Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Learn the Lingo, Break Its Power

Cultish: The Language of Fanatacism by Amanda Montell

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Over the past year I felt that two books in particular were relevant at such a fraught time for our country and the world. The first was Suzanne Collins’ latest installment in the Hunger Games series, Sunrise on the Reaping, which examined propaganda and its place in authoritarianism. The second is Cultish, by Amanda Montell, which is a nonfiction book that looks at cults and their nonstandard use of language to draw in followers and exclude outsiders. Informative, troubling, often very funny, Cultish looks at […]

Fascinating Exploration of Language

Wordslut by Amanda Montell

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Best for: Those interested in learning more about how our language is shaped by – and shapes – society. Everyone who speaks US English. In a nutshell: Author Montell explores a variety of aspects of language and how it reinforces and can be used to fight the patriarchy. Worth quoting: N/A (but only because it was an audio book and usually I was running while listening so didn’t have a way to note something down) Why I chose it: The topic was intriguing to me. […]

Cognitive Wisdom Teeth

The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell

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I have a solid track record with Amanda Montell books. I rated her first two books, Wordslut and Cultish four stars and I talked about them a lot in my non-online life. To the point that my coworker who listens to Montell’s podcast, Sounds Like a Cult, convinced my other coworkers to pre-order her third book for my birthday this year (and get me to start listening to the podcast).   I wasn’t sure what to expect with The Age of Magical Overthinking even with […]

Sounds like a cult…

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

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Oh, gosh, where to start! Language is an endlessly fascinating subject to me. What words we use, where those words came from and why we use the ones we use when we use them. Language is the foundation of culture and is used to include or divide, which seems super obvious but also begs the question of why? Why do certain words, in certain contexts evoke a particular response for certain people? Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell doesn’t attempt to provide an answer but […]

Learn about language AND cults at the same time? Yes, thanks.

Cultish: The Language of Fanatacism by Amanda Montell

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I read this book after placing it on my TBR list following a great review on this very website. It did not disappoint (to say the least). Cultish explains how language is used in cults (and ‘cultish’ organisations) to lure people in and keep them there. From love-bombs to thought-terminating cliches, language is just about the most powerful tool to make people feel like they belong swiftly followed by making them feel terrified of the consequences if they leave. Scientology, as an example, has so […]

A feminist view on linguistics

Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell

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I just checked and it’s been 2 weeks since I finished this book – and I can already tell you I don’t remember a single thing about what I read. So while I remember enjoying it quite a bit as I listened to it, I think I might have to bring my rating down a bit for how unmemorable this was – especially compared to the few other non-fiction books I’ve read lately, which are still living in my head rent-free. Regardless, this is a […]



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