What a timely book! Apocalyptic thinking? Check. Isolation? Check. And many other human challenges!

I enjoyed the way Borden compared the US’s history, cults (both harmful and not), and our modern society.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book! This is my honest review.

When I see a book about cults, I’m going to pick it up.

We are at a moment in history in the US now where we see cult-like behavior by a certain group, blindly following a leader into the destruction of a country… and how did we get here?

This book goes way back in history all the way back to Puritans, Oneidans (I did not know they were behind Oneida glass!) and more. It is incredibly well-researched.

This book was highly informative, and easy to read. It is definitely a history book, but with a sense of humor. The author has a good writing style and the book was overall interesting to me.

One thing about me is I will always say yes to reading a book about cults. This book was very informative while still being entertaining. I liked that it focused on cults I wasn't as familiar with (or groups I'd never thought of as cults, like the Puritans), and the bits of humor sprinkled in here and there definitely helped the writing from being too academic. However, the information did feel a bit repetitive at times, so toward the end, I found myself skimming a bit. Overall, though, if you like books like Cultish, I think Cults Like Us is worth picking up.

Thank you Atria Books for providing me with an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! :)
Cult Like Us by Jane Borden was honestly a fun time. I'm always down to learn a little bit about cults, and I thought this book had a really insightful take that added something to the ongoing "conversation." If you liked Cultish by Amanda Montell, you'll probably like this one as well- it has a similar witty, conversational writing style and the general topic of cults in modern America is similar between the two. I will say that I thought Cults Like Us was much more insightful because it had more substantial socio-political commentary on how we got here. This one made me think a lot about the thought patterns & belief systems that are very "normal" to us (e.g. our strong need for control in an unpredictable world) and the ways in which they can become destructive. If you're looking for a funny, fast, insightful nonfiction read with a lighthearted yet earnest perspective, I think Cults Like Us is a great choice.

The book got me when it referred the Puritans as a death-cult. Most of the material was familiar to me but the book went into great depth with the various scams and cults. I learned a lot of behind the scene and felt the book was well researched.

In this deep dive on doomsday thinking and cult like behavior throughout America’s history, Borden explains how the same type of behavior and thought drives everything from MLMs to Heavens Gate.

This was really good in the first half, but ended up being very repetitive in the second half. The writing kept it entertaining and engaging, but I just think it could have been better organized, whether by time period or something else. It got overwhelming at times for chapters to span from the Purtians all the way to Trumpism, when that could have been set on an easier to remember timeline.

Cults Like Us is entirely timely and relevant more than ever. Appreciate all the time and effort Jane Borden put into research for this book. 🫶

Overall this felt like an open conversation on the DNA 🧬 of the US and it’s the focus being on healthy skepticism. The author notes there are so many beautiful things that we can learn from when we take a historical look back while looking deeper. However, there are still some horror stories we discover along the way which are explored here.

Cults are such an interesting concept and there’s a lot to unpack there from economic and psychological factors that play a role I had not considered before. This book was engaging and worth a read.

Thanks NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

This was a very interesting blend of information, snarky asides, and thought-provoking commentary. I found Borden's writing style to be engaging and easy to connect with and her bleak/dark humor and sarcasm were delightful touches sprinkled throughout the detailed text.

Thank you NetGalley & Arria Books for this arc.

I LOVED this. It’s exactly what I want from a nonfiction: educational, thought provoking, engaging, and funny (it’s so so funny!). We walk through various cults & the commonalities between not only them but our (American) society as well.

I talked about this book with anyone who would listen & have recommended it to all. This was such a joy & the nonfiction book to beat of 2025z

I tried to get into this one, and while I am thankful to the publisher, Jane Borden, and Netgalley, and this one wasn't really for me. I'm still really thankful for the opportunity to read it however.

This book was extremely entertaining and engaging! I would recommend this to any of my friends who wanted a nice overview on the evolution of American/western theology. It is evident that Jane Borden knows her stuff. The key takeaway is a valid warning for the direction of our society. Certain premises or jokes seemed inconsistent. However, the substance and motivation of this book merits a good review. - I enjoyed the casual conversational tone of the book. Very refreshing! Like talking with a friend.

This book has given me such a better understanding of how people end up stuck in cults, but also! of how people can end up believing politicians' obvious lies, and how quickly people can be radicalized online, and much more. Really interesting, and all the concepts are explained so that reading this book doesn't require any prior knowledge of psychology or sociology or anything.

I personally didn't really like the more humoristic tone the author took (I prefer when non-fiction books are serious), but that is just a personal preference, I can see why others would find it more approachable!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this ARC. This book comes out on April 8th, 2025.

A riveting look at the history of America, doomsday thinking, and what drives cults.

This book could not have hit closer to home with our current political landscape. I had to dole it out in small doses because of it, although it was so intriguing. On one hand, it gave me insight to why things are happening like they are, and on the other hand, it terrified me for the future of our country.

I loved the lighthearted quips throughout. They were definitely needed to prevent this from being too heavy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC. All views and opinions are my own.

I read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I really enjoyed Cults Like Us, it was well researched (I'm a hoe for footnotes) and injected with my brand of humor throughout.

I especially liked how modern cults were woven I'm with historical groups and context for each section. *the Oneida was my favorite section, because weirdly I had no idea*.

My goal this year was to read more books in my degree field, and this one is definitely that. I pre-ordered it almost immediately after starting the ARC.

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this look at American history from a different point of view, those people, not small in number who waited with baited breathe for the end of the world, and the effect these beliefs have had on American thinking since the earliest days , up to right now.

My first introduction to cults was probably in the movie that taught me much about life, how to laugh one of the most important lessons, Airplane! There is a scene where Captain Rex Kramer, played by Robert Stack is approached by a variety of men pushing flowers and flowery ideas in a Airport lobby, leading to a fight scene. I laughed, my father nearly died laughing. I asked him later about selling flowers in airports, and this lead to a long discussion about cults, belief, and how some people fall under other people's control. As a child who was going to Catholic classes, for a religion I didn't belief in, and being part of a capitalist system that seemed to promise great things if you just follow their rules, this came as a bit of revelation. And might explain a lot of my thinking. I'm not much of a joiner. Love Star Trek, won't learn Klingon. Love Comics, won't dress as The Thing. Not that I am judging, if this makes you feel good, gets you friends, and as long as no one is getting hurt, have at it. Especially in these end times. I say end times not as part of a church or a cult, but just by looking at the news, and wondering why New Orleans has had more snow than Connecticut. I can see what cults do, especially in America. Especially the ones that promise much, but you have to die first to see it. Trust me, paradise is cool. Cults Like Us: Why Doomsday Thinking Drives America by journalist and writer Jane Borden is a new look at American thinking, how they end of the world made so many people feel fine, so much so that many wanted to push it along, and how this thinking has effected us all.

The book begins with the Pilgrims, those people who American students learn had odd hats, big buckles, and loved their fellow man and started Thanksgiving. Of course American history misses or omits, by laziness or to promote an idea, quite a bit. The Pilgrims left Europe because no one really wanted them. Their thinking was at odds with much of Europe, and upon landing and nearly dying because of this thinking, only made them become worse. Control was the meaning of much they did. The end was coming, and it couldn't come soon enough. Anything that deviated from this idea of getting ready for the end, was something that should be punished. Many people whose names will be familiar from history, were basically infidels to the Puritan faith, and from there other colonies grew. Borden moves forward in time, looking at other cults, whose ideas gradually went from the fringes, to being excepted as fact. Mixing and merging with conspiratorial thoughts and feelings, creating something new. And ominous.

I was familiar with a lot of this, but never thought of it in the big picture. When people ask how we got here, the answer is it was always here. Just under different guises. People have always felt lost, unsuccessful, lonely, and need someone of something to blame. The other has always been popular, and cults build on that, always needing enemies to feed the hate machine. Imagined slights, and attacks. This explains the attacks on beer, sports, and females. One can blame them, easily. Add the fact the world is ending, well again, not your fault, do what we tell you, and watch the unbelievers pass into hell. Borden does a very good job, telling the tales of history, of religious thought, and the emptiness in so many lives that can be filled with this belief, or the kids who grow up not knowing anything different. Borden is a very good writer, able to tie in different historical references, cowboys, the one man with a plan ideal that is so popular, and paint a broader picture. Some might find it a little jokey, but this is a sad subject, levity is appreciated.

This is something people should read. Especially those who wonder how we got here, and how one can change peoples minds. I don't know if it is possible. Humans want to believe, and hate to be wrong. That is hard to change. A book that will enlighten, and maybe depress, but one that should be read and shared, maybe to keep the seal on the 5th Horseman of the Apocalypse that people don't like to talk about, Ignorance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC!

This book was SO good! I loved the way Borden set this book up and how she explained things. Honestly, so many of the dots she connected made so much sense. I loved how she connected things back to Puritans and their way of thinking. I also enjoyed learning about the different cults - there were one or two chapters that felt long and like maybe there was too much information in them. But overall a super enjoyable book!
If you read this, get ready to have your mindset about America blown away!

This was a curation of super informative, cohesive, and thought provoking details about cults in the US. I found this so intriguing!

this was an interest book. I love reading about cults both in fiction and nonfiction. The book was well written and kept me engaged throughout it . It is such an interesting topic so I enjoyed reading this book

Cults Like Us is a USA centered take on the things that make a cult a cult. I enjoyed that this book drew on historical details from the Puritans to the present day in order to explore this topic. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, I liked this book, found it to be unique from others that I have read, and would recommend it to anyone interested in the topic.