Cultish: the language of fanaticism by Amanda Montell - re-read, Evening Edition book club
(original review plus update/notes on re-reading)
"This is a book about the language of fanaticism in its many forms: a language I'm calling Cultish (like English, Spanish, or Swedish)." (p. 13) Amanda Montell explores cults through the language they use and how that language is designed to draw us in and keep us in despite any red flags we're seeing. The first section of the book discusses the language we use to talk about cultish groups, including myths about what the term "cult" even means. The rest of the sections discuss specific types of cults and how language plays out in those more specific types of cults or cultish groups - "suicide cults," controversial religions, MLMs (multi-level marketing companies), "cult fitness," and social media gurus. I thought this was a really unique way to look at cults and how there are so many similarities regardless of what the theology/beliefs are. Despite several reviews I read, Montell doesn't equate Jonestown with MLMs or Peloton users. A lot of the book is looking at how cultish language is at play throughout our world and what does it mean - is it really a cult? Or is the language being used as a marketing technique? The reviews I read were kind of mixed, but I absolutely loved this book. I'm currently running a Learning Circle at the library where I work about cults and decided to read this book at the same time and it honestly could have been a textbook for this class it fit so perfectly. I was impressed overall and think if you are fascinated by cults then this book is a must read!
There were lots of quotes I liked:
"The reason millions of us binge cult documentaries or go down rabbit holes researching groups from Jonestown to QAnon is not that there's some twisted voyeur inside us all that's inexplicably attracted to darkness...we're still hunting for a satisfying answer to the question of what causes seemingly 'normal' people to join - and, more important, stay in - fanatical fringe groups with extreme ideologies. We're scanning for threats, on some level wondering, Is everyone susceptible to cultish influence? Could it happen to you? Could it happen to me? And if so, how?" (p. 11)
"The twenty-first century has produced a climate of sociopolitical unrest and mistrust of long-established institutions, like church, government, Big Pharma, and big business. It's the perfect societal recipe for making new and unconventional groups - everything from Reddit incles to wo0-woo wellness influencers - who promise to provide answers that the conventional ones couldn't supply seem freshly appealing. Add the development of social media and declining marriage rates, and culture-wide feelings of isolation are at an all-time high. Civic engagement is at a record-breaking low." (p. 21)
"For those who bristle at the idea of comparing workout classes to religion, know that as tricky as it is to define 'cult,' scholars have been arguing even harder for centuries over how to classify 'religion.' You might have a feeling that Christianity is a religion, while fitness is not, but even experts have a tough time distinguishing exactly why. I like Burton's way of looking at it, which is less about what religions are and more about what religions do, which is to provide the following four things: meaning, purpose, a sense of community, and ritual. Less and less often are seekers finding these things at church." (p. 24)
"Only the most destructive cults gain attention, so we come to think of all cults as destructive, and we simultaneously only recognize the destructive ones as cults, so those gain more attention, reinforcing their negative reputation, and so on ad infinitum." (p. 36)
"Eileen Barker's studies of the Moonies confirmed that their most obedient members were intelligent, chin-up folks. They were the children of activists, educators, and public servants (as opposed to wary scientists, like my parents). They were raised to see the good in people, even to their own detriment. In this way, it's not desperation or mental illness that consistently suckers people into exploitative groups - instead, it's an overabundance of optimism." (p. 98)
"When you're experimenting with faith and belief, there has to be room to ask questions, express your misgivings, and seek outside information, both early on and deep into your membership. 'The most important thing to remember is that if something is legitimate, it will stand up to scrutiny,' [Dr.] Steven Hassan told me." (p. 149)
"It's not totally clear why some people have a System 1 Spidey sense for pyramid schemes, quack health cures, and other too-good-to-be-true messaging while others don't. Some researchers say it might be related to differences in trust that stem from early childhood - the theory being that when you develop trust as a little kid, it sets a lifelong expectation that the world will be honest and nice to you. All sorts of childhood exposures could cause a person to become more or less trusting." (p. 194)
"Research consistently shows that something like one in five CEOs has psychopathic tendencies." (p. 197)
"According to [Michael] Shermer [founder of the Skeptics Society], studies show that American test subjects with the lowest education levels have a higher probability of subscribing to certain paranormal beliefs, like haunted houses, Satanic possession, and UFO landings; but it's test subjects with the most education who are likeliest to believe in New Age ideas, like the power of the mind to heal disease." (p. 270)
"No 'cult leader' takes advantage of our psychological drives quite like The Algorithm [of social media], which thrives on sending us down rabbit holes, so we never even come across rhetoric we don't agree with unless we actively search for it." (p. 280)
Notes on re-reading for book club 11/1-6, 2023:
I wanted to re-read this one since it had been awhile since I read it and one of my book clubs was discussing it. I liked it the second time but not quite as much as the first time. I think the first time I read it was just really perfect timing - I was co-leading a Learning Circle on cults at the same time and it just really worked together. I guess this time there wasn't as much "ah-ha" moments because I had already read it before. I still think it's a very unique way to explore cults and what they mean and how "cultish" language is so prevalent that most people don't even notice it. I'm not sure how this one will go over in book club, but I still liked it and would still recommend it.
Some new quotes to highlight from this reading:
[One of Amway's cultish tactics] "If a friend or family member expresses doubt in the company, you're instructed to 'snip them out of your life.'" (p. 170)
[After the Heaven's Gate suicides] "While one New York Times reporter called Heaven's Gate 'an object lesson in the evils of the Internet,' a journalist from Time incredulously rebutted, 'Spiritual predators? Give me a break...A Web page that has the power to suck people...into a suicide cult?...The whole idea would be laughable if 39 people weren't dead.' As far as the average 1990s imagination could stretch, cults required an in-the-flesh location to have real influence...Twenty years post Heaven's Gate, most zealous fringe groups rarely convene IRL." (p. 261-62)
OMFG, Bees! by Matt Kracht
This is a short, humorous little book all about bees and how awesome they are. The book is divided into a couple of sections - why people might not like bees (or other stinging insects), the seven bee families, honeybee jobs, how honey is made, some specific kinds of cool bees, and at the end is a little more serious info about how important bees are and how to create/maintain more habitat for them. There was also a super weird section with a couple famous works of art with bees added to them - why? I didn't get that at all. The rest of the illustrations in the book are hand drawn sketches of the types of bees and other stinging insects that are NOT bees. Overall, it was a cute, funny book that highlights just how cool and important bees are. But, if you're offended by cursing/bad language this might not be the book for you. That may be obvious by the title, but just noting it as well.
The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich - re-read, Books & Banter book club
(original review plus notes/update on re-reading)
Omakayas and her family are Ojibwa and live on land her people call the Island of the Golden-Breasted Woodpecker. She is the second of four children living with her parents and grandmother. In The Birchbark House Omakayas takes us through her daily life for four seasons. Starting in Fall and ending with the promise of Spring. Throughout the year we see not only the daily life, but Omakayas's struggles with her siblings. She looks up to her older sister Angelina, but also feels like she'll never be a good as her either. Her younger brother Pinch gets on her nerves, but she loves and dotes on her baby brother Neewo. Throughout the year in this book we see Omakayas grow up in several ways, but especially when her village and family contract smallpox and in a devastating loss that happens from that illness. Overall, an interesting look at what a Native child's life would have been like.
I know that Louise Erdrich wrote this series as a counter-point to the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder to show what daily life would have been like for a Native child. I found several similarities between Omakayas and Laura - both were the second child, both looked up too, but also were envious of their older sister, and both felt the burden of helping their family during hard times. I also felt like the illustrations in this book had the same feel as the illustrations in the Little House books. I think it's great that she wrote these books so that children could read about daily life from a Native child's perspective. My book club actually decided to read this book after we read Little House in the Big Woods last year and talked about how this series was written in response. I liked this book and would recommend it.
Notes on re-reading for my other book club 11/7-8/2023:
My other book club wanted to read this one as our classic pick after reading several of Louise Erdrich's adult books. I don't personally love Erdrich's adult novels, but I did enjoy this one. She is a very talented author and I think even though this is meant for children, adults could enjoy it as well. I think because I had read it before, this time more of her poetic language stood out to me. It's a quick, easy read that gives a look at what a Native child's life might have been like.
The Curious World of Seahorses by Till Hein
This is a unique book that is all about seahorses. Hein really covers just about anything you can think of it when it comes to seahorses - varieties, historical references, current scientific research, and even keeping seahorses in a home aquarium. Seahorses are very unique creatures and Hein does a good job of telling the reader all about them. I did find a few of the chapters a little overly scientific, but overall it is very readable. If you're interested in ocean life you will probably enjoy this one.
Some quotes I liked:
"Pairs usually remain together for life. Old tales relate that if one of the partners is caught in a net, the other won't leave it behind - instead voluntarily following it into captivity. Aquarium keepers recount that after the death of a seahorse, it isn't rare for the remaining partner to also perish within the next few days." (p. 90)
"[Philip Henry] Gosse was the person who coined the term 'aquarium' in 1854, in his book of the same name, where he provided helpful tips for friends of the sea to set up their own 'miniature ocean.'" (p. 129)
I also loved that the author referred to seahorse babies as "sea foals."
Alfie & Me: what owls know, what humans believe by Carl Safina
I was excited to read this one, but it was pretty disappointing. When Carl Safina and his wife Patricia find an owlet near death they rescue it and assume they will keep it safe until it can go back into the wild. But Alfie's feathers aren't growing correctly so she ends up being in their care for over a year before starting to "re-wild." Because the timing of Alfie's "re-wilding" coincides with COVID, Carl and Patricia have an unexpected full-time viewing of Alfie's maturing, finding a mate, and raising her first babies. Throughout their time with Alfie, Carl wonders how much of their "help" is really helping or interfering. They get to watch Alfie's babies, who they call "the Hoo" all fledge and start their own independent owl lives. While most of the parts about the owls were interesting - there was still a LOT of repetition. Alfie mated this many times today, she flew here and there and here and there, how much she hunted/ate/etc. That got old because it was a lot of the same day to day. Also, I would say the book was 50% Alfie and 50% Carl's philosophical musings. I came for Alfie, not for all the other stuff. A little that related to Alfie and their relationship/time would have been fine but I agree with some other reviews I read that is was almost like 2 separate books were meshed together and didn't really work. I did like that some photos were included as that definitely added to the book. I hate it, but I would not recommend this one.
50 Years of Ms. by Katherine Spiller, ed.
In December 1971 the first issue of Ms. magazine appeared as a supplement in New York magazine. Not sure how this first feminist magazine would go over, the initial print run of 300,000 copies was intended to last on the newsstands for several months, yet sold out in just 8 days. After the first issue 26,000 readers mailed in subscription cards and the editors received 20,000 letters from readers. I would say it hit a nerve. And 50 years later Ms. magazine is still going despite the odds. This collection of articles highlights the many issues that this ground-breaking magazine have covered over the decades. Each decade has a brief introduction as to what was going on with the magazine at that time then several articles from issues during that decade. While this was a fascinating read, it was disheartening to see how many of the issues from earlier decades are still an issue today (if not worse) - motherhood and poverty, pornography, equally dividing chores and/or childcare with your partner/spouse, abortion/birth control access, rape, inequities in how the law is applied to women and especially women of color, etc. There is obviously much that HAS improved since the beginning of Ms. but still more work to be done. Feminism is just as needed now as ever.
A quote I liked:
[From an article in Spring 2004 issue titled "A Cruel Edge: The Painful Truth About Today's Pronography - and What Men Can Do About It" by Robert Jensen, PHD] "It hurts to know that no matter who you are, you can be reduced to a thing to be penetrated, and that men will buy movies about that, and that in many of those movies your humiliation will be the central theme. It hurts to know that so much of the pornography men buy fuses sexual desire with cruelty...People routinely assume that pornography is such a difficult and divisive issue because it's about sex. I think that's wrong. This culture struggles unsuccessfully with pornography because it is also about men's cruelty to women, and about the pleasure that men sometimes take in that cruelty. And that is much more difficult for everyone to face." (p. 282) [And this was LONG before everyone had streaming internet and smartphones. Now this starts with children. We'll be seeing just how much this affects them in the next few decades.]
Chenneville by Paulette Jiles
John Chenneville wakes up in a Union hospital with almost no memory. He was injured and has spent the past year in a coma. His recovery is miraculous, yet it takes time for him to fully recover his memory. Once he goes home though he finds out some terrible news - his sister and her whole family, including a son named after him that he had not yet met, have been murdered. And while it seems common knowledge who the murderer is nothing is being done. In this post-Civil War time law and order are not commonplace and justice is even more rare. But for John this is the fuel he needs to fully recover. Every day for a year he works to rebuild his home, body, and mind. Once he feels that he is well enough he starts tracking down his sister's killer. This takes him from his home in Missouri deep into Texas. Along the way John continues to remember his past and try to think of what his future might be like after he succeeds in this mission. He also meets up with a variety of characters - some good and others not so good. The story unfolds slowly, but I still didn't want to put it down. I'd love to see Chenneville's story continue in a future book.
Jiles really is a fantastic author. I'm always impressed with how well she writes male characters. Her descriptions of both the physical and emotional landscape of the post-Civil War era is phenomenal. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that she tied in John Chenneville's story to some of her other previous characters. So this one is now part of the loose "series" that includes The Color of Lightning, News of the World, and Simon the Fiddler. I just love how she creates these stand-alone stories that still tie together and have some crossover of characters. I was already planning to read this one, but when I read the end I was even happier to see how it tied in with some of my other favorites by her.
Some quotes I liked:
"His body was very white and thin, his hands soft, unused, and apparently his own clothes were too big for him. He found this deeply disturbing. In three years of fighting it had been burned forever into his mind that if you were not strong and unceasingly alert you would not live. He could not shake this. Nor would he ever." (p. 7)
"How long do you keep it up, how far do you go to find a man like this? If it were for a debt, maybe six months; if it were for an injury, perhaps a year or so; if it were for the murder of a friend, give it several years; but for the murder of someone in your family you search until Hell freezes over and the stars wink out, until either he or you are dead. One or the other." (p. 102)
"He listened to the talk of others also waiting. They spoke of little things, things that mattered. The death of a baby from fever, that Jameson's mare had come home herself after being stolen, that a man had come who read aloud from newspapers gathered from the entire world over, including stories of polar explorers and sinking ships in the Atlantic Ocean, that there was coffee and sugar for sale in San Felipe." (p. 300) [Another minor notation of Captain Kidd from News of the World.]
Old-Fashioned on Purpose: cultivating a slower, more joyful life by Jill Winger
I've been following Jill Winger for awhile now and have been fortunate enough to get to see her speak in person a few times as well at Homesteaders of America events. I already owned her cookbook (and had bought it before I was following her online) and love it, so I was excited to hear she had another book coming out. I'm a librarian, so I rarely buy books. But I immediately pre-ordered this one and I very much enjoyed it. Some reviews I read complained that it wasn't enough "how-to" content, but I don't know why they were necessarily expecting that. This is more of an ode to what Winger calls Old-Fashioned on Purpose. Not necessarily giving up all modern conveniences but purposely choosing to live a more "old-fashioned" life in some ways. The book is divided into two sections, in the first section "the case for old-fashioned on purpose" she explains what that means to her and how she and her family started homesteading or living a more "old-fashioned on purpose" lifestyle. The second section "becoming old-fashioned" covers 8 areas of "old-fashioned" ways and how to incorporate those into your life. This section covers cooking, gardening/animals, parenting, and much more. I felt like she did a great job of showing how to make incremental changes. She is definitely NOT telling everyone to go out and buy acreage and cows. In each of the "becoming old-fashioned" sections she gives easy tips for starting to make changes in each area. I think this is a well-rounded book that would be inspirational to anyone from a newbie who wants to cook more from scratch all the way to a more experienced homesteader who wants more inspiration or ideas.
Some quotes I liked:
"In our fervor for convenience and ease, we've accidentally built an artificial existence where we are distanced from nature, our communities, and even ourselves...And while many of these unnatural conditions now feel normal to us, our bodies are rebelling. Modern 'lifestyle diseases' (the term given to noncommunicable ailments like heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes) are skyrocketing, as are rates of depression and mental illness. The 2019 World Happiness Report showed that Americans were deeply unhappy, even before the chaos of the pandemic ensued. Despite lower rates of violent crime and unemployment, we're more miserable than ever." (p. 44-45)
"Over the years, I've found the most joy with the following equation:
Understanding of the past + Using some present advancements = A more balanced future.
This has become my secret formula for creating the most satisfaction around food, health, community, parenting, and so much more." (p. 46)
"It shows that when true challenges become rare, our brains tend to categorize more things as problems. This perfectly explains much of our modern unhappiness. As our lives get easier, we consider smaller, more trivial things to be troublesome. Therefore, it's up to us to build meaningful challenge into our lives, since day-to-day survival no longer requires it." (p. 58)
