Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

12 reviews

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

itisnatal's review against another edition

dark informative medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Bullying, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, and Gun violence

nykolereads's review

informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Drug abuse, and Death

cady_sass's review

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but don’t join that MLM. 

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.

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Content Warnings

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

casually_booking's review

challenging funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

If you listen to the Sounds like a Cult podcast, you will like this book. Amanda’s tone is the same- caked in sarcasm and random quips about all things culty. I enjoyed the brief chapters because they provided some nice shape and guidance throughout the book. I also enjoyed how she wove in her personal experiences with cults and culty things along with interviewee’s stories and of course historical facts and academic sources. We are all a part of certain societal “cults”  but some “cults” come with deadly consequences and financial ruin. By sharing her own experiences with cults, she adds a layer of relatability. Definitely recommend for a digestible read about some difficult topics. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Body shaming, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cursing, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism

graceesford's review

dark funny informative fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cultural appropriation, Death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Homophobia, Bullying, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Misogyny

dfbballinger's review against another edition

medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Eating disorder, and Child abuse

burnt_milk's review

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Interesting and engaging to read! 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Drug abuse and Body shaming

yeojinqueen's review

informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Murder, Pedophilia, Slavery, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

eldritch_flower's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

 I've always had an interest in cults. Not joining one, so don't freak out. But I am an active listener of the Cults podcast and I spend a lot of my free time watching documentaries on cults in general.

This book does talk about some of the more well known cults to give foundation to the points Montell makes later in the book, but what I found most interesting was the parallels between those cults and the groups she brings up as "cultish" like MLMs and certain gym groups, and even some influencers.

The book has a heavy focus on language, which I'm sure you can gather from the title. The language of conversion is incredibly compelling and interesting.

But beyond that, the book is topical as it was written and released after June of 2020, so the anti-masker idiocy and QAnon bullshittery is also included in this with poignant commentary.

If you have ever had even a passing interest in learning about cults, it's worth the read. I definitely had fun with it and I feel like I came out of it with new knowledge(as someone who's been reading about cults for more than a decade, I think that's a pretty big feat). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Drug use, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Violence