Cultish is a quick and fascinating read about the power of language. Amanda Montell talks the big, well-known cults, like Jonestown and Heaven's Gate, but she also digs into how cultish language enters into the mainstream with MLMs and fitness influencers.

Overall, an interesting nonfiction read.

I had high expectations for Cultish after reading Wordslut, and these expectations were surpassed!

Montell describes the ways cult leaders use language to influence their followers, extending the definition of cult to a variety of groups, including Soulcycle and QAnon.

I was so captivated in the first half, which explores cults like Scientology, Heaven’s Gate, and Jonestown (The People’s Temple). I felt like I was reading a thriller. I loved hearing Montell’s personal experiences as well, as her father grew up in a cult, and she was “kidnapped by Scientologists.”

I enjoyed this book. Montell is great at tone. Her books are smart and approachable. I learned a lot but never felt like I was straining to understand. CULTISH is very much part of a genre I call “pop psychology” (think: Malcolm Gladwell).
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As a person who reads a lot about cults, I appreciated how Montell brought cults into a new light for me. I was able to think about them differently, more about how they come to be and are able to thrive, and less about what any one cult does. Montell draws connecting lines that are present in different groups on the cult spectrum. She draws out the parallels between the ways Jim Jones and IG wellness influencers and Rodan + Fields sales people and Donald Trump and CrossFit enthusiasts all use and manipulate language(and not in an insensitive or alarmist way).
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I do think Montell is limited in her ability to incorporate the stories and points of views of folks from marginalized groups. I was curious to know how Black language might make someone more or less likely to manipulate a group. Or how queer men’s use of language is used co-opted by leaders. Or whatever else intersectional ways fanaticism and language intersect when not centering white cud-het communities.

If you are one of the many, many people who were immediately captivated by the LuLaRich documentary and are waiting, somewhat patiently for more seasons of The Dream podcast, you are going to love Cultish. Montell goes in deep on the language used by various well-known cults and show the way that many new business such as gyms and clothing companies go on to adopt similar language and then can feel very similar to a cult. I really appreciated Montell’s very accessible and readable language-ha, I know-that made this such a fast paced and interesting read. Montell also provides stories told to her during her childhood, her father was associated with Synanon, and her own run-in with Scientology as a college student.
I found Cultish to be an absorbing, compelling, and highly-readable book. If you’re looking to branch out into new and different genres and non-fiction is on your list, definitely pick this one up.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Wave for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

Cultish, by linguist Amanda Montell, author of Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language, wades once again into language dissection and explores how incendiary language can transform non-harmful communities into the destructive, history-making ideas we latch onto when we hear the word "cult."

"Truer answers to the questions of cult influence can only arrive when you ask the right questions: What techniques do charismatic leaders use to exploit people's fundamental needs for community and meaning? How do they cultivate that kind of power?"

Into this cycle and understanding, she pulls in other cult-like phenomenons. From multi-level marketing campaigns, fitness communities, and even social media, Montell shines a light on how impactful the language and jargon employed can be.

"As much as I'd like to take full intellectual credit for my exquisitely sensitive scam nose, I know that my disdain for pyramid schemes likely correlates to the fact that I am privileged enough to have no urgent need for their promises."

The good, the bad, and the ugly, Montell has compiled her research from a variety of sources, and though it did feel a bit like a series of connected essays that had been overstuffed and stretched a little thin, I think she does an incredible job of linking her ideas and the development of overlaying this for today's cultish society.

This book was entertaining and informative. I appreciated the amount of research and examples that Montell provided. Definitely a book that you want to talk about with others.

Cultish made me reconsider the way I use the word "cult," which is the absolute highest praise I can give it. It definitely gave me a lot to think about in terms of what a cult actually is. It was a really fun read and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about cults (of any kind!) or has wondered about whether certain current events or popular movements can be properly referred to as "cultish."

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Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

I really enjoyed this book!! Linguist Amanda Montell explores the thesis that language is one of the identifying features of "cultish" organizations. Montell examines the language used within various "cultish" organizations, including Scientology, MLMs, CrossFit, and social media. She does a good job of explaining how "cultishness" happens on a spectrum and how the same practices might be harmful or innocuous, depending on the context.

After reading Cultish, I visited a social media page of someone Montell would describe as a "cultish" leader and identified a few of the linguistic techniques examined within the book.

I think Cultish will be entertaining, informative, and empowering to readers, and I’ll be picking up Montell’s previous book, “Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language.”

Thank you so much to Harper Wave for the opportunity to read and review Cultish!

A engaging, thoughtful, and humorous at appropriate times discussion of the language of cults in both destructive cults and in the day to day of our modern life. The writing style is fun and engaging. Montell writes with her full personality and bias on display which is refreshing when I have read so many pop science books that are trying to be text books. You know right away what Montell thinks of the subjects she writes about and why. That is not to say that it isn't well researched or presented seriously. It handles delicate topics like Jonestown and Heaven's Gate with compassion and gravity. Overall, a true page-turner for anyone with a fascination of cults or linguistics and an important look at how language use shapes our thinking.

I picked up this book because cults have always fascinated me. As Montell, points out documentaries about cults are all the rage and I have watched most of them. I love that her entry point into this world is thorugh language and how that plays into the power dynamic. It was also incredibly eye opening to me just how often we use the word cult in our daily lives, for example a movie that is a cult classic or a beauty product that is a cult favorite. I loved her deep dives into the world of MLMs and fitness and how they use cult-like language to engage their followers. Even with all the information packed into the sections it was a quick read and I thorughly enjoyed it.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

Like any true crime and mystery fan when I saw Cultish I knew I needed to read it. I wasn't sure why I was always so fascinated with cults, but Montell really shines a light on it in Cultish. Though this is a very well-researched work, it is not provided in a manner that feels overly academic and honestly feels like the conversations you have with your friends each time some new cult is uncovered in the news or the newest Netflix documentary comes out. It's a quick and easy read that you won't want to put down, and maybe you'll realize you're in a cult as well.


5/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Wave and Harper Business for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Weaving together personal narratives and cult history, this book is an interesting take on how language can connect and divide. The progression from well-known cults to cult language in everyday life was both fun and alarming. A bit dense, but still an engaging read.

Thanks to Harper Wave and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.

This book does a great job of breaking down the language of cults, how that affects/appeals to our brains, and trickles down into our everyday lives, with examples from Jonestown and Heaven’s Gate all the way down the line to MLM girlbosses and Instagram influencers. A great survey on the topic of the power of language to rope us in.

This was such an excellent book! I appreciate both the level of research, consulting & data, and the wit & humor throughout. I laughed out loud at points. I also think the author did an excellent job of holding a nuanced, thoughtful perspective used.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Harper Wave for this e-Arc!

This was such a fun and informative read. I was anxiously awaiting this book’s release after reading and loving Amanda Montell’s first book Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language. I loved the flourishes of humor that she adds, they never detract from the information being provided but they do make the book more engaging.

In Cultish her focus is on the ways that cults/religions, MLMs, influencers, and exercise groups use language to influence people into following and believing in them. It’s really interesting to see the similarities that all these different groups and individuals have in the ways that they try to amass influence and power.

I thought the section about exercise classes & movements wasn’t quite as strong as the rest of the book. But for the most part this was an extremely interesting and thought-provoking read. I hope Amanda Montell keeps writing books, because I’ll definitely keep reading them.

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this book that I was really looking forward to. I first heard about Amanda Montell and her book on the podcast Conspirituality. After hearing her interview I knew I needed to read this book immediately. If you're weirdly obsessed with cults and true crime but want a different angle or perspective than usual, this is the book for you. Very interesting and approachable nonfiction. It's also fun to read this along with the companion podcast Sounds Like a Cult.

Cultish by Amanda Montell is a fascinating study of what a cult is and how some everyday things can be "cultish." Montell discusses everything from Jonestown to Scientology to Crossfit to MLMs. She compares the language that is used to unite groups of people so that they become loyal to different ideologies. It is her belief that humans desire to belong to a group, and that is why we are so willing to join some of these real cults or just the "cultish" fitness fads and MLMs. I found this book to be fascinating and would highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Cultish is a fascinating look at how language is a key tool in how we construct meaning in a collective context. The same linguistic tools (and means of manipulation and control) are examined in the realms of fringe religious sects, multi-level marketing scams, extreme exercise movements and social media influencers. Equally academic and accessible, it's as entertaining as it is thought provoking.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Harper Wave for an advanced copy of this timely new book.

Amanda Montell has written a book so of its time, so needed and necessary not only to understand politics, religion and spirituality, and commercial lifestyle choices made by people you really expected a lot more from, and expected that they would know better. Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism is an examination of how groups use language to influence and control people into believing and following said group down whatever rabbit hole of control they wish.

Not just a study of language, but also a memoir of Ms. Montell's brushes with cults, her family's more than casual foray into a religious cult, along with the experiences of others. Ms. Montell examines the words, the usage, the message hidden among the verbiage and how people might want or need to believe what is being told to them. Ms. Montell also explains how growth is so necessary, be it a religious group, Amway or even Soulcycle.

The writing is never dull or too technical. Facts and ideas fill the pages, but never bogging down or leaving me as a reader going, Wha? at any point. Mostly I was making notes to look up stuff for later. Ms. Montell describes many incidents Jonestown, Heaven's Gate, and clears up many misconceptions and outright lies that have clouded what really happened in many of these tragedies. Trust me there are certain terms you are going to read that you will never say again, nor look fondly at those who use them as talking points.

Not just a great book, but a needed book for so many people. I really can't recommend the book enough. I have already ordered Ms. Montell's first book and can't wait to read that.