"In this entertaining history, journalist Jane Borden asserts that cultlike belief systems are ingrained in US culture, beginning with the doomsday thinking of the Puritans who arrived in North America decades ago." BookBub, Best Nonfiction of 2025 "A fresh, provocative view of cults and those who love them." Kirkus "Jane Bordens exploration of America as a nation powered by cults couldnt be sharper, funnier, or more timely." Beth Macy, New York Times bestselling author of Dopesick
"Jane Borden has turned years of rigorous research into an engrossing, unputdownable narrative. Anyone interested in cults, religious studies, or their own relationship to belonging should consider this book canon." Amanda Montell, New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Magical Overthinking
"With wit and verve, Jane Borden walks you through America's cultish past. Cults Like Us explores history from the Puritans to the Oneida community to the current age to show how Americans have been susceptible to the most extremeand sometimes most irrationalbeliefs." Jennifer Wright, author of Madame Restell
"The fear and loss of confidence we are experiencing in U.S. governance has been disorienting. This book is a prelude to healing. It illuminates the heart of the matter." Robert Johnson, President of the Institute for New Economic Thinking
"Borden beautifully explains how cultish ideologies continue to hold our national psyche." Jane Marie, author of Selling the Dream
"I'm grateful for all the work Jane Borden has done to inform people about how deeply rooted group think is in our culture." India Oxenberg, author of Still Learning and producer of the documentary series Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult
