Welcome to Litsy!

#WeeklyForecast 42/25

I am reading both Satisfaction Cafe and A Dedicated Man. Enjoying both. Next will be one recommended by @Reggie : The Children of Red Peak.

Kind of a disappointing month. I didn‘t read a book that made me really feel something…..

I went into this book thinking it might be a more personal deep dive into the hidden abuses revealed in the shiny happy people documentary. It was more about Jill talking about how uncomfortable it was to be on camera all the time, the double standard of how her brother was treated by her father versus how she was treated, and later financial abuse. I‘m glad Jill found her way out of the fundamentalist stranglehold, but I think she‘s still in⬇️

Montell explores the connections between the manipulative language tactics cults we normally think of (Jonestown, Heaven‘s Gate) with organizations and trends we might not think of as cults such as MLMs, boutique fitness trends and followings, conspiracy theories and my favorite, corporate techno-babble. It‘s not to say that these other things are cults, but that they exhibit some features, not always negative. This book is good; maybe not great.

#CharacterCharm #Survivor

4 Stars • Clover Blue by Eldonna Edwards follows a 12-year-old kid named Clover growing up in a 1970s California commune. He loves his quirky family of hippies and misfits, led by guru Goji, but starts wondering about his real mom and past. With his friend Harmony pushing him, Clover digs for answers Goji won‘t give. ⬇️

#CharacterCharm Prophet Wow! I never really heard this song before, lol. And I love queen. Really love the voices with no instruments. @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Cult memoirs fascinate me. I didn't watch One Tree Hill, so I'm not familiar with this author, but this memoir was captivating; she's an excellent story teller. (I prefer audiobook format for memoirs.)

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Informative and interesting, as it delves into the use of words and phrasing in cultish groups at varying levels.
Not sure why there's so much vitriol on gr (though the repeating 'we'll discuss x more in y section' and the author's immunity to cultish behaviour is a bit tiresome). It's a pop sociology book, not pretending to be academic. And it does what it sets out to do - discusses the language used in cultish circles.