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cady_sass's review
5.0
In all seriousness this is EXPERTLY done and I’m blown away. I’ve always been drawn to cult history and I really, really appreciate the work the author did here to include “cultish” behavior (hence, the title) of non cult entities- MLMs, fitness & CrossFit culture, MAGA, etc.- along with the obvious identifiable cults like Jonestown, Heavens Gate, and Nxivm, among others.
Super important to give language to the behaviors and vernacular that are big red flags 🚩 so people can engage carefully and make informed decisions. Highly, highly recommend.
Graphic: Child abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Sexism, Classism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt
seanml's review
4.0
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Bullying, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Murder, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Classism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Cancer, Gun violence, Self harm, and Suicide
tamara_joy's review
4.5
Moderate: Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Racism, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Fatphobia, Confinement, and Suicide
montybonty's review
4.0
Minor: Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Racism, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Classism, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, Fatphobia, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Suicide, and Drug use
parkerluck's review
3.75
The shift to modern groups lost me a little, especially since the author seemed to fall back on just... giving examples of language (ie: here's a fitness slogan!) without much analysis. I read another review that pointed out how skewed these sections were towards women-dominated spheres (or at that the author equated with women) like yoga, wellness influencers, etc. which I also noticed. There was almost a condescending tone to these portions, and we spent a lot of time talking about things/women the author finds cringy (we get it, you live in LA! Lots of yoga studios! Lululemon!) vs. dangerous groups that are a lot more cult-adjacent (QAnon, Incel culture etc). The conspiracy theory stuff in particular felt extremely surface level and tacked on after spending so long on the fitness and wellness sphere.
I did find the comparisons between cult language/beliefs and early Protestantism, (and how those are baked into American culture) quite interesting! The section connecting the dots between that belief system, MLMs, and American politics was also a very informative ride for me personally.
Overall, the book is at its best when actually focusing on real cults, language and what makes people susceptible to indoctrination. The more "formal" aspects are much more engaging, and I wish we had gotten a bit more of an in depth linguistic examination. I understand the temptation to write for a more general, pop culture obsessed audience, but it ended up losing focus and spinning out on that effort.
Would still recommend, especially to people looking for a quick and accessible intro to these topics.
Minor: Classism, Cultural appropriation, Body shaming, Suicide, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Racism
clawsandjaws's review
4.5
With cited sources and plenty of references that allow insight to the thoughts that celebrities, scientists, politicians, etc. subscribe to.
This book ultimately is more of a reminder that language is a powerful tool and it's within the best interest of everyone to pay closer attention to the way language is used today. Especially today.
Graphic: Gaslighting and Bullying
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Suicide, Classism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Racism
bandysbooks's review
5.0
I appreciate that the author’s tone is thoughtful. She doesn’t demean or insult people who have been taken in by cults. She only explains how it happens.
I also really liked how she discussed fanaticism for workout programs, multi-level marketing, and more versus the traditional religious cult. There was a lot of nuance provided.
All in all, a great book to help you analyze your thinking and understanding toxic group think.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Bullying, and Classism
carisamarie's review
3.75
Moderate: Suicide, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Classism
quills4days's review
3.0
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, and Gun violence
dealingwithdragons's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Suicide, Bullying, Child death, Child abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Ableism, Body shaming, Classism, and Cursing
Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Cancer, Confinement, Stalking, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Vomit, Alcohol, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Racism, and Trafficking
Cults and "cultish" organizations do a lot of terrible things.