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zosiablue 's review for:
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
by Amanda Montell
informative
medium-paced
I think the author's thesis was: Cults (like Heaven's Gate) and cult-feeling orgs (like SoulCycle) are different, but share similar language, and listening for cultish language is our best chance at not getting sucked in. Which is a cool premise but she doesn't land it. There are a lot of contradictions, tons of meandering, and occasional strong political statements that I enjoyed but were then dampened by weaker language. It was messy but it did get me thinking about how pervasive cult language is. I think this book would be most eye-opening for anyone who feels conflicted about MLMs or Instagram influencers and things like that (this will talk them out of following).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide, Kidnapping, Classism