Everything is a Little Bit Cultish: “Cultish” Book Review

Hey, it’s been a while! After one pandemic, a college graduation, and a full-time job, I’m hoping to get back into reviewing books again (for fun). We’re starting with a highly recommended one: Cultish by Amanda Montell.

I’m probably fairly similar to many Americans when I say that growing up, stories of cult groups were as frequent and fantastical as ghost stories. In the age of Youtube and social media, and most importantly crime podcasts, everyone seems to love a good cult. The author of Cultish, Amanda Montell, even has a podcast that discusses modern day cults and I was a listener long before I made the connection that she was the author of the latest book all my friends were recommending.

Cultish isn’t just about Cults though. Instead, it uses cults to examine the way people use language to create groups, keep people entangled, and how people end up with extreme ideas (and sometimes take extreme action). In this political moment, the book speaks to questions that are frequently raised in response to all sorts of things — from QAnon to fancy skincare brands and your friends who all believe in astrology (including myself, for fun).

I really enjoyed Cultish. Montell is very readable and entertaining, which is a skill in non-fiction, and I thought her arguments and explanations were easy to…