Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

Amanda Montell’s Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism has been met with positive reviews from casual readers and former cult members alike, even landing its own deal as a docuseries. This success raises the questions of how Montell came to be an authority on this topic, how she was inspired to pursue writing a book about it, and how she decided which types of cults to include.

Montell establishes credibility through sharing her personal proximity to cults, informing the reader that her father was a member of Syanon. She also frequently references her enthusiasm for cults and spooky stories throughout the book. In interviews, she doesn’t claim any special knowledge, apart from her studies in and genuine passion for linguistics. As she puts it, “In my first book jacket, I didn’t really have any accolades, so I literally was just like, ‘Amanda Montell is from Baltimore’ and then I named my two favorite words” (Morreale, Eva, and Apeksha Bhateja. “Our Favorite Book of July Dives into the Fascinating World of Cults.” Fodor’s Travel, July 2022). Although most authors of nonfiction works go to great lengths to establish their ethos, using academic backgrounds and testimonials to support their expertise, Montell’s humility paired with the success of her previous book and the enthusiasm that radiates from her narrative voice establishes her as a trustworthy author on this topic. She approaches cults with the same bent as most readers do: a genuine interest in understanding them.

Montell’s interviews reveal that her father’s history with Synanon was only one catalyst for her interest in cults. One of the primary sources of inspiration she cites is a conversation she had with her best friend about her experiences with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), which Montell sees as a positive sort of cult. Her best friend “was using all of the vernacular that they use in AA,” which was when Montell realized that she wanted “to write a book about how cults use language for good and for ill to influence us as humans” (DeTaeye, Lily. “Five Questions with Amanda Montell, Podcast Host and Author of ‘Cultish.’” Little Village, April 2022). Always a lover of language with an interest in cults, this conversation with her friend helped Montell realize how powerful group language can be in forming solidarity, for better or worse.

The subject of cults is a broad one, and Montell doesn’t cover all aspects, types, and histories in her book because she was afraid that “the more [she] included, the less satisfying each section would be. It would sort of read like a textbook where I was glazing over these subjects without actually being able to dive deep” (Schwartzmann, Rachel. “Ordinary Habits, Fanatical Language: In Conversation with Amanda Montell, Author of Cultish.” Ordinary Habit, July 2021). Because of where she believes popular interest falls, Montell breaks her subject down into five categories to examine in depth. She includes already well-documented cults because they have public notoriety but lack public understanding of their linguistic implications and manipulation tactics, particularly how Jim Jones specifically targeted Black women to join his cult by appropriating language that resonated with them, including terms he borrowed from the Black Panther Party. Montell uses her book to dispel myths and examine current implications of well-known cults. In this way, she provides readers with knowledge of the power dynamics of cults, enabling readers to make better, more informed decisions about how social media and marketing influence their everyday lives.

Montell includes many citations to the sources she researched, from interviews to other texts, as well as footnotes to clarify and support her research. She carefully avoids academic jargon to increase accessibility to her work.