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abicaro17's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, and Pandemic/Epidemic
darlaslays's review against another edition
4.25
I was able to look back at my previous experiences with cult-like organizations with a fresh perspective. I recalled the years wherein I was involved with an organization that was cultish (but beneficial overall) and this group discussed ontology quite a lot. As a result, we had very specific definitions for commonly used words that meant something distinct from how it was typically used in American English. It did feel empowering to use language as a tool for reframing the way I looked at the world, in a positive way. However, there was a sense of shame after I stopped participating in this organization because I did things I now wish I didn’t during my time there.
There were portions in the book that I didn’t quite agree with politically speaking— I fall around the centre-right but also have left leaning social ideologies— however, the author took great care to balance her opinions with facts and also cited evidence of both political parties’ involvement in cult-like activities and influence.
Ultimately, she made a very good case for all of her points, and I completely respect that. It didn’t completely alienate me as a reader who in my life was subject to literally all categories of the cultish organizations that the author described (as a result of mine or my family’s involvement in them). Every time I thought she might have lost me, she always found a way to reel it back in by indicating that she has an open mind and empathy for others who may fall into ideological traps.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in cults and language. I wish my friends and family members with a tendency to join cultish organizations would read this, but that’s okay if they don’t. At least I personally am now equipped with the knowledge I gained from this book.
Minor: Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexual harassment
It’s terrifying how deeply people can get involved in dangerous ideologies. This book touches on well-known cases of cult fanaticism that resulted in group suicide (with non-consenting parties also getting killed). There are also portions that discuss cult leaders using their influence to sexually assault women and children. As someone whose family was quite involved in multiple situations that would fall under the Cultish umbrella, hearing certain accounts of interviewees brought back flashbacks of times where I felt genuinely afraid.vixenreader's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Rape, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, and Cultural appropriation
Be aware that this book addresses extreme cults, “brainwashing,” mental abuse, mass suicide, financial abuse, and gaslighting through language.dreadspawn's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual assault, and Religious bigotry
kajasversion's review against another edition
4.0
Though I will say i found that a lot of the information was already known to me and I would dare to say to the general public to, so I don’t necessarily think this is a groundbreaking reserch, more so a collective overview.
Graphic: Suicide, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting
Minor: Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, and Vomit
ashlynregan's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic
erinkellyreads's review against another edition
5.0
"Cultish" was read by a different audiobook narrator, and I actually enjoyed that. I know Amanda's vocal/writing style from consuming her other content, so it was interesting to get another interpretation of it on top of what she wrote. The book is set up in various section with a different focus on each. Part One focuses on Amanda's thesis of the evolution from the cults of the 1900's (I cringed suuuuuuuper hard writing that, as a millennial) to the culty language of modern day fanaticism. Part Two focuses on background information on some major cults of the past such as Heaven's Gate, Jonestown, the Branch-Davidians of Waco, and even the cult that her father escaped as a young man. Part Three breaks down some more modern religious sects that could be considered culty and why - mostly through the use of language (from the in-speak of a group through even speaking in tongues). Part Four gets really interesting as it moves away from spirituality and into a somewhat new religious experience of the 2000's-2010's - fitness! From the various gurus and "gurus" of different yoga traditions to SoulCycle, Peloton, and Crossfit, Amanda digs deep into the similarities with these "lifestyle cults" to actual cult techniques. If you are a fitness buff, don't worry, she also looks at the good things that people get from their favorite fitness groups. Part Five digs into how social media has shifted and continued the use of culty language and groups with a deep dive into the Instagram Witch trend from 2018-2022 (that's the timeline I think fits best there, in my opinion). From there, we bring it all home in the conclusion.
I've always been interested in cults, how they work, and why someone would want to join one. Over the years I think I've answered those questions for myself, but I really appreciated Amanda's focus on language as uniter in these instances. Beyond that, it is very easy to see how we all use language that can sound cultish with the things we are fans of (I'm a bookstagram using Swiftie who eats a lot of Trader Joe's - I totally see it). Amanda did a fantastic job researching this book with statistics and interviews from everyone from survivors, academics, and current fanatics. I enjoyed "Wordslut" fine enough, but "Cultish" is really Amanda's best work so far. I say so far because her new book "Magic Overthinking" just came out a couple of weeks ago! That is my next read, and I'm excited to see where this goes next. 5 stars, recommended read!
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, and Classism
sarahjx's review against another edition
4.25
Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder
dkamada's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Death, Fatphobia, Suicide, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting
abbysnofun's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Suicide and Violence