Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

145 reviews

katie0528's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

An exploration of language. The first half discusses how cults and religious groups use language tactics like "us vs. them" language creating their own codes/abbreviations to entice  followers and keep them in line. The second half focuses more on "Cultish" language in everyday life, from brands and movies with cult followings, to passionate communities like fitness clubs to social media influencers to QAnon, and how "Cultish" language can be used to build solidarity for good and for ill and ways to recognize and interrogate it.

I did listen to the audiobook and wish it was read by the author. The narrator was fine, but Amanda Montell hosts a podcast called Sounds Like a Cult, and she is so much more engaging when discussing these topics.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Trafficking

Minor: Emotional abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Abortion, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Classism, Cultural appropriation, 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

alishamadison's review

informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

A fun book if this is already a concept that is interesting to you. I only marked this a medium paced read because toward the end of the book

she talks WAYYYY too much about Peloton and other fitness experiences that just felt like a drag to get through

overall I enjoyed this book. It gave me a new perspective on how language grasps the attention and following of people. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Emotional abuse and Body shaming

jennykre's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Classism, and Gaslighting

cloudyworld's review

dark funny informative fast-paced

4.5

I loved it. It's an easy read, funny, and full of tidbits of stuff I'd been interested in for a long time (death cults, scientology, MLMs) plus ones I didn't have any idea about (CrossFit, soulcycle, culty Instagram influencers) ! The author is young and fresh-sounding, but I think that balances the darkness of the contents well. Also she's from Baltimore so big points there! This was an enjoyable read if you're looking for something non-fiction that isn't scholarly and inaccessible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Violence and Emotional abuse