Reviews

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

maireadeilis's review against another edition

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funny informative medium-paced

4.0

taylormdavis415's review

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4.0

Interesting and easy lil creative nonfiction vibe.

georgiemolly's review

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emotional informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

Cultish is a very broad examination and of the cultish language used by actual cults to brands who want that cult-like appeal. An interesting read, that at times felt a bit long winded in its descriptions and stories when the point had already been made. At times the research felt a little surface level. But nonetheless a thought provoking read about how we talk about cults and brand-like-cults in cultish and not-so-cultish language. 

spookygemini's review against another edition

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dark funny informative medium-paced

3.5

Overall a fun and interesting look at the language of cults. Nothing super groundbreaking or deep and sometimes the author was unnecessarily judgey and obviously biased. 

lacysautekc's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

3.0

jaredwill_'s review

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5.0

This could have been twice as long. I was fascinated the entire time.

eaheck's review

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informative

4.0

elliebeemellie's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

2.75

Tldr; Well-written book with entry-level info about major cults and marketing (i.e., cultish) language. Not worthwhile if you're already familiar with these topics. Tepid opinions, but also carelessly inflammatory in a way that may turn away the people who most need this info.

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When it comes to the language of fanaticism, there's nothing you'll learn in this book that you can't learn within 2 years of working as a marketer. Montell lists the psychological tricks of cultish language (e.g., jargon, outsider rhetoric, appealing to community) as if they're groundbreaking discoveries, and I found myself casually nodding my head and thinking "that is the foundation of strong marketing copy, yes." 

This could be a useful book for someone who's not familiar with capitalism's non-stop use of manipulative language. Absolutely. But if you're looking for a deep dive into cultish language, this isn't your book. 

Where this book shines is in its recounting of major semi-modern American cults. I didn't know much about Jonestown or Heaven's Gate going into this, and learning about them was definitely interesting! If you've investigated either of these cults, though, it's unlikely you'll get new information from this book. Same with Scientology; I knew the basics going in, and left with basically no new knowledge about it. 

I also got the feeling that Montell wasn't completely dialed into her audience when writing this. Given that the book ends on the subject of QAnon, and given that Trump is a recurring character, it feels like her thesis (or at the very least her motivation for writing this book) revolves around those specific cult followings.

Yet, Montell never dedicates a section to explore in depth the (in her words) cultish language used by Trump. Again, she brings him up several times, usually in association with conmen or strong orators. That (plus the glazing over of QAnon) gives me the feeling that Montell is hopeful this book will get into the hands of Trump and Q supporters and help them identify the language that manipulates them day in and day out. But I'm equally confident that the unfocused side swipes at Trump throughout the book will turn away members from either group before the message sinks in. And coming from a reader who is already staunchly opposed to anything from the Q/Trump camp, her approach feels tepid and her commentary milquetoast. If Montell was trying to play the middle to appeal to a wider audience, she was unsuccessful! 

luna_'s review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

4.0

surrealtheory_exe's review

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4.0

I guess a cult could mean many different things based on perspective.

Language is so powerful….and scary? And maybe actions do speak louder than words but words can clearly create cults…