
Cultish
The Language of Fanaticism
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $24.29
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Ann Marie Gideon
-
By:
-
Amanda Montell
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.
©2021 Amanda Montell (P)2021 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...




















People who viewed this also viewed...


















While I liked the book and would recommend it to others, I won't be buying a physical copy to add to my bookshelves like I would if it had given me a new perspective.
Well-told
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
ok info but nothing new
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Was really enjoying until….
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Eye-Opening Perspective!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Wonderful!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really wake you up!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
"optional" review headline
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book saved my life!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
really enjoyed it
The way language betrays us
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Montell adequately covers the waterfront of Cultish operations, telling some funny, horrifying, interesting and often instructive stories along the way, but her tone and attitude belied the terrible truths at the root of their attraction. I was hoping for a little more depth of research. This was Cultish Behavior 101 with a happy-go-lucky epilogue encouraging us all to find a mix of cults that will meet our needs.
No thanks. I’ll try to muddle through this Vale of Tears armed with as much Knowledge, Common Sense and Grasp of Reality as I can utilize. Three Stars for her stories and the new word she taught me: Conspirituality! ***
A little too Pop Culture for my taste.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.