I'm a huge fan of the Cults podcast so when I found out there was a book, of course I had to jump on it. Unfortunately, because I'm a fan and because I've also read a lot of other publications about many of the cults covered by the book, I felt like there was a lot of repetition. It's well-written and covers some of the most well-known cults, so it's a great starting point for people who want to learn more, but if you're expecting new ground, unfortunately this isn't the book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this advanced reader copy.

This week’s headline? Helter Skelter

Why this book? I’m obsessed with cults and Charles Manson.

Which book format? ARC

Primary reading environment? Cuddling with my cat

Any preconceived notions? I know what I’m getting myself into.

Identify most with? Not being susceptible to mind control.

Three little words? “the Devil’s work”

Goes well with? Cultish by Amanda Montell

Recommend this to? People with a cult leader fascination.

Other cultural accompaniments: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/american-cult-5-spiritual-groups-that-went-too-far-202224/

Grade: 3/5

I leave you with this: “…one can recognize destructive cults because they generally have three distinct features: a charismatic leader who becomes an object of worship; a shift in attitude that allows the cult leader to take advantage of group members for sex and/or financial gain; and near-total control that can be traced to the cult leader’s ability to exert something …[called] ‘thought reform’ — or how it’s colloquially known, mind control.”

📚📚📚

Cults: Inside the World’s Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them is more of a biography of cult leaders rather than diving into the psychology of people susceptible to cults as the full title suggests. It’s based off of a podcast hosted by Max Cutler and covers Manson, Jim Jones, Heaven’s Gate, and NXIVM amongst other well-known cults.

What sets this book apart from others with the same subject is the way each cult is grouped itself, through Cutler’s perceived reasoning on why each cult leader ultimately came to be: shame, exploitation, pathological lying, sadism, escape, megalomania, and denial of reality.

Like it is with biographies or anthologies, some are more interesting than others. There’s a reason he started with Manson, as he still garners interest to this day and most likely will for a long time. It’s what drew me in but I already knew all the information covered in his chapter because of my obsession with the Manson Family. Another draw was wanting to learn more about NXIVM. All in all, I enjoyed it for what it is, but it’s not groundbreaking and all of this information is just a Google search away.

tw: cults, murder, suicide, abuse, torture, rape, heavy drug and alcohol use

Cults will be released on July 11, 2022.

Springboarding from his Parcast podcast also titleed Cults, Cutler has done the done thing for popular podcasts and written a book. I’ve never listened to this podcast, but if you write a book about cults, I will read it.

The authors profile ten notorious cult leaders: Charles Manson, Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Jim Jones, Claude Vorilhon (better known as Raël), Roch Thériault, David Koresh, Keith Raniere, Credonia Mwerinde, and Marshall Applewhite. All of these were familiar to me besides Mwerinde, the more obscure ones thanks to Last Podcast on the Left.

I did enjoy revisiting a few of these stories, like the Rajneeshees and Raëlism, always a wild story that deserves more attention, but I Constanzo and Thériault in particular are two that I find difficult to stomach. They’re especially gory and brutal and left me feeling queasy and very sad. I’d listened to both of these on Last Podcast but because I always absorb less from listening to a story as opposed to reading it, the brutality didn’t sink in as much. I preferred it that way.

The highlight here is when the authors apply some psychological principles and analysis to the cult leader’s behavior and to that of their followers. I found this well done and firmly rooted in sound research, especially as they acknowledge where something is a possibility but can’t be definitively known or diagnosed. Something I always want more of in any cult story is the how and why of it — if anyone really can be susceptible to a charismatic, manipulative leader, show me how that process works. That’s rarely effectively done in cult stories, but here I felt it was, although it could’ve been even more extensive.

These mini-biographies of the cults do read kind of Wikipedia-like and can be dry in spots, but reading Wikipedia for fun is also ok sometimes. But like most other podcast-inspired books I’ve read (except for Zealot‘s, also covering some of these same cults, but I’m biased because of Jo Thornely’s delightful sense of humor) my primary issue is that it did leave me wondering what the point of this podcast-to-book was. It’s perfectly fine reiterated storytelling, but why? Especially when a co-author was necessary — for this? Really?

I love cults. But this book was almost everything I already knew. Each chapter was on super popular cult members and it just felt very underwhelming.

A solid primer for those craving more insight into the psychological workings of a cult. I, personally, like that they mentioned The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, a truly horrifying story that doesn’t get talked about as much as it should.

Very good and difficult to put down!

We know the Manson murders, NEXIVM, and Heaven's Gate but reading this I realized I didn't know how we got there. We get caught up in the craziness of the Kool Aid and the Nike's, however Cutler shows, or tries to, how we got there: from cult leaders' trauma filled childhoods to socio-political upheaval that caused people to look to them for an answer to anything. And I said "tries to" because he can't interview or speak for the dead, but he can offer educated guesses.

"Cults" covers 10 cults, well known and lesser known, and so it doesn't go as deeply as a dedicated book to each would but still very, very good.

A little long but thoroughly enjoyed it. It was interesting to learn about various cults and cult leaders.

I received an ARC of, Cults, by Max Cutler. I have always been fascinated by cults. How to people get so taken in by people, of not sound mind. This book has many famous such cults and people, from Charles Manson, to Jonestown. So many people tricked or manipulated.

I found Cults interesting but also lacking the depth I was hoping for. Each chapter covers the leader of infamous cults, and while I learned some things, I also knew a lot of the information already. If you are unfamiliar with cults such as Heaven's Gate or the Branch Davidians then you will probably enjoy this book a lot more.

One thing the book didn't do that I wish it had, based on the title, is go into more detail about why people join and stay in these crazy groups. It touches on what makes people vulnerable or scared, but I wanted more in this area. What happens to people psychologically?

The book also ends abruptly without any concluding chapter or final thoughts on leaders of cults or the people that follow them. Again, I don't think I was necessarily the right reader for this since I have read other books on cults already. If you are new to this topic then you'll find this book interesting and informative. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

One of the best books I've read in a long while.

Quick Take: Cults come in many different shapes and sizes, but they are almost all lead by someone with traits from the dark triad narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.

Cults by Max Cutler is a primer on why cults form and how people are manipulated into joining. Cutler describes 10 cults, their leaders and what made them unique as a cult.

I really enjoyed reading this book. While there were cults I had heard of like Jonestown, NVIXM and Heaven’s Gate, there were many more that I hadn’t. Learning about cults is definitely one of my guilty pleasures. I find it fascinating how easily people are manipulated and I guess, deep down, by learning about cults I hope to avoid being manipulated myself.

I appreciated how Cutler effectively wove psychology into the storytelling of the cult and its members. If you are interested in learning about cults this is a good place to start given that it covers many diverse groups. I would recommend this to anyone interested in cults or the psychology of manipulation.

Rating: 5/5
Genre: Non-Fiction/Cults

Cults are my favorite topic in true crime. Cults by Max Cutler revisits some of the most famous cults of all time including Heaven's Gate, Jim Jones, and the Manson Family. Although I have read about many of the cults, Cutler's writing is very interesting. Some of the cults I had never heard of and were really fascinating to read about.
This is a great book for people now to the good and those who are well versed.

Cults are such an incredible phenomenon that always make me think, "well I would never do that", but the more you dive into the background of the cult leaders and members you realize that anyone is susceptible to them. This was a fascinating read that delves into the grisly details and background of some notorious cults.

This one was pretty good. Dragged in places. Well researched and well written. More like a cult textbook.

This book was not quite what I was expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise. I leanred a lot about cults from this book

WOW. This is such an amazing book and I have learned so much reading it. The thing that has always fascinated me about cults and cult leaders is the psychology behind how they become leaders and the tactics they employ to both gain and keep followers. One of the big things I really liked about this book is that they discussed cults that weren't just in America. I had not heard of several of the cults until reading this book and so learning about them was fascinating. Even the ones I have heard of and read a lot about were still written in a manner that was new and interesting. I would recommend this title to anyone looking to learn about multiple cults in one go and they whys behind them.

The people behind the Parcast podcast about Cults have released this book, also about cults! Each section selves into a different cult leader and how they led. This is very centered around the leaders, and less about the people that were part of them (although in some cases they are more integral). It has a mix of very well known leaders like Jim Jones as well as lesser known ones.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mind control and skewed religion and death, oh my! Cutler’s book (drawn from his podcast of the same name) looks into the lives of ten cult leaders, revealing how their often-traumatic upbringings equipped them for the salacious events they instigated. Figures we’ve all heard of, such as Jim Jones and Manson, are investigated alongside less well-known principals as Roch Theriault and Credonia Mwerinde, a Ugandan woman responsible for over 1000 deaths. Cutler assigns each subject a particular personality trait common to cult leaders, but it is clear that all of them possessed the entire laundry list of behaviors we commonly associate with psychopaths. I don’t read much true-crime, so this was disturbing for me; however, true fans will welcome another worthy entry to their shelves.
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

Great book if you know nothing about cults. Very patronizing in places. It tries to portray individual cults as examples of larger cult behavior, but reads as little more than "Cults: Greatest Hits."

Cults have always fascinated me. How could anyone let themselves get so brainwashed that they commit atrocities on someone else’s orders? It is of course far more complicated than that. ‘Cults’ is an encyclopedic overview of some of the most notorious cults of the past century, ranging from the more well known ones like The Peoples Temple and Charles Manson to the lesser known Roch Thériault. I liked the way each chapter was divided into subsections, it made it easier to take in the information and felt like listening to the podcast.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.