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Audible sample Sample
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism Audio CD – Unabridged, June 15, 2021
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MP3 CD Format
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 lame 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.
- Print length1 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarperCollins B and Blackstone Publishing
- Publication dateJune 15, 2021
- Dimensions5.3 x 0.6 x 6.7 inches
- ISBN-101665097264
- ISBN-13978-1665097260
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Product details
- Publisher : HarperCollins B and Blackstone Publishing; Unabridged MP3CD edition (June 15, 2021)
- Language : English
- Audio CD : 1 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1665097264
- ISBN-13 : 978-1665097260
- Item Weight : 2.72 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.3 x 0.6 x 6.7 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,973,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #8,521 in Feminist Theory (Books)
- #12,805 in Linguistics Reference
- #18,630 in Communication & Media Studies
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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En cuanto al envío y empaque todo bien 👍🏻