Scan barcode
danimacuk's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Gaslighting, Suicide, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse and Sexual assault
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Trafficking, Confinement, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, and Racism
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
glitterdeww's review
4.75
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Violence, Cultural appropriation, and Suicide
thursdd4y's review
3.75
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
mi7sma's review
4.0
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Genocide
Moderate: Confinement, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Gaslighting, and Racism
divine529's review against another edition
That said, tread lightly if you have triggers as this book deals with heavy and difficult topics at times.
I highly recommend this to everyone.
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Murder, Racism, Confinement, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
alsoapples's review
4.5
Moderate: Trafficking, Confinement, Gaslighting, Murder, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Racism, and Torture
angreadseverything's review
3.0
Graphic: Death and Suicide
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual assault, and Child death
tamara_joy's review
4.5
Moderate: Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Racism, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Fatphobia, Confinement, and Suicide
ashleycmms's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Suicide, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Cursing, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Racism, Death, Confinement, Cancer, and Emotional abuse