Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

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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 was already familiar with MLMs and the language they use to manipulate people into joining them, but to see it laid out so clearly for such businesses as SoulCycle, CrossFit, and even Amazon, was quite stark. One of the most interesting facts to me, was how cults will often develop new words, or alter commonly used words, to create a sense of being special and “in the know” within a community. Now, after reading Cultish, it feels like I’m finding those types of phrases everywhere. This, of course, is nothing surprising, I’m just hyperaware after reading the book but it’s still jarring to find this language everywhere.

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.

You can thank me later.

If you would like to add this to your bookshelf, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Wave for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

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