How did I not know about these people? I used to live adjacent to Half Moon Bay, California, one of the towns near which the Zizians lived and terrorized residents, and I had no idea this was happening practically under my nose. In fact, I am fairly certain I met the kind elderly man who was brutally attacked and murdered by members of this group. I can’t stop thinking about him.
In his new book “The Zizians: Inside a Trans Death Cult,” journalist Andy Ngo sets the stage and introduces readers to the sociopathic characters who make up this bizarre and dangerous cult. He begins with its leader, Jack Amadeus LaSota, who goes by the name Ziz, describing a relatively ordinary upbringing and early life in Alaska before tracing the disturbing evolution of his ideology and behavior. Ziz kept detailed journals, which Ngo carefully examines and summarizes.
Much of it didn’t make sense to me; that’s not because Ngo isn’t clear in his writing, but because Ziz’s ideas are that bizarre. Journals about radical veganism, unconventional theories about human cognition, anarchism, and extreme ideas about identity were difficult to follow. Ngo does the same for Michelle Zajko, a woman who was eventually charged with murdering her loving parents. Ngo provides a window into the minds of deeply disturbed individuals who showed no remorse, even after friends and fellow followers died by suicide.
It is fascinating, and frankly disturbing, to learn about the manipulative tactics Ziz and his followers used to evade accountability. Ziz faked his own death and pretended to be comatose in an effort to delay jail time. Ngo meticulously documents how claims of mental illness, vegan dietary needs, and other elaborate deceptions became part of the group’s efforts to escape consequences for their behavior. The Zizians exploited their kind, elderly landlord and were able to evade rent because of the policies during the COVID-19 lockdowns in California. The book offers a disturbing look at how our system enables sociopathic behavior and the exploitation of the innocent.
The deeper I got into this book, the more disturbing the story became. I can’t get the story of landlord Curtis Lind out of my mind. He was nothing but generous to the Zizians, and yet he was brutally attacked and eventually murdered by the death cult. Their initial attempt to kill him failed because the 80-year-old man fought back and shot one of his attackers, Emma Borhanian. In that first attack, Lind was beaten and stabbed, suffered a brain injury, and permanently lost vision in one eye. He survived that initial murder attempt, only to be brutally murdered two years later before he could be a witness in the trial. That trial was delayed countless times for technicalities and has still not happened to this day.
But perhaps my greatest disgust came when I learned that Borhanian, who had participated in the vicious attack on his landlord, was honored on Transgender Day of Remembrance. The associated recognition and fundraising in this person’s name are difficult to reconcile with the brutality of the crimes. You can’t get much more backward than that.
The chapter in which Ngo travels to Vallejo to investigate Lind’s home after his murder had me on the edge of my seat. I was genuinely worried about his safety. Reading that account made me appreciate just how much personal courage it takes to investigate and expose a group that may be among the most dangerous and unpredictable out there. I don’t say this lightly: I want to commend Andy Ngo for his bravery. At one point, it really hit me that he is a recognizable public figure, and these people know who he is. I found myself holding my breath as I read the account of his investigation at the murder victim’s home, particularly when a drone was spotted overhead. Chills. Very few people possess the combination of bravery, skill, and tenacity required to undertake a project like this and see it through so thoroughly.
Ngo’s reporting is meticulous and painstakingly detailed. I honestly don’t know how he managed to sift through the mountains of blogs, social media posts, news articles, police reports, security camera footage, and court documents without losing his mind. He also interviewed people involved in the story, visited the towns where the Zizians lived, and pieced together an extraordinarily complicated trail of events. This book is a showcase of exceptional investigative journalism.
One chapter also examines the broader and increasingly concerning issue of violence associated with individuals immersed in extreme gender ideology, a subject Ngo knows intimately and has reported on extensively. This chapter brought home a larger point that runs throughout the book: our culture, institutions, medical establishment, and educational systems can reinforce ideologies and behaviors whose potential consequences are far more dangerous than people realize.
This is ultimately what makes “The Zizians” such an important and unsettling read. It is not just a story about one bizarre cult or a handful of deeply disturbed individuals. It is a look at what can happen when extreme beliefs, psychological instability, ideological reinforcement, and institutional failures intersect, with devastating consequences for innocent people.
Andy Ngo has done an extraordinary job documenting a story that deserves far more public attention. I highly recommend this book. It is disturbing, fascinating, meticulously researched, and, at times, genuinely frightening. Most importantly, it is a reminder of why courageous investigative journalists are so necessary, particularly when they are willing to pursue stories that others would rather ignore.
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Pamela Garfield-Jaeger, LCSW, is a licensed therapist. She is the author of “A Practical Response to Gender Distress: Tips and Tools for Families” and “Froggy Girl.” You can find her on Instagram at @the.truthfultherapist, X as @pgarfieldjaeger, and Substack as Pamthetruthfultherapist.
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