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A review by apoppyinthewind
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Bullying, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Body shaming
Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism