Cultish

Montell argues in Cultish that cults and cultists can be identified in particular through their non-standard use of language – as scholar Scott Lowe put it, "the technical terms, the redefined words, the shorthand, the clichés, the euphemisms, logical distortions, and so on […] set members apart from (and above) their pedestrian neighbors, families, and coworkers".[2] Montell does not necessarily view "cultish" – the "language" she identifies as the set of linguistic tricks cult leaders use to coerce and manipulate members – negatively, but she believes that people should at least be able to recognize it.[3] The book includes analysis of religious groups like the Church of Scientology, the Children of God, Jonestown, and Heaven's Gate; self-help networks and rehabilitation centers like Synanon (to which Montell has a personal connection through her father[2]) and NXIVM; multi-level marketing schemes like Amway; fitness societies like SoulCycle, CrossFit, and Peloton; and political groups and affiliations like QAnon.[2][4][5]

Reviewers have noted the colloquial style of the work. Erin Downey Howerton for Booklist, for example, writes that "[r]eading Montell is like a satisfying chat session with your bestie [best friend]—albeit one that focuses on obsession, language tricks, and manipulation".[6] A reviewer for Kirkus Reviews called the book's prose "accessible".[1]

Scholars overall viewed Montell's book as a good introduction for non-scholars to some concepts in the academic study of new religious movements. Lowe for Nova Religio writes that the book is a "fascinating example of a nonacademic telling academics what they already know with a clarity that seems like revelation".[2] Academic Jennifer Wilson for The New Republic writes that "most people who read Cultish will feel convinced they have, at some point in their lives, been in a cult".[7] One reviewer for Publishers Weekly notes that "the personal digressions… occasionally distract from the bigger picture", but they overall believe that Montell is an engaging and informed narrator.[8]

Topic Studios received the rights to adapt Cultish into a television documentary series in November 2022, as reported by Deadline.[9] The documentary series will feature those groups discussed in the book. The series is being produced with help from Montell and Carly Hugo and Matt Parker of the studio Loveless.[9]