Cultish: The Language of FanaticismCultish: The Language of Fanaticism
What it's about
Amanda Montell, a linguist whose father grew up in a cult, examines how cults use language to recruit and control people, from groups like Heaven's Gate and Scientology to multi-level marketing schemes, fitness classes and social-media influencers.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's witty, fascinating and unsettling.
You'll love it if you liked
Uncultured
Doppelganger
Salvation on Sand MountainGood to know
It's light in tone despite the subject.
By the numbers
- Readers8 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller43 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Thought-provoking, Gripping
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Quick answers
Is Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism worth reading?
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 55.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism about?
Amanda Montell, a linguist whose father grew up in a cult, examines how cults use language to recruit and control people, from groups like Heaven's Gate and Scientology to multi-level marketing schemes, fitness classes and social-media influencers.
How long does it take to read Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism?
About 7 hours (272 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism?
If you liked it, try Uncultured by Daniella Mestyanek Young, Doppelganger by Naomi Klein or Salvation on Sand Mountain by Dennis Covington.