Seconded. This is a very compelling read, and a great graphic novel style. One of the things Joe says several times is how part of the design of the elan program is to be so absolutely insane that it literally sounds unbelievable if described to anyone. Coupled with a separate, well-groomed veneer presented to parents and the outside world, any "troubled" kids trying to explain what's really going on just come off as so massively exaggerating the situation that you can't even begin to take them seriously.
It’s also more then that. elan was VERY good at disguising themselves as a caring and helpful place. On paper, elan had it all. But it was all an illusion. My parents spent over 3 months researching different schools and elan seemed to have everything I “needed”. This was before the internet had social media and review sites so the people who elan abused didn’t really have a visible soapbox. My parents even went to elan and took a tour before sending me there.
elan also had complete control of every letter or phone call. You have to earn the privilege to them. I had no contact with my parents for the first 2 months. And when I did, it was over a speakerphone in a room with a elan staff member who literally had their finger on the button to hang up if I pleaded for my parents to take me home. And before the call that day they had been coaching me for days on what I could and could not say. And if I said something I wasn’t supposed to I would lose all privileges and go “on shotdown”. elans vicegrip on communication actually led to my parents withdrawing me. They sensed something wasn’t right and (against elans wishes) demanded a in person visit with me(in person visits are a extremely privileged event). They saw I had lost a ton of weight and looked all fucked up and withdrew me.
