Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
8 reviews
erinkellyreads's review against another edition
5.0
"Cultish" was read by a different audiobook narrator, and I actually enjoyed that. I know Amanda's vocal/writing style from consuming her other content, so it was interesting to get another interpretation of it on top of what she wrote. The book is set up in various section with a different focus on each. Part One focuses on Amanda's thesis of the evolution from the cults of the 1900's (I cringed suuuuuuuper hard writing that, as a millennial) to the culty language of modern day fanaticism. Part Two focuses on background information on some major cults of the past such as Heaven's Gate, Jonestown, the Branch-Davidians of Waco, and even the cult that her father escaped as a young man. Part Three breaks down some more modern religious sects that could be considered culty and why - mostly through the use of language (from the in-speak of a group through even speaking in tongues). Part Four gets really interesting as it moves away from spirituality and into a somewhat new religious experience of the 2000's-2010's - fitness! From the various gurus and "gurus" of different yoga traditions to SoulCycle, Peloton, and Crossfit, Amanda digs deep into the similarities with these "lifestyle cults" to actual cult techniques. If you are a fitness buff, don't worry, she also looks at the good things that people get from their favorite fitness groups. Part Five digs into how social media has shifted and continued the use of culty language and groups with a deep dive into the Instagram Witch trend from 2018-2022 (that's the timeline I think fits best there, in my opinion). From there, we bring it all home in the conclusion.
I've always been interested in cults, how they work, and why someone would want to join one. Over the years I think I've answered those questions for myself, but I really appreciated Amanda's focus on language as uniter in these instances. Beyond that, it is very easy to see how we all use language that can sound cultish with the things we are fans of (I'm a bookstagram using Swiftie who eats a lot of Trader Joe's - I totally see it). Amanda did a fantastic job researching this book with statistics and interviews from everyone from survivors, academics, and current fanatics. I enjoyed "Wordslut" fine enough, but "Cultish" is really Amanda's best work so far. I say so far because her new book "Magic Overthinking" just came out a couple of weeks ago! That is my next read, and I'm excited to see where this goes next. 5 stars, recommended read!
Moderate: Gaslighting, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Racism, Suicide, Bullying, Classism, Mass/school shootings, Death, Child abuse, Confinement, Addiction, and Violence
maximauve's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Emotional abuse, Death, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, and Suicide
courto875's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mass/school shootings, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Cultural appropriation, Death, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse
balfies's review against another edition
3.0
The first few chapters hewed a bit too close to true crime for me (I am very squeamish and the Jonestown murders are deeply distressing), but it picked up a bit in the chapters in MLMs and SoulCycle.
I'd greatly enjoyed Montell's first book Wordslut, about linguistics from a feminist lens, and was really keen to read this. It has its moments, but overall this is the weaker book, I think.
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Cultural appropriation, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Suicide
hfleur's review against another edition
5.0
Minor: Suicide, Mass/school shootings, and Gaslighting
quills4days's review against another edition
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
yeojinqueen's review against another edition
5.0
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
laynemandros's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Child death, Suicide, and Adult/minor relationship