Reviews tagging 'Death'

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

118 reviews

dkamada's review against another edition

informative fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Suicide, Violence, Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting

miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.5

A really interesting look into the language around cults. Looks at how cult leaders use features like thought terminating cliches, love bombing, gaslighting, acronyms(and their own glossaries both of made up words and redefined words) and us vs them language to build a following. But also how the outside world talks about cults and how they use the same us vs them language to dehumanise and essentially ridicule those who join cults instead of trying to understand their behaviour. Then goes on to talk about how other groups develop a cult like following through similar use of language even if their not a cult, from mlm schemes to fitness influencers. Looks at how people have adapted the same behaviours to be use on a different platform, allowing them to grow a following on social media.

‘Speech is the first thing we’re willing to change about ourselves and also the last thing we let go.’

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Suicide

emmawiechs's review

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Murder, Gaslighting, and Suicide

Minor: Drug use and Emotional abuse

hexedmaiden's review

informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

First off I fuckin love the cover of this book and would buy an art print of it to hang on my wall.

Now on to the content of this book, I think Amanda did an banger job on this and I like this should be a book that everyone and their grandma reads. If you're like me and have been listening/reading/watching anything to do with True Crime you might be familiar with not only the cults in here, but even the language used that Amanda refers to as, "Cultish." I found this book absolutely fascinating and getting to see how powerful language can truly be, for the worse and the better. How that cultish language is used by genuine cults, politicians, multi-level marketing (MLM) corporations, to even workout gyms. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault, Death, and Murder

erinwolf1997's review

informative medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Cultural appropriation

glitterdeww's review

informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

Excellent dive into the power of language and how cultish groups everywhere use it to coerce and condition their members. I never liked MLMs, but I will definitely be looking at them even more sideways after this read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Violence, Cultural appropriation, and Suicide

thursdd4y's review

informative fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Police brutality, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Murder, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcoholism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Drug use, Cursing, Terminal illness, Classism, Drug abuse, and Grief

growintogardens's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship

mfrisk's review

hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

This is a great read connecting the author’s experiences with cults and cult language to accounts from various other people and how language can be used. It does get a bit repetitive and drag towards the end but I’d still recommend it widely. 

This line in particular stood out to me as poignant - “It’s in our DNA to want to believe in something, to feel something, alongside other people seeking the same.” 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, and Violence

Minor: Sexual assault

itsame_dio's review against another edition

challenging funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.25

It was very informative and entertaining, the author did have a habit of reusing phrases ( “We’ll get to that in part 4” for example) and after a while it was getting a little annoying. Also be warned that the first 2 parts go into Jamestown and Heavengate. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death, and Suicide