THE CULTING OF AMERICA

A cult survivor and her co-author tell her story and comment on American society in this nonfiction work.

“You’re probably in a cult, you just don’t know it yet,” Young and Reed declare in the book’s opening lines. Unafraid to ruffle feathers, the authors assert that since the arrival of the Pilgrims and other “religious extremists,” Americans have been “defined by the distrust of institutions, a persecution complex, and stubborn self-righteousness”; in other words, “cults are the most American thing there is.” Born into the infamous sex cult known as the Children of God, Young has an intimate knowledge of the power of cults to isolate, warp, and control their members. Combining Young’s personal story with academic research from psychologists, anthropologists, and other scholars referenced in more than 400 endnotes, the authors provide straightforward criteria for identifying cults. These include a shared “sacred assumption,” a mission of such import that it requires personal sacrifice, a jargon understood only by insiders, and high exit costs. Using these identifiers, the authors note the presence of cults throughout American society—from the U.S. Army to Hugh Hefner’s Playboy empire. Offering cogent, often frightening social commentary, the book similarly highlights the fast-growing ubiquity of internet cults that thrive in Reddit threads, social media, and YouTube channels. By expanding readers’ ideas of what constitutes a cult, the authors hope their argument will disrupt “some of our most sacred assumptions” and alert their audience to the ways in which they are being manipulated by politicians, religious leaders, and even bosses in the workplace (psychopathic traits, often masked as charisma, are 12 times more common among business leaders that the general public, per the authors). Young’s deeply personal, ingrained disdain for cults is complemented by co-author Reed’s knack for engaging, accessible prose. This volume includes ample ancillary materials, including an essay by anti-racist TikTok creator Rebecca Slue, a “Quick Reference Guide” to spotting cultish groups, and questions for book club discussions.

A well-researched, deeply personal commentary on the role of cults in American life.