Cults reads like an encyclopedia about cults. It feels strange to say this given the topic, but I found it boring at times. Maybe the topic is better for podcasts because reading about one cult leader after another became numbing over time. I didn’t think the book lived up to its premise of telling us: “what goes on inside the minds of cult leaders and the people who join them?” I did learn about some cult leaders I was not familiar with, but I learned nothing new in the sections about cult leaders I had heard of. Still, the book will probably be popular with readers fascinated by cults or who like the podcast.

I read an advance reader copy of Cults from Netgalley.