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breandthebooks's review against another edition
This book presents ideas about cults as if they are new ideas, such as how many of their "charismatic" leaders are white males, and usually get away with their behavior on that merit alone. I felt as if the cults themselves and their fanaticism were overlooked to discuss and seemingly punch down on its followers. More focus was put on the followers of different cult-like movements (not even cults themselves in reality) Yes the followers of these movements are a key to these movements' success, but more focus was on the money they spent on brand-name clothing or how outlandish their mantras were, versus the abusive, misogynistic, and borderline racist environments the leaders and creators of these 'cults' fostered.
I felt as if the cults themselves were mentioned but never actually talked about, especially cults that are still in existence such as The Church of Scientology. While the book's main focus is on the language these cults use, I feel as though you too need to understand what these cults are, how they operated, rose to prominence, and sometimes sustained prominence. Different cults were discussed in the text but were never given a clear or in-depth backstory, especially Scientology which is still popular among many celebrities, despite the church being accused of abusing its members, the children with the church, and covering up abuse in the church. Its new leader David Miscavige is barely even mentioned when he is at the forefront of the church's new leadership.
This is a great read if you are new to researching cults or just want to gain a surface-level understanding of cults, cult-like followings, and the language of cult followings. However, if you already have an understanding of cults or have done research into them, this book will not tell you anything you probably don't already know.
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, and Suicide
lemonsforyu's review against another edition
4.0
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Pandemic/Epidemic
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: Ableism, Addiction, Body shaming, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
aysha_blake's review
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
brindolyn's review against another edition
4.25
Minor: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting
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
snd1101's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, and Cultural appropriation
ramhog's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Since this is all about various cults and their abuses I'm sure I missed some warnings. From my memory none of the descriptions longer, but it does deal head on with dark themes.linkamarisa's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Misogyny, Suicide, Abortion, and Cultural appropriation
graceesford's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Colonisation