cults & religion have always fascinated me which is why i was so drawn to the topic of this book. what i didn’t expect was grounded insight, humorous takes or the heavy detail that has cemented montell as a must read non-fiction writer in my eyes. the down to earth tone while discussing such a heavy & arguably exploited topic really elevated my connection to the source material & her words which i often find difficult in the genre of non-fiction. the anecdotes of victims & members as well as montell’s personal experience with the effects of cultish behaviour made the book feel less like a lecture of theories & more of a lived in story, especially when exploring the real life cults & cultish things that occur in our day to day life. 

i loved how montell balanced the big news stories of tragedy & suffering with the reminder that we are constantly surrounded with manipulative companies & people in the total capitalistic society we live in. however, i did find certain parts repetitive and lacking in depth of information. there were places where i wish montell would have expanded more on the link between linguistics and psychology as they are so intertwined & integral when discussing the human tendency to be seduced by cultish things. this book is a warning & an exploration, revealing the most human part of ourselves & makes you think of your position & relationship with the world as well as a great starting point that gets you more interested in these topics.