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mi7sma's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Genocide
Moderate: Confinement, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Gaslighting, and Racism
courto875's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mass/school shootings, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Cultural appropriation, Death, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse
hmetwade's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
zosiablue's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Cultural appropriation, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Mental illness, Classism, Child death, Drug use, Kidnapping, and Suicide
hannah_and_her_stories's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, and Gun violence
Minor: Cancer, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Racism
litematcha's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Cultural appropriation
balfies's review against another edition
3.0
The first few chapters hewed a bit too close to true crime for me (I am very squeamish and the Jonestown murders are deeply distressing), but it picked up a bit in the chapters in MLMs and SoulCycle.
I'd greatly enjoyed Montell's first book Wordslut, about linguistics from a feminist lens, and was really keen to read this. It has its moments, but overall this is the weaker book, I think.
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Cultural appropriation, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Suicide
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
3.5
I think overall, it could have been stronger. I thought that each chapter kind of ended just as I thought it was starting to get juicy.
Minor: Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, and Murder
brindolyn's review against another edition
4.25
Minor: Addiction, Mental illness, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Suicide
rionstorm's review against another edition
4.25
I liked that the author explored a wide range of groups, from the types of groups that would traditionally be seen as cults, to new age social media healers, MLMs, and conspiracy theory communities like QAnon, as it was really fascinating to see the same core linguistic and persuasive principals being applied in such different scenarios.
They look at both the positive and negative aspects of tight knit cultish groups, and consistently invite the reader to remain empathetic about to the factors that lead people to become part of these groups, without excusing any harmful behavior or views.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Antisemitism, Cultural appropriation, Sexual violence, Body shaming, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Pedophilia, Cancer, Racism, and Vomit