can this be a cult and this book points out that a cult can be small ...... I hope that all find themselves again without Larry
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Julie Merilatt
3.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing & Depressing
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2022
Verified Purchase
The title refers to the dorm where Levin lived as a sophomore at Sarah Lawrence College. One of his roommates, Talia Ray, would ruin his life for the next two years. When her dad Larry was released from prison, he descended on Slonim Woods 9 with a few shady acquaintances (former military, ex cons) and set up camp amongst the college kids. Larry, a former marine who was allegedly working on defense projects for the government, had a personality that was larger-than-life. He was also full of a whole lot of bull-plop.

Basically, Larry ruled these kids through psychological torture. Even after the school year ended, when they moved out of SW9, they all shacked up in Larry’s Manhattan apartment where he continued to be predatory and manipulative. He focused on the kids with the lowest self-esteem, convincing them that they were suicidal and that he saved their lives. Larry constantly built them up only to tear them down again in a vicious cycle of humiliation. And he was sleeping with his daughter’s friends. Gross.

For two years this went on. Levin couldn’t even escape Larry’s influence when he studied abroad in England for a couple of semesters. Despite Levin being an award-winning poet, I don’t think his narrative here was very polished. Mind you, his portrayal of what happened was effectively depressing and disturbing. But because he lacks confidence, it comes across in his narrative. And I felt the book could have done with some sort of afterward because there were some unresolved topics. Like how was Larry always so flush with cash, and what happened to the other students? Otherwise, it was a creepy memoir about how a handful of naïve college kids got sucked into a quasi-cult.
15 people found this helpful
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David Imonti
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn’t put it down!
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2023
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This book was excellent!! Daniel is an amazing writer and it breaks my heart imaging what he went through, along with the others. This book had me hooked from beginning to end! Highly recommend! So glad Daniel got away and is doing well!
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Krysten T.
5.0 out of 5 stars A Relatable and Important Read
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2023
Verified Purchase
I found Daniel Barban Levin’s memoir to be an important read that demonstrates how the fragility of young adult minds can be influenced by someone with sinister intentions. Levin bravely and vividly accounts his time spent with delusional, manipulative yet charismatic Larry Ray, with whom he met through a college roommate. What makes his narrative most terrifying is how relatable his story is–many of us experience traumatic events as children and unfortunately are not able to resolve it (if at all) until adulthood. Lots of us experience the chaos of college while searching for our identities, and looking for a sense of stability and belonging. Levin’s narrative disturbingly shows us just how easily something like this could've happened to us. Maybe you didn't fall victim to a cult leader, but perhaps you had a gas lighting friend or found yourself in an abusive relationship where you completely lost track of your voice and your sense of self. A relatable and important ready, especially for young adults.
14 people found this helpful
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Jane Parks
5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you Daniel Barban Levin
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
for sharing this painful and personal account of what it was like to live with a deranged psychopathic personality with the world. I could not help seeing that are many parallels in your story with what has been happening in our country with #45, and I hope that many others who read this book will see this as well.

It saddens and horrifies me that all of this happened in what was supposed to be a sanctuary where young people were supported to pursue their academic and creative passions.

Your personal account of the psychological effects of abuse at the hands of Larry Ray felt chillingly accurate. You have given much to the world for articulately and eloquently writing it all down.

So thank you. Much luck and success in your writing career. My best wishes to you and your family and friends.

Steevie Jane Parks, Ph.D.
Retired Clinical Psychologist and
Sarah Lawrence College Alumnae 1978
5 people found this helpful
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