- Non-Fiction
- Linguistics
- Feminism
- English Language
- Language
Cultish stood out to me as a really interesting nonfiction read, especially as someone who hasn’t read many books focused on linguistics. I’ve often wondered how people get caught up in cults without realising the dangers, and this book does a great job of exploring that question in a way that feels accessible and engaging rather than sensational.
Before reading Cultish, I mostly thought of the word “cult” as something inherently bad and heavily tied to religion. Montell completely reframes this idea, encouraging the reader to see cults as existing on a spectrum rather than as one clearly defined thing. While the word itself is still difficult to pin down, I think she does a good job of getting readers to think outside the box and challenge their assumptions about what a cult actually is.
One of the things I enjoyed most was how Montell didn’t limit her exploration to religion. Instead, she looks at sports, music, film fandoms, gaming, marketing, and pyramid schemes. The section on sport particularly stood out to me. Sport can be a healthy outlet for many people, offering connection and belonging, yet peer pressure and group dynamics can easily tip that into something unhealthy. It really highlighted the idea that almost anything can be both healthy and unhealthy at the same time, depending on how it shows up in someone’s life.
There were definitely moments where I recognised cult-like behaviour in things I’m personally familiar with. I was once part of a religious community that became quite unhealthy, which made some sections of the book feel especially close to home. Even now, I’m part of hobbies and communities — such as gaming — that could be described as cult-like in certain ways. The difference, as the book encourages, is recognising when these interests start to take over or cause harm.
Language and belonging are at the heart of Cultish, and Montell explains very clearly why people are drawn to these groups. Wanting to belong is a natural human instinct, but language can also be used manipulatively to strengthen loyalty and blur boundaries. Working in marketing myself, I found the sections on pyramid schemes particularly interesting. While her focus is on MLMs, the parallels with marketing language more broadly are hard to ignore — phrases like “we’re in this together” or “we’re a family” are powerful tools for making people feel included and committed.
As a British reader, I found Cultish more relatable than Wordslut. The idea that anything — religion, sport, gaming, fandom — can become cult-like felt universal and applicable regardless of location. That said, there were moments where I felt a little lost, particularly when Montell used more complex vocabulary or went into deeper explanations that could perhaps have been simplified.
Overall, Cultish is an intriguing and thought-provoking read that made me feel more informed and more understanding, rather than more curious. It’s a book I’d happily recommend and discuss with others, especially anyone interested in language, group behaviour, or how communities form — for better or worse.
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