Press

Select media appearances and press coverage:

Photo: Sela Shiloni

TV & RADIO 

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”

KUOWHow to Rethink Gendered Insults 

Sex With Emily on SiriusXM Amanda Montell Is a Wordslut   

Amanda Montell

CULTISH REVIEWS

Booklist – 5/15/21 *starred review

“Montell’s masterful translation of our need to belong will mesmerize.”

Kirkus Reviews – 4/18/21

“Engaging… provocative… A fascinating, enthusiastic narrative on the loaded language of cults.”

The Atlantic – 6/10/21

“Savvy, enlightening… Montell… is a breezy writer and an empathetic guide to the various corners of American subcultures.”

BookPage – 6/8/21 *starred review

“Cultish demonstrates that we are all more susceptible to joining the in-group than we may realize.”

The Washington Post – 6/12/21 

“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.”

Buzzfeed Books – 6/15/21

“Phenomenal… Montell balances thorough anthropological analysis with personal anecdotes and interviews to create an illuminating read that will leave you wiser.”

LA Review of Books – 11/26/21

“I read Montell’s book feverishly, underlining whole paragraphs. It arrived like divine intervention as I’ve been churning over this cultural moment.”

The Globe and Mail – 8/31/21

“Wildly compelling… absolutely fascinating.”

The New Republic – 6/28/21

“I think most people who read Cultish will feel convinced they have, at some point in their lives, been in a cult.”

The Economist – 8/5/21 

“Being aware of how language is used to reroute or shut down thought within organisations is a powerful tool.”

The Believer – 6/15/21

“I credit Cultish with … connecting my cult membership with my love of language. Words traumatized me, but now they can heal me, too.”

WORDSLUT REVIEWS  

Kirkus Reviews – 6/4/19

“Just the kind of sharp, relevant scholarship needed to continue to inspire the next generation of feminist thought.” 

Publisher’s Weekly – 5/22/19 

“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.” 

The New York Times – July 30, 2019

“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.”

New York Journal of Books 

“Montell is entertaining, passionate, and widely read.” 

Time Magazine (print) – 6/3/2019

“In sharp and energetic prose, Montell makes readable deep dives into vocabulary.”

Manhattan Book Review – 10/2019

Wordslut is smart, evocative, and intelligently written, not to mention scathingly funny.” 

Cosmopolitan – 5/2/19

“After you devour it in one sitting, you can whip out facts from its fascinating pages to shut down mansplainers at parties.” 

Harper’s Bazaar – 4/18/20

“Amanda Montell’s uproarious, whip-smart guide to destigmatizing gendered language … [is] achingly relevant.” 

CNN– 7/26/19 

“You may find yourself rethinking your word choices once you wrap up this nonfiction superstar.” 

INTERVIEWS & PROFILES

Interview Magazine Amanda Montell is One of Those (Occasionally High) Coffee Shop Writers

Jezebel A Podcast Taught Me That We’re Probably All in Cults, and It’s (Mostly) Fine

Flaunt Magazine Sounds Like A Cult print feature

Vulture Are You In A Cult? This Podcast Will Tell You

Salon From Workplaces to Politics to Instagram Influencers, “Cultish” Language is Everywhere

The New York TimesIf Everything Is ‘Trauma,’ Is Anything?

BookPage Amanda Montell – Putting the ‘cult’ in culture

Literary Hub How-and Why-Americans Become Susceptible to the Toxic Allure of Cults

Parade Why Do People Join Cults? Linguist and Cultish Author Amanda Montell on the ‘Invisible Power of Language’

Apartment Therapy – Author Amanda Montell’s LA Rental House Is a Little California Cottage-Core, a Bit ’70s Cult-y

New York Post Book Describes How Trendy Fitness Studios Use Cult-like Tactics to Attract Followers

Rewired.org – We’re All a Little ‘Cultish’: How Cults Use Language to Influence People

The Mary SueCultish Author Amanda Montell Reveals Cult-Like Phenomena in Our Everyday Lives

Hello GigglesUptalk, vocal fry, and using the word “like” are signs you’re linguistically savvy-this book proves why

HerCampusHow to Work at a Magazine All Day & Write a Book by Night, According to Amanda Montell

Women’s Media CenterThis Author Explored the Concept of “Cultish”

PODCAST APPEARANCES

Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain Cultish, A Talk with Amanda Montell

iWeigh with Jameela JamilCults with Amanda Montell

Savage LovecastCult Wedding With Amanda Montell

The StacksGetting Cultish With Amanda Montell

A Little Bit CultySounds Cultish With Amanda Montell

The MinimalistsWhat Would Make Minimalism A Cult?

Be There In FiveI Can’t Believe It’s Not Buttery! (with Amanda Montell)

Sentimental GarbageThe Word ‘Like’ With Amanda Montell

Here’s Where It Gets InterestingHow to Tell When You’ve Joined a Cult with Amanda Montell

Conspirituality Podcast Learning Cultish with Amanda Montell

Just Between Us Linguist Amanda Montell, Keeping the Spark Alive, and Abortion

Stuff Mom Never Told You Feminism and The English Language with Wordslut

Betches Not Another True Crime Podcast – Wait… Am I In A Cult? Ft. Amanda Montell

Gloss Angeles Is the Beauty Industry A Cult? Linguistically, Maybe

The Jordan Harbinger ShowAmanda Montell: Cultish The Language of Fanaticism

IndoctriNationToo Cultish for Comfort w/ Amanda Montell

Feminist Book Club: The Podcast Amanda Montell, author of Wordslut

Vocal Fries Word Slut

Fully Booked Amanda Montell

BOOK EXCERPTS 

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 

Medium (Wordslut) A Cultural History of Feminine Nouns Turned Into Insults 

LitHub (Wordslut)On the Great Old White Guy Vocal Fry Panic of 2013