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Cults
- Inside the World's Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them
- Narrated by: Pete Simonelli, Raquel Beattie, Erin Ruth Walker, Danny Campbell, Daniel Henning, Aven Shore, Matt Godfrey, Chanté McCormick, Jaime Lincoln Smith
- Length: 15 hrs and 9 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside them? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of cult leaders and the people who join them? Based on the hit podcast Cults, this is essential for any true crime fan.
Cults prey on the very attributes that make us human: our desire to belong, to find a deeper meaning in life, to live everyday with divine purpose. Their existence creates a sense that any one of us, at any time, could step off the cliff’s edge and fall into that daunting abyss of manipulation and unhinged dedication to a misplaced cause. Perhaps it’s this mindset that keeps us so utterly obsessed and desperate to learn more, or it’s that the stories are so bizarre and unsettling that we are simply in awe of the mechanics that make these infamous groups tick.
The premier storytelling podcast studio Parcast has been focusing on unearthing these mechanics—the cult leaders and followers, and the world and culture that gave birth to both. Parcast’s work in analyzing dozens of case studies has revealed patterns: distinct ways that cult leaders from different generations resemble one another. What links the ten notorious figures profiled in Cults are as disturbing as they are stunning—from Manson to Applewhite, Koresh to Raël, the stories woven here are both spellbinding and disturbing.
Cults is more than just a compilation of grisly biographies, however. In these pages, Parcast’s founder Max Cutler and national bestselling author Kevin Conley look closely at the lives of some of the most disreputable cult figures and tell the stories of their rise to power and fall from grace, sanity, and decency. Beyond that, it is a study of humanity, an unflinching look at what happens when the most vulnerable recesses of the mind are manipulated and how the things we hold most sacred can be twisted into the lowest form of malevolence.
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What listeners say about Cults
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mark
- 2022-07-19
The Psychology of Cults
Instead of an over dramatic look at the horrific nature of these cults, this audiobook explores the psychology behind them and by the end of it, you’ll be able to see the commonalities between them. While I’ve heard of most of the cults in this book, the last one involving a Ugandan spiritual leader was perhaps the most interesting. The narrators were also great with the exception of the one who did the Raelism chapter, but the well written nature of it made up for that. This is highly recommended to all of you true crime fans.
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- Jazmyn
- 2022-08-16
good listen
if you love true crime this is it. the podcast is great and this added to all the stories beautifully (in a crime kinda way). love the different voices for each cult.
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- Dylan Reed
- 2023-10-24
A great look at the psychology of cults.
A great look at a few of the more well-known cults, most of this info can be found on the Parcast podcast Cults, they go a bit deeper into the cults in this audiobook than in the podcasts and you don't have to listen to ads.
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- Merlinbug
- 2024-03-17
It’s alright
I expected way more out of this book, but it’s just a retelling of a few cult stories with little extra insight into psychology. You might as well just listen to the podcast. The last voice reading also sounds quite robotic.
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