Press
Select media appearances and press coverage
Photo: Sela Shiloni
TV & RADIO
NPR Fresh Air – Internet Brain & The Age of Overthinking
Netflix – How to Become a Cult Leader
Discovery+ – The Rise and Fall of LuLaRoe documentary
Vice TV – True Believers documentary series (episodes 2 & 4)
The David Pakman Show – Could You be Sucked Into A Cult? With Amanda Montell
BBC Radio 4 “Word of Mouth” – Cultish Language
KERA “Think” – How Language Keeps Cults Together
WGN News Chicago – Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
NPR: Wisconsin Public Radio – Linguist Explores How Cults Gain Followers
WNYC “All Of It” – The Language of Fanaticism
RadioWest – Amanda Montell On “The Language of Fanaticism”
KUOW – How to Rethink Gendered Insults
Sex With Emily on SiriusXM – Amanda Montell Is a Wordslut
THE AGE OF MAGICAL OVERTHINKING REVIEWS
Kirkus starred review
“Montell’s take on how irrationality went mainstream is informed by erudite wit and an eye for telling images.”
Bookpage
“Reading The Age of Magical Overthinking feels like listening to your smartest friend give excellent advice. Hopefully, we’ll take it.”
Booklist
“Refreshingly entertaining and informative…[Montell] exemplifies the power of compelling stories by employing her own memorable metaphors and disclosures as an invitation to consider more deeply what we choose to consume and share.”
“In her signature combination of wit and humor, Amanda Montell examines how society’s belief in magical thinking is more common than we might think.”
“Anyone who’s ever been trapped in their own head can find solace in Amanda Montell’s latest work.”
CULTISH REVIEWS
Booklist starred review
“Montell’s masterful translation of our need to belong will mesmerize.”
“Engaging… provocative… A fascinating, enthusiastic narrative on the loaded language of cults.”
“Savvy, enlightening… Montell… is a breezy writer and an empathetic guide to the various corners of American subcultures.”
“Engaging and fun to read, ‘Cultish’ offers plenty of jaw-dropping details about life inside cults. But the book isn’t all voyeuristic pleasure. As Montell teases out the universality of cultish influence, she upholds the humanity of the people who do get swayed.”
“Wildly compelling… absolutely fascinating.”
WORDSLUT REVIEWS
“Just the kind of sharp, relevant scholarship needed to continue to inspire the next generation of feminist thought.”
“Montell projects an infectious glee about linguistics and feminism, foregrounding both their fun and their cultural relevance. Readers seeking a fresh, intellectually stimulating take on feminism will enjoy this one.”
“Her delivery is light and humorous … but the lesson is serious and cannot be overstated: In countless ways, gender affects how we talk and how others hear us.”
“In sharp and energetic prose, Montell makes readable deep dives into vocabulary.”
“Amanda Montell’s uproarious, whip-smart guide to destigmatizing gendered language … [is] achingly relevant.”
PODCAST APPEARANCES
Normal Gossip – “Emily in Paris” Meets “Parasite” with Amanda Montell
Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain – Cultish, A Talk with Amanda Montell
iWeigh with Jameela Jamil – The Age of Magical Overthinking with Amanda Montell
Be There In Five – Magical Overthinking (with Amanda Montell)
Fluently Forward – Stans, Conspiracy Theories, and Tradwives with Amanda Montell
Savage Lovecast – Cult Wedding With Amanda Montell
The Stacks – Getting Cultish With Amanda Montell
A Little Bit Culty – Sounds Cultish With Amanda Montell
Sentimental Garbage – The Word ‘Like’ With Amanda Montell
Here’s Where It Gets Interesting – How to Tell When You’ve Joined a Cult with Amanda Montell
Stuff Mom Never Told You – Feminism and The English Language with Wordslut
The Jordan Harbinger Show – Amanda Montell: Cultish The Language of Fanaticism
Feminist Book Club: The Podcast — Amanda Montell, author of Wordslut
INTERVIEWS & PROFILES
Elle – Amanda Montell Invites You to The Age of Magical Overthinking
Marie Claire – Amanda Montell Has a Theory for Why Everything Feels So Hard Right Now
The Boston Globe – Amanda Montell lays bare your ‘mental magic tricks’ in ‘The Age of Magical Overthinking’
The LA Times – A little too obsessed with Taylor Swift? It might be a coping mechanism
Salon – From conspiracy theories to manifesting: How to navigate the age of “magical overthinking”
BookPage – Amanda Montell – Putting the ‘cult’ in culture
Interview Magazine – Amanda Montell is One of Those (Occasionally High) Coffee Shop Writers
Publisher’s Weekly – End Notes: The Age of Magical Overthinking
Flaunt Magazine – Sounds Like A Cult print feature
Vulture – Are You In A Cult? This Podcast Will Tell You
Literary Hub – How-and Why-Americans Become Susceptible to the Toxic Allure of Cults
Apartment Therapy – Author Amanda Montell’s LA Rental House Is a Little California Cottage-Core, a Bit ’70s Cult-y
BOOK EXCERPTS
Marie Claire (TAOMO) – Why We’re Obsessed With the Handmade
Literary Hub (TAOMO) – Information Overload: How Overthinking Feeds Our Innate Superstitions
The Daily Beast (Cultish) – Why Do We Believe In Cults? Hint: It’s Not Brainwashing
Time Magazine (Wordslut) – Why Saying ‘Like’ a Lot Is Like, Actually a Good Thing