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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
growintogardens's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship
unluckycat13's review against another edition
4.0
I'm unsure what people want in regards to intersectionality. You could probably go into depth in a lot of topics, but the author does talk about a lot of things that affect minorities of all sorts even when she's not directly shouting that group out. She does directly shout out minority groups often though.
Moderate: Sexual violence, Racism, Sexual harassment, Ableism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Suicide, Rape, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Self harm, and Body shaming
rfl_in_stl's review
4.25
Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Suicide
cady_sass's review
5.0
In all seriousness this is EXPERTLY done and I’m blown away. I’ve always been drawn to cult history and I really, really appreciate the work the author did here to include “cultish” behavior (hence, the title) of non cult entities- MLMs, fitness & CrossFit culture, MAGA, etc.- along with the obvious identifiable cults like Jonestown, Heavens Gate, and Nxivm, among others.
Super important to give language to the behaviors and vernacular that are big red flags 🚩 so people can engage carefully and make informed decisions. Highly, highly recommend.
Graphic: Child abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Sexism, Classism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt
nadia's review
4.0
I really liked how Cultish was packed with research but also featured a lot of personal anecdotes, both from the author and people she interviewed. I also loved how we spanned many different types of "cult", including instances that several of us experience day-to-day, and the focus on language was fascinating.
I've got lots to go away and think about, and look out for (👀), now!
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, Sexism, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death
siebensommer's review against another edition
3.75
the conditioning to automatically trust the voices of middle-aged white men. Over the centuries, we've been primed to believe that the sound of a Jim Jones-type voice communicates an innate power and capability — that it sounds like the voice of God.
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Body horror, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, and Sexism
casually_booking's review
4.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Body shaming, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cursing, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
sexytinatrainconductress's review
4.75
Moderate: Murder and Suicide
Minor: Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Sexism
graceesford's review
4.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cultural appropriation, Death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Homophobia, Bullying, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Misogyny