Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

Lynnie

Amy   

 

nonfiction

This nonfiction book by Amanda Montell analyzes the language of cults—English, Spanish, Cultish--get it? It also analyzes the language of cult-ish organizations. It’s a deep dive into the need for humans to feel like they belong and how some people, groups, companies, and genuinely dangerous cults use language to attract people to their cause and press their advantage.

Lynnie's Review

 

I listened to the audiobook of Amanda Montell's Cultish on a road trip and it was very engaging. I'm not sure I learned anything new, but it absolutely held my attention for most of the drive and gave us plenty to talk about afterward. I don't know that it convinced me that Peleton or SoulCycle are cults, but it's an interesting thought exercise to understand how the language people and organizations use can draw us in and cement our commitment to an organization or idea. I was particularly struck by the idea of the "exit cost" of belonging to a group and how that effects our unwillingness to step away.

No, Cultish isn't filled with groundbreaking research, but it's a very accessible way to think about the topic and, let's be honest, for some reason we ALL like to think about cults. Why is that? Maybe because we all realize that the line between belief and slavish devotion is thinner than we would like it to be.

The narrator, Ann Marie Gideon, was wonderful- I give her an A, even though she did not have to invent any character voices. I think it's actually more challenging to read a nonfiction book and keep the listener interested and she did a wonderful job.

Amy's Review

Montell’s father lived with an actual cult as a child. Therefore, she was raised to be cognizant and wary of cultish language and behavior. Her background and education make her uniquely qualified to observe and describe cultish language.

I found it extremely interesting and learned that people are always being manipulated. Some people are easier targets than others but everyone, to some degree, is pulled into some larger ideas due to language and their desired feeling of belonging. Montell highlighted the dangers of thought-terminating cliches and shined light on some of the more cultish examples of multi-level marketing companies and fitness businesses in addition to real cults. Even though it was nonfiction, not normally my favorite genre to read, this book held my attention. I liked it!

The audiobook was narrated by Ann Marie Gideon and she was fantastic! Even though nonfiction books don’t typically allow narrators to show off their repertoire of voices, Gideon definitely gave the different people who were quoted their own voices, including the men! Her tone was not boring at any point and I’m quite sure I enjoyed this nonfiction book as much as I did due to her capable-sounding narration with just the right amount of energy and curiosity behind it. I bet she does a great job with fiction too. I give her an A.