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serenabereading's review against another edition
3.0
This was very informative and I learned something new about the cults I was already aware of. There were a few cults I had never heard of like The Ant Hill Kids which was HIGHLY DISTURBING to hear what happened and what was done. I'd suggest preparing yourself before you read/listen to that part. I like how it gave an inside look at the cult leaders early lives. I was never aware of Manson's early life but assumed he had issues from the start. Great listen, makes me want to listen to the podcast.
ravensandlace's review
4.5
Title: Cults: Inside the World’s Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Join Them
Author: Max Cutler and Kevin Conley
Genre: Nonfiction
Format: own hardback book
Series: NA
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
tw: murder, drug use, teen pregnancy, bullying, assault, neglect, guns, gun violence, rape, blood, violence, brainwashing, child death, cancer, parental death, suicide, arson, child abuse, mutilation, poison
It is no secret that I am fascinated with cults. But in case you didn’t know that, now you do. I think it’s so fascinating that normal people can get sucked into believing anything. When I had a commute of 30 minutes to work and 30 minutes back home, I decided to give podcasts a shot as I was tired of listening to music. I already pretty much use Youtube as a podcast so I figured I could focus on them pretty well. I stumbled across Cults from the Parcast network and was instantly hooked. In less than a year, I listened to the entire podcast. When they mentioned they were releasing a book, I had to get my hands on it.
If I’m being honest, I got this book for the bibliography. I wanted to know what they were using for research so I could read those books. I’ve always been curious to know what books they used in their research as I imagine they use quite a bit of research in their podcast.
Their book is laid out similarly to their podcast if you have listened to them before. It gives mostly detailed events of the cults, the background of their leader, and the terrible crimes the cult leader/cult committed. It’s not quite as detailed but they talk about multiple cults so I can understand why they only put in so much.
Overall, I think this is a great starting book for those interested in learning about cults. It covers the ones everyone knows like Heaven’s Gate and Charles Manson’s Family but also a couple people may not know like the Narcosatanists and Raelism. It is pretty graphic; the crimes those cults perpetrated are pretty gruesome. But if you can stick through it, I promise this book is well worth it.