Cultish

Subtitle: The Language of Fanaticism

Author: Amanda Montell

Genre: Nonfiction, Sociology, Culture

Format: Digital via Libby (Library)

Publish Date: June 2021

Read: October 2023

Favorite Quote: Whether wicked or well-intentioned, language is a way to get members of a community on the same ideological page. To help them feel like they belong to something big.

Synopsis: Cultish looks at all things culty, comparing and contrasting everything from Heaven’s Gate and Jonestown, to MLMs and direct sales companies, to CrossFit and SoulCycle. Through the lens of language, Amanda Montell unpacks what makes people join cults, how cults are based on context, and how cultish language isn’t inherently bad, but what matters is the intention behind it.

Why does this book beguile? Since reading The Running Grave, I’ve been down the rabbit hole on cults. I am fascinated by how cults start and how they are sustained. Amanda Montell does an excellent job of explaining how language - so fundamental to the human experience - can explain why people follow others, why a sense of belonging encourages cults and community, and why context is key for everything.

The biggest thing I took away from Cultish is that people who are likely to join a cult - or join a community with a cult-like following - are ones with an abundance of optimism and idealism. When you have that combination of trust, positivity, and wanting to make the world a better place, you may be susceptible to cultish influences.

Rating: 5/5

Link*: Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

If you’re interested in this, read*: Babel by R. F. Kuang