Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

146 reviews

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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itsame_dio's review against another edition

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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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ana_p_carvalho's review against another edition

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funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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claireh6's review

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informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.5

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readwithev's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

My only (very minor) complaint is that I wish there were more first hand accounts/interview snippets. I appreciated the informative, introspective, and curious approach while maintaining and understanding and empathic tone. The book is informative without sounding repetitive or preachy. I also liked that Montell researches “cult-like” language in non-violent spaces like MLMs and fitness clubs. They explain how ”cultish” language can build strong community and emotional connection in a digestible way. (Honestly I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who thought SoulCycle has a weird ring to it).

⚠️Trigger warning ⚠️ Montell does discuss violent dangerous cults that participate(ed) in emotional, physical and/or psychological abuse.

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hey_al's review

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funny informative medium-paced

3.5

Loved it! If you've listened to her podcast, a lot of this might sound familiar. If not, check it out. I like that she doesn't use a judgemental tone or write off all culty behavior - it's very nuanced and we are all susceptible to it.

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edrickashay's review

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adventurous challenging informative lighthearted medium-paced

4.75

An engaging, playfully written well-researched look at cults from globally famous and nefarious, to everyday and possibly harmless. This book covers everything, and turns who we think of as “vulnerably to joining a cult” on its head – it had me widening my eyes, covering my mouth, gasping out loud, and talking about it with friends, family, and even my boss.
I would recommend to every single American… everyone needs to read this.

I picked up this book to deepen one of my fiction stories that I realized includes a cult, and was pleasantly overwhelmed by the information and the storytelling in this book.

I’ve heard people call Mormon’s a cult. I’ve heard of Scientology and the Moonies. I have a family member part of an MLM, and I myself identify *loosely* as a new age spiritualist.
I personally skipped the section on fitness cults, as I am personally not a work-out girlie and don’t know anyone who is, and I found the chapter on MLM’s less engaging than the rest, but overall this book remained engaging, informative, and is filled with highlights.

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rainbopagn's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

3.0

While there is something endearing about the way Montell breaks down all things “cultish,” there wasn’t anything really I didn’t already know. It was neat to hear about the origins of things like MLMs though I do think she oversimplified by describing everything cultish as a result of Protestant reforms and changes. I do recommend as an “intro” to thinking critically though.

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jsahm8's review

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informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

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apoppyinthewind's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

3.5

It was a little tricky to rate this one because while I found the subject matter fascinating and engaging, at times I found the narration & the structure of the audiobook took away from the experience a bit. The book is divided into parts and the parts have numbered sections but on the audiobook I listened to, the number sections aren't listed in the contents or marked as chapter breaks so it can start to blur together.

Also, the audiobook highlights the "More on that later" pattern that other reviewers have pointed out which became irritating.

Aside from those issues though, it was a fascinating look into the word cult, what we generally know/think about cults, and how language evolves around cults. There were a few personal anecdotes which I found interesting though I could see them being off-putting if you were looking for a more academic-style text.

One element I especially appreciated was the way Montell tried to destigmatize the way folks are drawn into cults, and any scorn in the book was aimed at the manipulative cult leaders, not the ones who were drawn into cultish groups.

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