Scan barcode
itisnatal's review against another edition
4.5
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Suicide, and Sexual harassment
hey_al's review against another edition
3.5
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Murder
apoppyinthewind's review against another edition
3.5
Also, the audiobook highlights the "More on that later" pattern that other reviewers have pointed out which became irritating.
Aside from those issues though, it was a fascinating look into the word cult, what we generally know/think about cults, and how language evolves around cults. There were a few personal anecdotes which I found interesting though I could see them being off-putting if you were looking for a more academic-style text.
One element I especially appreciated was the way Montell tried to destigmatize the way folks are drawn into cults, and any scorn in the book was aimed at the manipulative cult leaders, not the ones who were drawn into cultish groups.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism
booksandbesitos's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide, Cultural appropriation, and Classism
courto875's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Mass/school shootings, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
zoinkie's review against another edition
2.75
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Death and Suicide
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, and Child death
bashsbooks's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Antisemitism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
trippyotter's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism
cady_sass's review against another edition
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: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
louisegraveyard's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Gaslighting