Cultish

In Cultish, the linguist Amanda Montell argues that the thread connecting Jonestown, Scientology, SoulCycle and multilevel marketing is language - the loaded jargon, thought-terminating cliches and us-versus-them vocabulary that bind members and blur judgment. Rather than asking why people are foolish enough to join, she shows how ordinary the machinery is, and how the same techniques operate in fitness studios and Instagram brands as in doomsday sects.

Montell is a lively, funny guide who implicates herself and her reader alongside the true believers. intendle recommends it as a smart, unsettling look at the words that shape belief. An instant New York Times bestseller and an NPR best book of 2021, it will leave you listening more warily to the next enthusiastic pitch.