Reader's Place: January 10, 2022
THE APPEAL OF CULTS
How do we define a cult? How does it differ from a religion? What draws people to a cult? One thing all cults have in common is that the people in them do not consider themselves to be in a cult.
Sex cult nun: breaking away from the Children of God, a wild, radical religious cult, by Faith Jones, 2021. (Library Catalog, eBccls)
Try to see past the sensationalistic, inaccurate title and learn how much the Children of God have in common with currently active right-wing Christian cults, and where they differ.
The delusions of crowds: why people go mad in groups, by William J. Bernstein, 2021. (Library Catalog, Hoopla)
Bernstein tells the stories of dramatic religious and financial manias in western society over the last 500 years-from the Anabaptist Madness that afflicted the Low Countries in the 1530s to the dangerous End-Times beliefs that animate ISIS and pervade today's polarized America; and from the South Sea Bubble to the Enron scandal and dot-com bubbles of recent years.
Don't call it a cult: the shocking story of Keith Raniere and the women of NXIVM, by Sarah Berman, 2021. (Library Catalog, eBCCLS)
An investigative journalist explores the shocking practices of NXIVM, a cult run by Keith Raniere and many enablers, detailing its rise as a personal development company, its ability to evade prosecution for decades, and the investigation that finally revealed its dark secrets to the world.
Cultish: the language of fanaticism, by Amanda Montell, 2021. (Library Catalog, eBCCLS)
From SoulCycle to Scientology, we're all obsessed with cults. Linguist Amanda Montell examines the language cults use to draw us in.
Velorio: A novel, by Xavier Navarro Aquino, 2022. (Library Catalog)
Camila carries her deceased sister’s body to the supposed utopia of Memoria. Urayoán, the idealistic, yet troubled cult leader of Memoria, has a vision for this new society, one that in his eyes is peaceful and democratic. Members of Memoria will need to confront Urayoan’s violent authoritarian impulses in order to find a way to reclaim their home. Velorio-meaning "wake"-is a story of strength, resilience, and hope; a tale of peril and possibility buoyed by the deeply held belief in a people's ability to unite against those corrupted by power
Compiled by Ina Rimpau