Review of CULTS

just watch Netflix docuseries instead

As evidenced by the popularity of Netflix docuseries’, everyone loves a deep dive into a good cult. I’ve watched my fair share on fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints, the Branch Davidians, and the Bhagwan to name a few. They are fascinating. We all want to know the psychology behind why people join these groups and perpetrate acts that seem unfathomable as we sit in our living rooms engrossed with the TV.

I was understandably excited, then, when I saw a new book, Cults: Inside the World’s Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them, by Max Cutler and Kevin Conley. But, I was promptly disappointed.

Cults mostly delivers on one its first promise, “inside the world’s most notorious groups” with each chapter of the book focusing on just one single group, giving a summary of the cult, its rise, and eventual demise.

But that’s where it stops. It utterly fails on the second promise, “understanding the people who joined them” by offering not a single iota of synthesis, science, or analysis. There’s a 7-page introduction, and no conclusion to the book. And the individual chapters don’t offer any analysis or commentary on the psychology of its members either.

The book, which seemed to be well marketed, reads like a well-written Wikipedia collection of 10 cults. Given that the primary author runs a highly popular podcast about cults, it seems that the book is largely a recycled content output that seems to have been pretty effective. But it wasn’t a great read. I’d rather just watch the more detailed Netflix specials, or just read Wikipedia.

Published: July 2022

Format: Hardcover

---

If you think this sounds interesting, bookmark these great reads instead to understand irrational and group behavior:

• Hidden Games: The Surprising Power of Game Theory to Explain Irrational Human Behavior by Erez Yoeli and Moshe Hoffman (2022)

• Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them by Joshua Greene (2013)

---

This post contains affiliate links, allowing me to earn a small commission when you purchase books from the link provided. There is no cost to you, and this will allow me to keep this newsletter free and open to all. Happy reading!