This book is utterly captivating. A true labor of love from Borden, who expertly weaves history and sociology into a hilarious insight of the human experience.

Look, I love reading about cults. I have no idea why. Maybe because I love the idea that I could spot a cult a mile away and could neverrrrr be caught in one. But I was snared by an MLM for a hot minute ten years ago. And sometimes the leaders have some interesting ideas worth exploring. And sometimes it doesn't sound like a cult at all - it's the bedrock of our foundation as a nation.

I loved that the hypothesis for this was "The Pilgrims are the reason we have cults in America." By the end of this book, Borden proved her case 100 times over. The reason so many things about cults make sense - the reason they're so appealing by nature - is because it IS our nature. Mind absolutely blown.

Also Borden is hilarious and I want to get coffee with her and pick her brain about cults.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jane Borden, and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for granting me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now.

4 stars! This was interesting and well written but perhaps not the book for me.

This is a non fiction book about how Americans are predisposed to fall into doomsday/cult like thinking, going as far back as the pilgrims who colonized this land hundreds of years ago. The author does a great job at sharing examples from history and making connections to present day cults and cult like groups. It is obvious that the author is very interested in the subject and it is very well researched. Although the subject matter is often very heavy, she does a great job at lightening the mood with humor but doesn’t use it so often that it feels like she is making light of what is often very serious and sad topics.

I would recommend this if you are looking for a book about cult like thinking/groups but also a book that talks a lot about our modern political system. I tend to prefer non-fiction that is a little more personal but I think this could be the perfect book for someone! I would also recommend the audiobook which is narrated by the author.

Big thanks to Atria/One Signal Publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of Jane Borden’s Cults Like Us: Why Doomsday Thinking Drives America. This was a fascinating book, but also not quite what I expected for a book about cults in America. I am fascinated by cults and how people become involved in them, partly because it seems to strange and antithetical to me to completely give one’s self to a group. In fact, it seems somewhat unamerican to consider how one might lose themselves to a group and a guru, willing to engage in questionable behaviors and activities. Recent books like J. W. Ocker’s Cult Following provide an overview of some of the more notorious cults in recent years, while Amanda Montell’s Cultish examines how elements of cults are used in some more popular activities that we might not consider cults. In fact, Borden’s book seems to have more in common with Cultish in how she seeks to look at some of the conceptual markers of cults and find ways that American ideology and beliefs have largely incorporated this kind of thinking. That is, Cults Like Us seeks to define what and how cults operate, and then apply those definitions to other areas of American life and groups that we might not necessarily consider to be cults. It’s a fascinating way to re-examine what we consider to be American and the values that we often champion as making us an exceptional country (even if that mindset and perception is questionable, if not altogether gone with the current Trump dismantling, er uh, administration). I was a little surprised and challenged by this book since I assumed it would be more like case studies of different cults, but I found this book to be incredibly fascinating and enjoyed the challenge of expanding the conceptual markers of cults to other areas of American life. Borden uses both infamous and less familiar examples of cults and even some examples that we might not consider to be cults to make her argument about American’s have incorporated many of these elements into their lives, belief systems, and expectations for society and the groups they seek out. Although she mentions MAGA, January 6th, and QAnon a few times in the book, there are also many implicit examples of how Trump’s methods and approaches to cultivating a following employ many of the tactics that cult researchers have identified as markers of cults. What I found even more challenging and troubling was the notion that many of these elements have been a part of America’s founding, from both Columbus’s arrival in the Caribbean to the Puritan’s colonization of New England. The Author’s Note, Introduction and early chapters all detail how this kind of thinking was part of the reason for Europeans seeking out new land. Part of this is, what Borden calls, apocalyptic thinking, and she does a great job recontextualizing the definition to not just mean end times, but more like an uncovering or exposure of “the truth”, a revelation. According to Borden, Columbus’s trip to the New World was in part to hasten the second coming of Christ, while the Puritans also believed that the Catholic rule in Europe were also bringing about the end times. They, like Columbus, believed the Americas to be Eden like, a new land for a new start. Although their initial exposure to the land was rough, they began to incorporate beliefs and practices that not only focused on work and survival but also focused heavily on control of the group and regulation of behavior. It was fascinating to learn more about these historical figures and groups that Americans often see as heroic and unique, only to consider them in a new light that reconsiders their actions as both fearful and cultlike. In particular, the organization and practices of the puritan communities was shocking to learn more about, yet, many of us know the kind of violence and mayhem that was eventually led to the Salem Witch Trials and the deaths of 19 people from hanging and one from crushing stones. Nevertheless, Borden uses these historical figures and groups to help readers understand not only why Americans seek out groups with high control, but also how it has become such a part of American culture, and, in her conclusion and later chapters may be a general feature of human behavior.
Other chapters in the book look at other cult elements including how we often look for strongmen or a kind of singular hero to save us from impending doom. As Borden cites other cults and groups who use these kinds of threats to better empower and enable the strongman’s control of others and strict regulation of their behavior. It’s that fear that is the mind killer and hastens the death of the individual and submission or conformity to the group. Again, although he is mentioned several times, it was somewhat scary to think about the implications behind these examples and how there are current, modern correlates in today’s politics. It also made me wonder whether Donald Trump really loves the country with how often he lambasts it and describes the world as such a hellscape. His perception of America, as someone who is largely privileged and has access to exclusive experiences and resources, is much different from mine. Regardless, Borden shares these important insights to further recognize that the current political and cultural landscape is not too different from other eras in American history and is largely representative of the kind of American thinking that has been a part of the initial colonizers who brought religion, culture and ethos to the shores of America. Again, it’s kind of eerie how both natural and man-made events (war) tend to hasten this kind of thinking of end times and how easily people abandon rationality and look to strongmen and groups for protection. It’s also scary how these kinds of events can be both manipulated and manufactured to create conditions of pliability and fear to empower leaders and strongmen. Another chapter focuses on the idea of exceptionalism or being a chosen one, which again seems like an element of both organized religion and more recent ideas of politics. It helps to also create a division between believers and nonbelievers that leaders exploit to further insulate their group and possibly bend them to take action against nonbelievers who might be deemed as threats (sounding familiar?). This also comes up in Chapter 6, where Borden presents an “Us vs. Them” ideology. However, I really enjoyed the lesser known cult examples she shares to highlight instances of these practices. The one example from this chapter on the Oneida Bible Communists was shocking to learn about. The next chapter on Rebellion and Anti-Intellectualism was also fascinating to learn about Mankind United and how its founder relied on conspiracy theories (which are “kissing cousins” with cults, according to Borden) to further his beliefs. Throughout the book, Borden uses other examples of cults to show how the founders and leaders often took from other belief systems, cults and conspiracy theories to cobble together their ideas and further empower their leaders and strongmen. Chapter 4 looks at Consumption and Salvation, and how cult leaders often use our desire for success, health and improvement to drive consumption of their products, whether it comes in the form of a cream, pill, or seminar/webinar. It was surprising to learn about John-Roger, the leader of MSIA, and how he exploited his followers, especially young men. MSIA, a cult I didn’t know anything about, “blatantly ripped off ideologies…of a movement called Eckankar” which also ripped off other movements. Again, we can see how these cult founders often just borrowed and remixed the ideas of others to exploit a new group looking for something to improve their lives. As Borden notes throughout the latter chapters, cults and religious movements (like the different Great Awakenings) often follow a period of social upheaval or change, and the leaders look to exploit people’s confusion or desire for improvement in these times. Chapter 5 links multilevel marketing scams like Amway to cults, and shows not only how the leaders of these programs, like Betsy Devos’s father-in-law, used their positions and connections to avoid the kind of legal challenges that would properly hold these kinds of pyramid schemers accountable and protect those at the bottom of the scheme propping up the wealth of others. I think that Amanda Montell also talks about MLM in her book Cultish, but not to the extent that Borden interrogates the history and practices of these scams. It’s shocking to really look at how these programs exploit the desire of others for success and wealth, but also how they use the American/Protestant ethos of hard work leading to success to further exploit others and continue to push them to buy and sell. Again, this kind of American ethos tied in with our need for consumption is what begets the kind of leaders who devise and exploit MLMs. Chater 6 which explores Identity and Isolation and examines the kind of “Us vs. Them” mentality that cults inculcate in their followers was particularly relevant in our current society as a largely unpopular movement seems to have overtaken the government and continually uses bad faith arguments, relies on people’s ignorance, and continues to strike a defensive and divisive tone when making their case for the unravelling of the federal bureaucracy. I couldn’t help but think of the Christian nationalists like Pete Hegseth and Russel Vought who have explicitly called for violence and pain to their enemies. Not sure how these fellas bring Americans together, but it seems like a strange stance to take for a follow of Christ who advocated for peace and love. Nevertheless, Borden uses the Nuwaubians and Dwight York, who originated in NY as the Ansaru Allah Community. Ocker discusses them in his book Cult Following, and I also read recent books about De La Soul and MF DOOM, who came from families who were also adherents to York’s system. It’s a fascinating, yet sad and troubling movement, that sought to use the Civil Rights and Black Power movements to bring about change in Black American communities, but ultimately York’s sexual exploitation of his followers led to the downfall of his organization. However, as Boden writes about York, he seemed not too much different from other cult leaders that she describes like John Noyes, who was the founder of the Oneida movement nearly 130 years earlier. Thus, Borden effectively ties these groups together, often emphasizing the similar behaviors and methods that the leaders and their organizations use to exploit followers and use them to not only advance their own agendas, but also to harm or eliminate any of those who are skeptical or present potential threats to their power. The last chapter focuses on our desire of comfort and how leaders will often present cults as a way to bring about comfort and release to our suffering. Borden uses the example of Love Has Won, which was a relatively new cult, but one that was presented in an HBO Max documentary last year. Like many cults, this one was not only strange, but also sad, in how the leader brought about her own demise, yet how people strangely accepted her failing health and rationalized their own decisions and complicity in her deterioration. Despite being a shorter chapter, I think Borden makes some important arguments here about how our desire for comfort and avoidance of pain and suffering may lead us to seek out questionable motives. What is even more interesting is how she emphasizes the kind of income inequality and unequal access to proper healthcare can and has led people to make rash and unhealthy decisions, whether it is from ingesting the silver tincture that Love Has Won followers kept taking to those who held grievances against the elite and wealthy who Trump exploited to take up arms on January 6th. The conclusion is also important to read, as Borden ties her ideas together and reemphasizes the notion that cults, and especially apocalyptic thinking are a major part of the American identity. While this book was not necessarily what I thought it would be, it is an important read that challenges our ideas about cults, why people join them, and how they are interwoven into the fabric of our culture and society. A really interesting point that Borden makes towards the end of the book is how technology has largely atomized the kind of thinking and beliefs that cults exploit, allowing cults and their leaders to have a further and more powerful reach. While I agree, I don’t think this was the original intention of the internet, nor any social media company. I think that these started with good intentions, especially the early communities of the internet (especially the Whole Earth Lectronic Link), but sadly others found ways to exploit this tool to their own ends, and still others find ways to take advantage of the grief, anger, and other negative feelings that are the result of continued discrimination, exploitation, and inequality (maybe this is Trump’s new DEI) that have expanded over the past few decades. There is a lot to explore with this book, and I would love to revisit it again. It’s a challenging and thought-provoking book, but one that is especially relevant today in making sense of illogical and seemingly unamerican behavior. Borden brings a serious and ardent tone but also balances it with some humorous and scathing takes on cults, politicians and our society. I really appreciated these opportunities to lighten such dark topics and examples. Furthermore, I think that this kind of approach helps to make her conclusions, especially about human nature more relatable.

I love books about cults but this one was a bit on the denser more academic side than I expected. It's well written but wasn't my favorite.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy Netgalley & Atria Books | Atria/One Signal Publishers.

Is America the ultimate cult? A fascinating and irreverent deep dive into the doomsday theologies underpinning many of the founding colonies and that continue to pervade American culture in different iterations. From discussions of the Puritans to the Great Awakening(s) to the modern evangelical obsession with Revelation and every weird over-the-top cult in between, I was hooked. The author’s prose is irreverent and made me chuckle many times (I mean - Llama llama childhood trauma? Come on, hilarious).

If you enjoyed Cultish by Amanda Montell and follow pop culture but also read Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter every day, drop everything and pick this up. If you’re troubled by current events and wondering how the hell half our country has seemingly gone off the deep end, this book provides a clear and cogent hypothesis rooted in historical research. Apologies in advance to my friends because I will be talking about this book incessantly for the foreseeable future. 5/5 stars - highly recommend.

Pub Date: 3/25/25
Review Published: 3/25/25
eARC provided at no cost by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book really interesting, and the more casual tone made it a more accessible read although some of the jokes felt out of place. The parallels between historical high-control groups and today's movements were very clear and I definitely learned a lot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

I thought this was an interesting read about cults throughout American history, and even a bit before. The word "cult" gets thrown around so often these days, and while it is apt to use the term to describe an MLM or that group you heard about in a new documentary, this book does a good job at highlighting what makes a cult a cult. The author's tone is engaging and conversational, keeping the reader intrigued the whole time. I liked the connections from Puritanical thinking to something that we may have seen in Amway marketing tactics. The idea of control and manipulation is not new, it just appears in a new form every few years.

Is it weird to say that I am obsessed with cults. I will literally read anything about cults. I find cults so fascinating. Cults Like Us was a fantastic deep dive of how cults infiltrate our every day lives. I really enjoyed this book and would also love to listen to this on audiobook. I recommend this to all of my fellow cult obsessives. But also to non-cult obsessives, this is a great intro how cult are so pervasive in America.

Thank you #netgalley and #atria the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for inviting me to read this! Having enjoyed Amanda Montell's "Cultish" previously, I thought this would be an interesting and informative read that I could really like, but after weeks of trying to get through this, I have decided to call it quits 37% of the way through.

This is not the books fault as it is well researched, and well written. Unfortunately, this just ended up not being the type of non-fiction I am interested in. At times, this was hard for me to get through because it felt too much like a history textbook. Though the author does break the info up with some humor and engaging stories, it wasn't enough to keep me motivated through the end. I struggled to find the enthusiasm I needed to pick this book up and keep reading, leading to my ultimate decision to DNF.

Many readers so far have been enjoying this, and I believe many more will come to enjoy it in the future! If you are interested in US history with an emphasis on cults, mild discussion of current politics, and a focus on doomsday groups, I would recommend checking this out.

A fascinating look at America’s history of doomsday thinking and how it has influenced culture, beliefs, and facilitated cults.

This is fairly dense and the author’s asides bring wit and levity. I would have liked more of a through line across the chapters but I learned a lot and would recommend this to anyone curious about how and why cults have persisted throughout America’s history.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I was hoping this book would be fun, along the lines of the "Age of Magical Overthinking" by Amanda Montell, instead, it was steeped in history and facts, which are usually fun, but I just couldn't find the thread that would keep me reading. Still an informative read, well-worth your time, it just didn't hit me in the way I had hoped.

OUT TOMORROW — this part politics, part history, part psychology little chimera of a book is so fun when you get past all of the troublesome stuff you see when you hold a mirror up to yourself. she takes the american monomyth and argues that our national mindset, our susceptibility to hero worship or consumerism or anti-intellectualism or bootstrapping idealization (on and on) actually spring from the religious tenets of the puritans who came to america to be god’s chosen people in god’s chosen land and how some of it has mutated over time to actually be kind of the opposite of what you’d expect (puritans are not exactly avid consumers, but by working hard to glorify god, becoming wealthy off of that work, and then your wealth reinforced how much god actually loves you and not your poorer neighbor). PLUS CULTS! anyway, this book is so much fun, I love the premise and she makes compelling arguments (with the data guys) in each and every chapter.

I really enjoyed the tone of this book, which was historical and informative without being stuffy or dry. Borden begins her tale with the formation of the United States and how religion created a cult-like culture among early settlers. She continues documenting cults and cult-like groups through our nation's history, ending with MLMs and our current political climate, which I thought was incredibly interesting. This book not only opened my eyes to the psychological, physiological, and social tendencies that attract Americans to cults, but also cult-like behavior that I hadn't realized was tied to the same tendencies like electing strong leaders, us-versus-them mentalities, and social media obsessions.

Rating: ★★★★☆

As someone who has long been fascinated by cults—whether it’s the psychology behind them, their societal impact, or just the wild stories that come out of them—I was immediately intrigued by Cults Like Us by Jane Borden. This isn’t your typical deep dive into a single cult’s history. Instead, Borden takes a broader look at how doomsday thinking has shaped American culture from its Puritan roots to today, making the case that the U.S. itself operates with some serious cult-like tendencies.

What I loved most was how Borden weaves together history, sociology, and pop culture to show just how deeply embedded this way of thinking is in everything from politics to self-help movements. Her writing is sharp, well-researched, and often darkly funny, which makes even the heavier concepts feel approachable. Instead of just pointing fingers at obvious cult leaders, she challenges readers to examine the ways in which all of us, in some capacity, can get swept up in extreme beliefs or unquestioned ideologies.

While I found the book fascinating, I did wish for a little more narrative flow at times. The thematic approach works well, but I occasionally wanted a stronger throughline to tie it all together. That said, if you’re even remotely interested in cults, conspiracy theories, or the ways we shape and reinforce belief systems, this is a must-read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 43%

I’ve been struggling to read this book for a month and I’m left wondering if I reading the same book as most of the other reviewers. I found it lacking in organization and I did not enjoy the author’s little jokes and asides. I understand it’s a hard balance between an academic study and historical commentary but I didn’t find that balance here.

That said, much of the history here is extremely relevant to current day America and this book will definitely find an audience. The adage those who don’t learn from history are loath to repeat it rings truer than ever.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

I am oddly fascinated by cults and cult-like thinking. Jane Borden's book was so engrossing to me and I found myself so invested in the pages and her commentary on cults. Much like the book "Cultish", I found myself floored by the thinking/speaking/actions of the individuals profiles and discussed. So good.

Cults Like Us” by Jane Borden is an insightful, darkly humorous exploration of how individuals can become drawn into cult-like communities. The author combines personal narrative, investigative research, and social commentary to reveal the subtle ways groups can manipulate their members.

Borden’s style is refreshingly candid and self-aware, making the book a compelling read not only for those interested in cults but also for readers curious about human psychology and social behavior. What sets this book apart is the author’s ability to balance humor with seriousness, using her own experiences as an entry point to dive into the larger cultural forces that enable these groups to thrive.

The narrative is filled with compelling interviews, deep dives into some of the most famous cults, and insightful observations that challenge readers to reflect on their own susceptibility to groupthink. While it’s a fascinating look into a world that feels distant for most, it also shines a light on how easily these dynamics can seep into everyday life.

My only critique is that the pacing can feel a bit slow in some sections, but it ultimately doesn’t detract from the depth and quality of the content. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking, engaging read about the power of persuasion and group identity, *Cults Like Us* offers a unique perspective that’s hard to put down.

I've been fascinated by cults and cult mentality for many years - watching documentaries, listening to podcast episodes, and reading books. So naturally, I was excited when I heard about Cults Like Us.

This book is very interesting because it goes way beyond the familiar cults of today and exposes the roots they've all stemmed from. From the earliest settlers to the world we experience today, there's a wealth of information in this unique deep dive into how we've been influenced through the years and remain vulnerable now.

The author's voice prevents this from reading like a textbook, which helps readers remain engaged in learning a new angle on this topic. Borden did a remarkable job finding just the right balance in providing the facts in casual sentence structure.

4 Stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book!

A fascinating deep dive into not just cults and cult behavior, but into the very early history of colonial America and how the Puritans and Pilgrims created the foundation for this culture's susceptibility to cult buy-in. Borden tries not to be political, but draws clear conclusions between certain cult behaviors and the development of today's politics. She does not dwell on the sordid, but instead brings a compassionate individual-based perspective to specific cults and the damage they can do, bringing to light cult-like organizations from history that I never knew existed while making their existence relevant to who we are as a culture and how we are today.

This is such an interesting read and very timely. I, like many people, am very interested in cults and how people fall into their thinking and this book does a good job of providing insights. Americans are definitely more susceptible and this book outlines many good reasons why.