Today I’m sharing a quick review of Amanda Montell’s Cult-ish: The Language of Fanaticism, published in 2021. This is a non-fiction book about linguistics, cults, and the power of language.
Do you like cults? Are you fascinated by the power of language? Do you watch every cult-adjacent docu-series you can find? Are you tired of people DM-ing you weirdly-upbeat messages about their life-changing MLM opportunity? Then this book is for you!
Note: This is another issue of “I wrote this review over a year ago, but simply never sent it out.” It seems like everyone has already read this book (or has at least heard about it), so I was going to send this draft to the trash—but why not just send it your inbox instead?
Cult
(noun)
a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.
a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.
a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing.
a person or thing that is popular or fashionable, especially among a particular section of society.
Review
As a linguist, Amanda Montell approaches cults (and cult-like groups) from the perspective of words, language, and communication. She examines the ways in which language influences people, sometimes in dangerous ways. She deconstructs cult-ish words and phrases, and explains how certain types of language can manipulate people.
Montell starts with the big capital-C CULTS (like Jonestown), then works her way down through other types of groups that are more so cult-ish (like fitness groups). What IS a cult anyway, and how do we separate a tight-knit group from a straight-up cult? It’s hard to say, but words, messaging, and I suppose the intentions of any “leader” has a lot to do with it.
This book does a good job of answering the question we all wonder when we hear about cults: how could anyone fall for that? The answer is...you guessed it, language. It’s not about morality, intelligence levels, or any other personal failing. Humans want to be part of a community, they want to be accepted, and of course there are people who will take advantage of that. And there’s a reason cult leaders are almost always described as charismatic: they have a way with words, and they know how to use the innate human desire for connection to get what they want.
I think the important takeaway here is that most people are, to some extent, susceptible to “cult-ish” messaging. And it’s not just in full-blown Cults or religious arenas. We find this type of language manipulation in advertising, politics, romantic relationships, and lots of other everyday things.
But once you’re aware of the way that people use language (in potentially nefarious ways), you have a little bit more to work with. And I think that was one of Montell’s main reasons for writing this. It’s the reason she talks about dangerous cult groups in the same book as “successful” marketing brands.
Cult-ish is extremely readable, easily digestible, and an entertaining read. I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a timely, informative, and engaging piece of non-fiction.
The only negative: I wish there was more. Montell clearly did a lot of research, and I would have loved to get a deeper look into...well, everything.
But I’ll give it a pass, because Montell wrote a certain type of book, for a certain type of audience, and she did a good job on that front. This is in the pop-sci realm, I suppose. The lack here is simply in the scope of the book, not the quality.
Sounds Like a Cult - Podcast
Lucky for those like myself, there IS more to be had. Montell hosts a podcast called Sounds Like a Cult, along with co-host Isabela Medina-Mate. They discuss various cult-like groups (including flat earthers, mlms, and soul cycle). It’s now a weekly podcast, so you can listen to episodes about some of the topics/groups mentioned in the book, along with tons of other stuff. I’ve listened to it quite a bit since it began in 2021, and I like that it ranges from pretty light and fun topics to occasionally more serious stuff too.
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