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Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism Hardcover – June 15, 2021

by Amanda Montell (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 3,457 ratings
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
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“One of those life-changing reads that makes you see— or, in this case, hear—the whole world differently.” —Megan Angelo, author of Followers

The author of the widely praised Wordslut analyzes the social science of cult influence: how cultish groups from Jonestown and Scientology to SoulCycle and social media gurus use language as the ultimate form of power.

What makes “cults” so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we’re looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join—and more importantly, stay in—extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell’s argument is that, on some level, it already has . . .

Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, mostly having to do with vague talk of “brainwashing.” But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear—and are influenced by—every single day.  

Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities “cultish,” revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven’s Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of “cultish” everywhere.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harper
  4. Publication date
    June 15, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.05 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0062993151
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0062993151
  8. See all details
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Popular Highlights in this book
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  1. A linguistic concept called the theory of performativity says that language does not simply describe or reflect who we are, it creates who we are.
    Highlighted by 2,639 Kindle readers
  2. But with a glimmer of willingness, language can do so much to squash independent thinking, obscure truths, encourage confirmation bias, and emotionally charge experiences such that no other way of life seems possible.
    Highlighted by 2,310 Kindle readers
  3. Language is a leader’s charisma. It’s what empowers them to create a mini universe—a system of values and truths—and then compel their followers to heed its rules.
    Highlighted by 2,294 Kindle readers
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From the Publisher

Cultish Amanda Montell Molly Ringwald

Cultish Amanda Montell Chelsea Bieker

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Editorial Reviews

Review

A fascinating, enthusiastic narrative on the loaded language of cults. — Kirkus Reviews

“A rigorous and fascinating examination of the power of language to spellbind us all. Montell’s command over cultish language makes her as mesmerizing and charismatic as the gurus she dissects.” — Molly Ringwald, actress and author of When It Happens to You

“You will never think of cults the same way again—this is an unforgettable look at human nature and the power of language. I couldn’t put it down. Amanda Montell blends true journalistic sorcery with her trademark humor and intrepid curiosity to create a linguistic narrative so delicious and searingly smart, you will wonder, like I did, can we join her cult? If so, count me in as a follower for life. I’ll read anything this woman writes.” — Chelsea Bieker, author of Godshot

“Whip-smart, engaging, and utterly intriguing. Cultish is a witty and thorough examination of power, community, words, and the junctures between them.” — Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching

“A playful but canny exploration of the ways language can entrance and beguile us—sometimes past the point of no return.” — Elisabeth Thomas, author of Catherine House

“One of those life-changing reads that makes you see— or, in this case, hear—the whole world differently.” — Megan Angelo, author of Followers

“Compulsively readable and startlingly of-the-moment, this witty, slick, and self-assured book is as intriguing as the spellbinding groups it examines.” — Andrea Bartz, author of The Lost Night and The Herd

“At times chilling, often funny, and always perceptive and cogent, Cultish is a bracing reminder that the scariest thing about cults is that you don't realize you're in one till it's too late.” — Refinery29.com

“We’re all susceptible to coercion, and Montell’s phenomenal book that chilling point as clear as can be.” — Bitch Magazine

About the Author

Amanda Montell is a writer and language scholar from Baltimore. She is the author of two books: Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, about the language of "cults" from Scientology to SoulCycle (forthcoming from HarperCollins, June 2021), and the critically acclaimed Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language (HarperCollins, 2019). Amanda's books have earned praise from the New York Times, The Atlantic, Time Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Kirkus Reviews, and Publisher's Weekly, among others, and Amanda is currently developing Wordslut for television with FX Studios, serving as creator, writer, and executive producer. Her forthcoming podcast, Sounds Like a Cult, will premiere June 2021. As a reporter and essayist, Amanda's writing has been featured in Marie Claire, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Nylon, The Rumpus, Byrdie, and Who What Wear, where she formerly served as the Features & Beauty Editor. She holds a degree in linguistics from NYU and lives in Los Angeles with her partner, plants, and pets. Find her on Instagram @amanda_montell.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper (June 15, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062993151
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062993151
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.05 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 3,457 ratings

About the author

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Amanda Montell

Amanda Montell

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Amanda Montell is a writer, linguist, and podcast host living in Los Angeles. She is the critically acclaimed author of three nonfiction books, Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language, and The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality (forthcoming April 9, 2024 from OneSignal). She is also a creator and host of the hit podcast, Sounds Like A Cult. Amanda’s books have earned praise from The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Kirkus Reviews, and more. Cultish was named a best book of 2021 by NPR, was shortlisted for several prizes including the Goodreads Choice Awards and getAbstract International Book Award, and is currently in development for television. Sounds Like A Cult won “Best Emerging Podcast” at the 2023 iHeart Radio Podcast Awards and was named a best podcast of 2022 by Vulture, Esquire, Marie Claire, and others.

Amanda’s essays and reporting have appeared in The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, and elsewhere. She was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and holds a degree in linguistics from NYU. Find her on Instagram @amanda_montell.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

Christa M Hines, author of Happy, Healthy & Hyperconnected: Raise a Thoughtful Communicator...
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, this was a fascinating read!
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
An excellent and somewhat alarming read when you consider how easy it can be to get drawn in by innocent sounding rhetoric during a time when so many people are seeking connection, a sense of belonging and healthy community. This fascinating and timely book underscores the need for us to be critical thinkers. (I see you, love bombers! ;))

Cultish is a must-read especially in a day and age when we are bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information--much of it garbage -- along with oily influencers and shady "thought leaders."

I also appreciated Montell's pragmatism and sense of humor, including her explanation around the differences between a dangerous cult and a community that engages in cultish but overall harmless behavior.

An entertaining, well-researched read. I look forward to reading more from this author.
6 people found this helpful
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Syd the Savage
4.0 out of 5 stars The vast majority is worth the read.
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2021
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I was pleasantly surprised by how well written this book is in several ways, and disappointed in others.

The good:

1. The author successfully made her point: Language has an incredible ability to inspire fanaticism. Full stop. Whether the organization is a cult, a MLM, a fitness org, or individuals on Instagram, Montell has successfully shown that they all use language in various yet similar ways to obtain recruits/followers.

I read through some of the other reviews and feel those that made negative comments did not fully grasp this. Some reviewers stated they felt she was alluding that all organizations and the individuals that participate in them are cultish in the worst connotation: this clearly isn't true if you read the book all the way through. The author even commented how some of them are good and inspire unity, friendship, and camaraderie. She points out the pros and the cons (or potential cons, in some cases).

2. As a 36 year old woman who made a decision to remove myself from all social media platforms many years ago, I realize I am completely out of the loop when it comes to virtual social activity. I looked up some of the figures mentioned in the book (Teal Swan, Heather Hoffman, Benhito Massaro) and I was shocked at what younger folks are watching/commenting on. It's completely foreign (and a bit scary to me), but this book has helped me understand the draw younger crowds have to it. I won't seek out this material myself but it helps to be able to communicate with and understand others better.

3. Overall, I was impressed with Montell's mastery of vocabulary and sentence structure. She's a talented writer.

4. If you're looking for writing that provides fundamentals to what a cult is, what an MLM is, how pyramid schemes work, and how money can (surprisingly) flow into an out of the hands of the powers that be, how religion and work ethic have created the American way of life, etc., this book gives brief but clear definitions and examples.

5. I like the definitions and examples given for the areas where language and psychology overlap: Montell provides understanding of concepts like "thought-terminating cliches", "confirmation bias", "sunk cost fallacy".

The bad (which is minor and thus minus only one star):

1. At times the author's sarcasm was off-putting. It was distracting and degraded the quality of the thought/meaning.

2. Montell's youthfulness shines through at times; I had to look up some of the portmanteaus or abbreviations. (Ex. Spon con = sponsored content). A little less cool-kid vernacular and abbreviations would be appreciated.

Overall, I recommend this book to understand the impact of language and fanaticism. I enjoyed it, and feel I learned some valuable information.

And yes, Montell comments on Trump a few times. So what. She dings Clinton, too. The woman has an opinion - I'm glad she shared it.
95 people found this helpful
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Alexis V.
3.0 out of 5 stars interesting perspective
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2024
Verified Purchase
The book was easy to read but become a little repetitive and applied cult to areas that were a bit of a stretch to me. I liked the wrap up but wish the last chapter would have been a little bit more of the book. Interesting take but the cliff notes would have sufficed.
2 people found this helpful
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Eileen M DeLoughery
5.0 out of 5 stars Lived Up To Expectations
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
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I recommend this book for teaching the different kinds of language and tactics used to manipulate people and shut down discussions. The author also described how our various brain functions, combined with our upbringing, can cause gullibility in people of all backgrounds. Very easy to read, combining individual cases and history lessons with discussion and footnotes. Can’t wait to read more by Amanda Montell!
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Allison Riemer
4.0 out of 5 stars very interesting
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024
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Great non-fiction read for those interested in language, culture, religion, and driving into cults. Like how Amanda ties all those elements together.
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review 1
5.0 out of 5 stars A truly outstanding book
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
CULTISH is a fascinating and well-written look at how the minds and emotions of people can be manipulated through the use of language, ritual and, in some cases, even by diets used in some cults and movements.

The author explores how this is being done by businesses, churches and "spiritual" organizations and in other groups and organizations.

She explores the specific language patterns that can have such a mesmerizing effect on people. In this regard, this book reminds me of UNLIMITED SELLING POWER: HOW TO MASTER HYPNOTIC SELLING SKILLS which went into detail about the specific language patterns used by sales superstars and business persuaders.

In contrast, CULTISH is a more journalistic look at deep persuasion and influence in modern society. The author's interviews are absolutely fascinating.

Before buying this book, I read all of the reviews here on Amazon. Having now read the book, I think that some of the negative reviews of CULTISH were written by people in MLM who feel stung by Amanda Montell's pulling back the curtain on the word patterns they use to recruit members and to get them to buy into the dream.

Their criticisms, for example that a few dates or facts are incorrect, are largely trivial.

The author is rigorous and entertaining in her examination of the uses and effects of hypnotic language in modern life.

Highly recommended.
6 people found this helpful
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Judy-Ann
5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME book
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2024
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We read this for book club. Wow did I learn. A must read. Spoiler.....I bet we are all part of 'some cultish' group!!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Jil Bona
5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic read
Reviewed in Canada on April 19, 2024
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Well written, well researched, engaging, and thought provoking. I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning about what makes people tick.
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Rossanna Huerta Romero
3.0 out of 5 stars Inicio espectacular, Final decepcionante
Reviewed in Mexico on August 16, 2023
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En un inicio el libro te atrapa y parece muy interesante pero conforme pasas la mitad del libro empiezas a ver qué todo se repite pero con palabras distintas o ejemplos similares y termina aburriendo
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Jenn122
5.0 out of 5 stars Great insight into the language of cults and conspiracy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2024
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Easy to read and understand, a critical analysis on the language and thought stopping cliches in regular use by conspiracy theorists, cults, and religious groups
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Marloes
5.0 out of 5 stars As expected!
Reviewed in the Netherlands on January 14, 2023
Verified Purchase
The book arrived in good state. Apart from the delivery and quality, I loved the book, very interesting to learn more about cults and how linguistics play a role in them.
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MD Schmidt
3.0 out of 5 stars 🥴
Reviewed in Mexico on July 16, 2023
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Ya lo terminé y la verdad esperaba muchísimo de este libro es por eso que le doy un 3/5

En cuanto al envío y empaque todo bien 👍🏻
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