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American Cult
A graphic history of religious cults in American from the colonial era to today
From its earliest days, America has been home to spiritual seekers.
In 1694, the religious tolerance of the Pennsylvania Colony enticed a Transylvanian monk and his forty followers to cross the Atlantic. Almost two hundred years later, a charismatic preacher founded a utopian community in Oneida, New York, that practiced socialism and free love. In the 1960s and ’70s, a new generation of seekers gathered in vegetarian restaurants in Los Angeles, Satanic coffee shops in New Orleans, and fortified communes in Philadelphia. And in the twenty-first century, gurus use self-help seminars and get-rich-quick schemes to evangelize to their flocks.
Across the decades, Americans in search of divine truths have turned to unconventional prophets for the answers. Some of these prophets have demanded their faith, fortunes, and even their very lives. In American Cult, over twenty cartoonists explore the history of these groups with clarity and empathy—looking beyond the scandalous headlines to find the human stories within.
Featuring the talents of Lara Antal, Brian “Box” Brown, Ryan Carey, Rosa Colón Guerra, Mike Dawson, Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg, Mike Freiheit, Emi Gennis, Andrew Greenstone, Janet Harvey, Josh Kramer, Jesse Lambert, Ellen Lindner, Lonnie Mann, Ben Passmore, Jim Rugg, Robert Sergel, Vreni Stollberger, Steve Teare, and J.T. Yost.
From its earliest days, America has been home to spiritual seekers.
In 1694, the religious tolerance of the Pennsylvania Colony enticed a Transylvanian monk and his forty followers to cross the Atlantic. Almost two hundred years later, a charismatic preacher founded a utopian community in Oneida, New York, that practiced socialism and free love. In the 1960s and ’70s, a new generation of seekers gathered in vegetarian restaurants in Los Angeles, Satanic coffee shops in New Orleans, and fortified communes in Philadelphia. And in the twenty-first century, gurus use self-help seminars and get-rich-quick schemes to evangelize to their flocks.
Across the decades, Americans in search of divine truths have turned to unconventional prophets for the answers. Some of these prophets have demanded their faith, fortunes, and even their very lives. In American Cult, over twenty cartoonists explore the history of these groups with clarity and empathy—looking beyond the scandalous headlines to find the human stories within.
Featuring the talents of Lara Antal, Brian “Box” Brown, Ryan Carey, Rosa Colón Guerra, Mike Dawson, Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg, Mike Freiheit, Emi Gennis, Andrew Greenstone, Janet Harvey, Josh Kramer, Jesse Lambert, Ellen Lindner, Lonnie Mann, Ben Passmore, Jim Rugg, Robert Sergel, Vreni Stollberger, Steve Teare, and J.T. Yost.
190 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2021
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1713 people want to read
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May 31, 2025
American Cult is a sequential-art history of eighteen prominent American cults structured in a loose chronology. For as long as humankind has had charismatic individuals to rally around, cults have existed; however, in the interest of brevity, the book’s earliest entry is about an 18th-century cult called the Society of the Woman in the Wilderness. The last entry is about NXIVM, which began making major headlines in 2020.
Editor and co-publisher Robyn Chapman is a sympathetic and humble soul, and in the introduction she emphasizes the importance of remembering the humanity of cult members:
The definition of a cult can be hazy, and people tend to apply the term too liberally. To decide which cults to include in American Cult Chapman first crafted four sensible criteria:
American Cult shows that cults vary a lot in specific (and always bizarre) beliefs and practices, but foundationally they’re the same. The book gets across the idea that everyone has the potential to be lured into one, and Chapman’s third criterion is underscored well across the collection. As ludicrous as these cults were, and are, to outsiders’ view, to those inside, the allure is a magnetic force. Because the cult often appeals to some beliefs that members already had going in, it makes perfect sense and feels deeply meaningful—at least at first. Cults that no longer exist went down a similar path on their way to crashing and burning: The early days felt utopic, but as time passed and leaders became more drunk on power, life for members became oppressive and abusive. At the same time, leaving the cult was exceptionally difficult and for some, impossible. Those born into cults have the hardest time leaving in large part because of the numerous and varied challenges they face navigating life alone in an outside world that’s foreign to them. For those not born in, the manipulation (such as withholding a member’s children) is powerful enough to keep them trapped for life. Rarely can members simply leave.
American Cult has several expected entries (e.g., Jonestown, Children of God, Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints, and Heaven’s Gate) but also many that may be surprising or are little-known (e.g., Sufism, Orthodox Judaism, Oneida Community, and the Sullivanian sex cult). Each chapter is by a different author-illustrator; narrative perspectives vary; and a few entries are mini memoirs (and some of the most compelling).
As more recent cults go, certain decades appear to have been especially favorable to them; many cults in American Cult were in their heyday during the 1960s and 1970s. This book, however, has a single goal—to present information about eighteen cults—so unfortunately doesn’t explore what about that time was conducive to the formation and thriving of cults.
Although some of American Cult’s cult stories feel more complete than others, and some are more engaging, the book is a strong collection, presented with fairness and compassion toward cult members. Each entry is packed with enough facts to pique interest and inspire readers to research more deeply, but it’s also fine to stop here and walk away with adequate general knowledge.
Complementary reading:
Escape
The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple
Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM
Complementary viewing:
The Vow (NXIVM)
One of Us (Orthodox Judaism)
Prophet’s Prey (Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints)
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints)
Editor and co-publisher Robyn Chapman is a sympathetic and humble soul, and in the introduction she emphasizes the importance of remembering the humanity of cult members:
In popular media, cult stories are usually seen through the lens of scandal—the weirder and gorier the better. The members of these groups are nothing like us. They’re brainwashed freaks. This sentiment isn’t kind—but more importantly, it isn’t true. The more I learn about cults, the more I feel I can relate to the people who join them. They’re smart and ambitious. They’re willing to sacrifice so much in life. And community means the world to them. I get that. So I can’t pretend these people aren’t like me. And I can’t pretend that, if circumstances in my life had been different, I wouldn’t have ended up where they did.However, she also emphasizes that cults should never be free of censure; in her opinion, cult stories should be approached with “50% empathy and 50% justice.”
The definition of a cult can be hazy, and people tend to apply the term too liberally. To decide which cults to include in American Cult Chapman first crafted four sensible criteria:
1) A cult is a group, but it’s better described as a community or even a family. Fellowship and a sense of belonging are really important in a cult.
2) A cult is totalitarian in nature. Cult leaders have authority over their followers and control many aspects of their daily lives.
3) A cult is held together by a shared belief system. People usually join a cult because the group's ideology resonates with them—not because they were “brainwashed.”
4) A cult does not conform to cultural norms. Its members’ beliefs and way of life challenge mainstream values.In Chapman’s view, groups that don’t meet all four criteria aren’t a cult and therefore aren’t in this book. Excluded are political movements like “Trumpism,” which at most has some note-worthy cult-like traits, and Scientology, which many regard as more cult than religion.
American Cult shows that cults vary a lot in specific (and always bizarre) beliefs and practices, but foundationally they’re the same. The book gets across the idea that everyone has the potential to be lured into one, and Chapman’s third criterion is underscored well across the collection. As ludicrous as these cults were, and are, to outsiders’ view, to those inside, the allure is a magnetic force. Because the cult often appeals to some beliefs that members already had going in, it makes perfect sense and feels deeply meaningful—at least at first. Cults that no longer exist went down a similar path on their way to crashing and burning: The early days felt utopic, but as time passed and leaders became more drunk on power, life for members became oppressive and abusive. At the same time, leaving the cult was exceptionally difficult and for some, impossible. Those born into cults have the hardest time leaving in large part because of the numerous and varied challenges they face navigating life alone in an outside world that’s foreign to them. For those not born in, the manipulation (such as withholding a member’s children) is powerful enough to keep them trapped for life. Rarely can members simply leave.
American Cult has several expected entries (e.g., Jonestown, Children of God, Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints, and Heaven’s Gate) but also many that may be surprising or are little-known (e.g., Sufism, Orthodox Judaism, Oneida Community, and the Sullivanian sex cult). Each chapter is by a different author-illustrator; narrative perspectives vary; and a few entries are mini memoirs (and some of the most compelling).
As more recent cults go, certain decades appear to have been especially favorable to them; many cults in American Cult were in their heyday during the 1960s and 1970s. This book, however, has a single goal—to present information about eighteen cults—so unfortunately doesn’t explore what about that time was conducive to the formation and thriving of cults.
Although some of American Cult’s cult stories feel more complete than others, and some are more engaging, the book is a strong collection, presented with fairness and compassion toward cult members. Each entry is packed with enough facts to pique interest and inspire readers to research more deeply, but it’s also fine to stop here and walk away with adequate general knowledge.
Complementary reading:
Escape
The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple
Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM
Complementary viewing:
The Vow (NXIVM)
One of Us (Orthodox Judaism)
Prophet’s Prey (Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints)
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints)
December 17, 2021
I just read a book about a woman's obsession with True Crime, and this graphic collection by a variety of artists had kind of a similar effect on me. Yeah, my eyes have always strayed to these kinds of stories in the paper. And I know about all of them, from Charles Manson to Keith Raniere. One story is about a 1690 cult, but it is clear this country (the USA) has always had people falling prey to these crazy ideas and people. And yes, many of them are led by men who prey on women. Like slowing down for a train wreck. One conventional religious one they include is Orthodox Judaism, but there are extremist elements in almost every religion, seems to me. Why steer away from Christian fundamentalism, or radical factions of other religions?
So there are short stories in this graphic about all these cults, and one begins to wonder what it all adds up to. Can we connect this to present Q-Anon-driven politics or the scams that lead people to drink horse dewormer versus following sounder medical practice and science? And the long tradition of gullible humans giving their money to scammers of all kinds, sometimes religious folks promising the End of the World. But to be honest, many religious practices seem crazy to non-religious types, (baptism, the Eucharist, virgin birth and so on) though these religious practices may not stoop to the level of a cult. But there's no concluding essay or reflection, something to help us really understand what this phenomenon is about, so I'll look elsewhere for something that brings it all together. Something that explains how gullible people can be.
So there are short stories in this graphic about all these cults, and one begins to wonder what it all adds up to. Can we connect this to present Q-Anon-driven politics or the scams that lead people to drink horse dewormer versus following sounder medical practice and science? And the long tradition of gullible humans giving their money to scammers of all kinds, sometimes religious folks promising the End of the World. But to be honest, many religious practices seem crazy to non-religious types, (baptism, the Eucharist, virgin birth and so on) though these religious practices may not stoop to the level of a cult. But there's no concluding essay or reflection, something to help us really understand what this phenomenon is about, so I'll look elsewhere for something that brings it all together. Something that explains how gullible people can be.
January 24, 2024
Considering that many of today’s “orthodox religions” began as cults, including Christianity in its infancy, it is probably best to start off with a definition or two…
cult: a small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous. -Brittanica
cult: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious. -Merriam-Webster
…the point being that, though many cults are extremely nefarious, not all are dangerous (and even the ones that are didn’t necessarily start out that way).
Robyn Chapman has assembled a nicely illustrated, nonfiction, graphic compendium consisting of 18 chapters, each describing a different American cult and each written and drawn by a different artist. American Cult’s narratives span more than 300 years of North American history (1694-2020) and include familiar as well as obscure religious and pseudo-religious sects. Some of the cults are fairly benign, others are horrendously malevolent and cruel—almost all eventually devolved into some form of dictatorship.
This book feels a bit condensed. Fitting eighteen different religious incarnations into less than 200 pages would be difficult even in text, but to do so with imaginative art work leaves room for only the briefest of depictions. Still, even the shortest chapters piqued my interest and made me want to know more. 4 stars.
“. . . no strategy or set of politics is inherently revolutionary if it empowers an oppressive individual or inner circle over their peers. We have to be careful. This is America, and in America we have a history of prophets who will lead us from one cage to another.” (pg 97)
cult: a small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous. -Brittanica
cult: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious. -Merriam-Webster
…the point being that, though many cults are extremely nefarious, not all are dangerous (and even the ones that are didn’t necessarily start out that way).
Robyn Chapman has assembled a nicely illustrated, nonfiction, graphic compendium consisting of 18 chapters, each describing a different American cult and each written and drawn by a different artist. American Cult’s narratives span more than 300 years of North American history (1694-2020) and include familiar as well as obscure religious and pseudo-religious sects. Some of the cults are fairly benign, others are horrendously malevolent and cruel—almost all eventually devolved into some form of dictatorship.
This book feels a bit condensed. Fitting eighteen different religious incarnations into less than 200 pages would be difficult even in text, but to do so with imaginative art work leaves room for only the briefest of depictions. Still, even the shortest chapters piqued my interest and made me want to know more. 4 stars.
“. . . no strategy or set of politics is inherently revolutionary if it empowers an oppressive individual or inner circle over their peers. We have to be careful. This is America, and in America we have a history of prophets who will lead us from one cage to another.” (pg 97)
October 21, 2022
This certainly isn’t an exhaustive approach to American cults (or even the individual cults mentioned) but it does a spectacular job with the telling quick, interesting stories about these cults with such a wide variety of incredible art. Really loved the focus on some of the smaller, lesser known cults and especially the “cults” that people might not view as cults (ultra-Orthodox Judaism or Westboro Baptist Church).
The format and brevity might not work for everyone, but perhaps the not obsessive true crime fans will really love this.
The format and brevity might not work for everyone, but perhaps the not obsessive true crime fans will really love this.
October 13, 2021
A fascinating glimpse at the destructive power of cults, of which America has had many, starting herein in the 1690s. Most of them are more recent vintage though, with the short profiles of this historical anthology focusing mostly on the 1950s through 1990s. A couple of the 21 contributors are actually cult survivors.
There's plenty of schadenfreude appeal, but I do wonder about how strict the history is. No sources are offered. And in one chapter, the founder of Synanon is referred to as Charles "Chuck" Diedrich while most credible sources I see online say his name is actually Dederich. I haven't fact-checked anything else. Orthodox Judaism is surprisingly included, but notably absent is the controversial and litigious organization founded by L. Ron whatsisname.
Anyhow, this is a terrific overview that should serve as a springboard to further research and reading.
There's plenty of schadenfreude appeal, but I do wonder about how strict the history is. No sources are offered. And in one chapter, the founder of Synanon is referred to as Charles "Chuck" Diedrich while most credible sources I see online say his name is actually Dederich. I haven't fact-checked anything else. Orthodox Judaism is surprisingly included, but notably absent is the controversial and litigious organization founded by L. Ron whatsisname.
Anyhow, this is a terrific overview that should serve as a springboard to further research and reading.
April 21, 2021
I can't be impartial since I both have a comic in this anthology and am friends with both the editor and publisher. That said, this anthology is everything I love about anthologies. I seem to be in the minority in my love for anthologies, but for me it's a chance to discover new artists, a chance for contributors to try something different with low stakes, a chance to explore a theme that appeals to me.
I am not alone in my fascination with cults and true crime. This anthology, by design, is not sensational. It is either fact-based journalism or equal parts sympathetic to those caught up in cults (there are even a couple of contributors who were cult members) and judgmental of the suffering the cults cause.
The cults investigated span the history of America, although most explore cults of the 20th & 21st centuries. Even cults that are well-trod as far as media coverage go get in-depth exploration that reveals information you (I) did not know.
I can say without hesitation that the comic I made for this anthology (focused on a specific member of The Westboro Baptist Church) is among if not the work of which I'm most proud.
I am not alone in my fascination with cults and true crime. This anthology, by design, is not sensational. It is either fact-based journalism or equal parts sympathetic to those caught up in cults (there are even a couple of contributors who were cult members) and judgmental of the suffering the cults cause.
The cults investigated span the history of America, although most explore cults of the 20th & 21st centuries. Even cults that are well-trod as far as media coverage go get in-depth exploration that reveals information you (I) did not know.
I can say without hesitation that the comic I made for this anthology (focused on a specific member of The Westboro Baptist Church) is among if not the work of which I'm most proud.
May 25, 2024
4.75 stars.
September 14, 2022
Boring.
I'm just going to lay it out there: I think cults are a thing that, for the most part, young, hot babes have to worry about. Ain't nobody recruiting me to a cult. I'm old, I'm not good looking, I'm sterile. I provide nothing that a cult is looking for.
If you're a young, hot babe, you provide everything a cult is looking for: young, hot babes.
This is just one of those dangers that I am crossing off my list. Like alligators. I live in Colorado. No alligators just hanging out. I'm not going to worry about them.
I may have been cult fodder 20 years ago, but by now the only way I'm getting involved in a cult is if I make one. Which I can't because although I'm not disinterested in young, hot babes, I just don't have the energy to run an entire cult for the sake of getting young, hot babes interested in me.
Unless young, hot babes are like, "You're pretty good at sweeping out the garage," I think I'm past my prime.
I guess this book also does a weird thing where it's not trying to be disrespectful of cults and people who join them. I get it, they're probably super attractive to vulnerable people. But a cold retelling of a group of people with SUPER wacky beliefs, like their leaders having traveled through space and shit, is just redonk.
I'm just going to lay it out there: I think cults are a thing that, for the most part, young, hot babes have to worry about. Ain't nobody recruiting me to a cult. I'm old, I'm not good looking, I'm sterile. I provide nothing that a cult is looking for.
If you're a young, hot babe, you provide everything a cult is looking for: young, hot babes.
This is just one of those dangers that I am crossing off my list. Like alligators. I live in Colorado. No alligators just hanging out. I'm not going to worry about them.
I may have been cult fodder 20 years ago, but by now the only way I'm getting involved in a cult is if I make one. Which I can't because although I'm not disinterested in young, hot babes, I just don't have the energy to run an entire cult for the sake of getting young, hot babes interested in me.
Unless young, hot babes are like, "You're pretty good at sweeping out the garage," I think I'm past my prime.
I guess this book also does a weird thing where it's not trying to be disrespectful of cults and people who join them. I get it, they're probably super attractive to vulnerable people. But a cold retelling of a group of people with SUPER wacky beliefs, like their leaders having traveled through space and shit, is just redonk.
January 30, 2023
I had mixed feelings about reading this one and almost decided to skip it. I think Google can read my mind because as soon as I decided this, I saw this new article about Jim Jones that described not only the Jonestown Massacre but other cults with a dark history. This piqued my curiosity and I picked up a copy of AMERICAN CULTS on Hoopla. I can say that the graphic novel was interesting but sometimes a bit hard to read. Some of the stories did not always make sense and did not provide a clear picture of the issues with these cults. The illustrations were good. I learned a few things, so I am happy with that. I am still wondering why "Cult" is singular in the title since the book covers many of them.
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December 13, 2021
As with any non-fiction collection by various authors and artists, there are standout stories and forgettable tales. With American Cult, it often depends on the cult. Jonestown, Charles Manson, NXIVM - these horrifying cults are basically guaranteed to generate fascinating stories. Other, more minor cults simply don't compare. But for the most part, the cults portrayed in American Cults are unsettling and eerie, which is probably what a reader of this book is looking for.
The collection contains only a few cults from the early Americas; the majority are from the 60s onward. When an author chose to give a direct history of a given cult, I found myself most engaged. Some authors chose to reflect on how the cult compared to modern America, while others gave first-person accounts of being a member of a cult. These portrayals were more of a grab-bag. I often found myself jumping to wikipedia for more information. I supposed that's a sign of a good non-fiction read? Or maybe an incomplete read...
The collection contains only a few cults from the early Americas; the majority are from the 60s onward. When an author chose to give a direct history of a given cult, I found myself most engaged. Some authors chose to reflect on how the cult compared to modern America, while others gave first-person accounts of being a member of a cult. These portrayals were more of a grab-bag. I often found myself jumping to wikipedia for more information. I supposed that's a sign of a good non-fiction read? Or maybe an incomplete read...
August 2, 2022
This is excellent. Having this written as a type of anthology series is a good move. The perspective and tone of each writer gives a different flavor to the information presented. Additionally, we get fresh art with each new cult.
I'm fascinated by this topic, and I learned a bunch of new and interesting tidbits about American cults. Some I knew well, some I'd heard of, and others were totally new to me.
I'm not sure if everyone would click with how it's compiled, but it really worked for me.
I'm fascinated by this topic, and I learned a bunch of new and interesting tidbits about American cults. Some I knew well, some I'd heard of, and others were totally new to me.
I'm not sure if everyone would click with how it's compiled, but it really worked for me.
June 6, 2021
I’m very intrigued in stories about cults and I went into this book blind, but was interested to hear it was going to be an anthology of American Cults. However, I did believe it would be more informational, some of these just realllllly skim the surface if what some of these cults were about. One of the stories in particular, about Oneida, was basically illegible. The story and the drawings were so confusing that I almost stopped reading the rest of the book and that was the second story!
Also....how are you going to write a book about cults and not even include Scientology, one of the largest cults out there!?
I think this book was sloppy and would not recommend if you’re actually interested in learning about American Cults.
Also....how are you going to write a book about cults and not even include Scientology, one of the largest cults out there!?
I think this book was sloppy and would not recommend if you’re actually interested in learning about American Cults.
July 26, 2022
Subtitle: A Graphic History of Religious Cults in America from the Colonial Era to Today
I find this concept 5-star-worthy AMAZING and my 15 y.o. thinks it's HILARIOUS. Like most anthologies, the follow-through is somewhat inconsistent and probably more like a 3-star average. The length, style, depth, and quality of the stories vary, as did my appreciation of them. The editor's overarching concept is that anyone can be drawn into a cult and, to that end, some of the stories are written in first or second person POV. That got a little awkward with some of the stories, especially the Jonestown one, which is written in first person, when the writer wasn't actually a member of the cult. (Conversely, the Orthodox Judaism story is written by an artist raised in that religious sect, who spells out why he considers it a cult.)
Only three of the stories predate the mid-20th century: The Monk in the Cave (Johannes Kelpius), Inside Oneida, and Fruitlands (subtitle: the little cult that couldn't), about the group founded and subsequently abandoned by Bronson Alcott.
Most of the 20th century groups featured, I'd heard of before: Children of God, The Manson Family, People's Temple (Jonestown), Syanon, The Group (AKA Sullivanians), Branch Davidians, Westboro Baptist Church, Heaven's Gate, Warren Jeff's FLDS, Orthodox Judaism, and NXIVM. But I was introduced to a few new groups: The Source, Process Church of the Final Judgement, Sufism Reoriented (which owns The Cheesecake Factory!), and MOVE.
Overall, worth reading if you find cults as fascinating as I do. Some rehash well-known information, while others offer just a taste of a group that I wanted to read more about.
I find this concept 5-star-worthy AMAZING and my 15 y.o. thinks it's HILARIOUS. Like most anthologies, the follow-through is somewhat inconsistent and probably more like a 3-star average. The length, style, depth, and quality of the stories vary, as did my appreciation of them. The editor's overarching concept is that anyone can be drawn into a cult and, to that end, some of the stories are written in first or second person POV. That got a little awkward with some of the stories, especially the Jonestown one, which is written in first person, when the writer wasn't actually a member of the cult. (Conversely, the Orthodox Judaism story is written by an artist raised in that religious sect, who spells out why he considers it a cult.)
Only three of the stories predate the mid-20th century: The Monk in the Cave (Johannes Kelpius), Inside Oneida, and Fruitlands (subtitle: the little cult that couldn't), about the group founded and subsequently abandoned by Bronson Alcott.
Most of the 20th century groups featured, I'd heard of before: Children of God, The Manson Family, People's Temple (Jonestown), Syanon, The Group (AKA Sullivanians), Branch Davidians, Westboro Baptist Church, Heaven's Gate, Warren Jeff's FLDS, Orthodox Judaism, and NXIVM. But I was introduced to a few new groups: The Source, Process Church of the Final Judgement, Sufism Reoriented (which owns The Cheesecake Factory!), and MOVE.
Overall, worth reading if you find cults as fascinating as I do. Some rehash well-known information, while others offer just a taste of a group that I wanted to read more about.
December 24, 2022
3.5 Stars!
What often comes with a wide range of authors is an equally wide range in quality, and this collection is no exception. There are some pretty rough efforts in here, which look like they were rushed afterthoughts crammed in before a deadline, which maybe came a little too soon. Also some of these were so short as to serve more as footnotes rather than overviews, but still we did get a good dose of quality and interest in the mix too and some of the stand out ones included the accounts of Jim Jones and Charles Manson.
So much of these cults seem to be about sex, either prohibiting it altogether, or advocating it to the extreme (it’s usually the latter!). There are the obvious similarities to draw with “organised” religion, after all, all religions start out as obscure cults. As well as the many scary parallels with political leaders.
Obviously a large part of the human condition is that we want and need to believe in bigger, better things, things that will unite us and provide a brighter and better future for us and our close ones and unfortunately there are enough cynical and opportunistic souls out there who will go to great lengths to exploit that for immense personal gain.
This reminds you of the profound nonsense and outright madness you can get away with it, if you simply frame it in the right way at the right time and have a vulnerable or impressionable enough audience. It’s all about how you sell it and the label you choose to hide your true motivations under.
February 23, 2023
I enjoyed this graphic anthology. Each profile was done by a different writer/artist. Several I had never heard of, especially the early ones but it did cover Manson, Jonestown, the Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate, and Vanguard. I am really astounded how many people are seeking some kind of "higher place" and are willing to follow these various leaders down some very dark paths and to their own destruction, in many cases. The only cult I am interested in is the book fanatic club.
June 18, 2021
This was really good! I was so sucked in and couldn't wait to see what cult/group the next illustrator would take on. This is an anthology about cults, with almost 20 different stories all by different artists. If you enjoy learning about cults: how they start, how they function, how they crumble I recommend this book. Not every art style was for me, but I found so many little nuggets that sent me on a Googling frenzy (if someone were to look at my history right now they'd be concerned probably). Why do we find this stuff fascinating? I loved that the whole point as stated by the editor is that this is "50% empathy" and "50% justice" for those involved. My favorite stories happened in the second half as they started coming closer to the present day.
January 23, 2022
Cults are fascinating, and I always love a good collection of comics from various artists!
September 17, 2024
First time I've ever read a graphic essay collection! I knew about most of these cults before but not told through comics. The most intriguing entries were the personal narratives of cult survivors, especially Jesse Lambert's “That's Not What We're Called” and J.T. Yost's “God Hates Me: A True Tale of the Westboro Baptist Church.” I'm not totally sure what the organizing principle was – I guess it's roughly chronological? Some styles seemed to contrast pretty strongly. The centerpiece (in my eyes) is Ryan Carey and Mike Freiheit's “Walk a Mile in My Shoes: A Jonestown History” which takes the perspective of a Jonestown victim. The visual style is perhaps the darkest in the book, and this works well with Jonestown being the most disturbing cult described in the book. I also found this chapter particularly revealing because it functions as a counter-narrative to the popular story – we all know about “drinking the Kool-Aid,” but it seems that the true story is even worse than what we imagine. Did you know Jim Jones was at one point a CIA asset, or that a similar (alleged) mass suicide had occurred in the same location a century prior? I certainly didn't. Carey and Freiheit also point to evidence that the real story was of forced poisoning and mass execution, not a consenting mass suicide (like Heaven's Gate).
October 10, 2022
These vignettes were mostly unsatisfying. A lot of the entries didn’t have much info on the cult in question. I could have gotten more from a Wikipedia article. A few ended really abruptly with no kind of resolution. The one about the Process Church was the worst offender.
There were a handful of pretty good ones, though.
I liked the Manson entry for taking a different angle.
I learned something new (and VERY CREEPY) about the Jonestown Massacre.
The Move author had interesting thoughts about how policing failed to handle that cult.
I really liked the one about the Westboro Baptist Church. I’d love to hear more of the narrator’s story.
The Heaven’s Gate one was surprisingly poignant and moving. That one was easily one of my favorites.
There were a handful of pretty good ones, though.
I liked the Manson entry for taking a different angle.
I learned something new (and VERY CREEPY) about the Jonestown Massacre.
The Move author had interesting thoughts about how policing failed to handle that cult.
I really liked the one about the Westboro Baptist Church. I’d love to hear more of the narrator’s story.
The Heaven’s Gate one was surprisingly poignant and moving. That one was easily one of my favorites.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2021
American Cult, edited by Robyn Chapman, is graphic nonfiction which gives short accounts of various cults throughout American history, with each chapter told by a different cartoonist and focusing on a specific cult. In the foreword, Chapman provides the book's working definition with criteria a group must satisfy to be considered a cult. The book will introduce you to some unusual and lesser-known groups and figures (Johann Kelp, the Fruitlands commune, David Berg, Synanon), as well as the ones you’ve likely already heard of (Jim Jones, David Koresh, NXIVM)—though even those stories bring to light some lesser-publicized details. Given the variety of authors represented, the chapters are uneven, but on the whole, this is an interesting and informative read which will send you looking for even more information about some of the stories.
May 7, 2022
This book is well done, depicting so many disturbing cult stories. I was 11 when the Branch Davidian compound burned and somehow missed the strange unanswered questions related to the tragedy.
October 13, 2022
This book is a great introduction to cults. I believe everyone should learn about cults and their method of manipulation to protect themselves and others from them.
Read
July 16, 2023Overall a poor format to try to explain cults in. The personal experience comics were good but the rest is just like, you cannot explain a cult in 6-12 comic pages. :/
February 22, 2022
I liked the format of this book - it gives a concise summary of the different cults throughout American History, as told by different authors & illustrators (some are ex-members of the respective cults they write about). This is a good book for people who are interested in cults, and don't want to deep dive into all the abusive details.
January 6, 2023
If you are familiar with/intrigued by cults, this is definitely a great one.
I grew up in the Children of God cult (featured), and have written my own book about it. I found their depiction to be quite accurate, from an insider perspective.
I do believe it takes those of us who’ve survived cults or cult-like coercive control at least 5-10 other cult accounts before we begin to see the incredible parallels—which is the beginning of understanding what we experienced. American Cult is a nice way to get snapshots of many of the big cults you’ve ever hear of (and a few you haven’t) all in one place. The parallels are popping.
I grew up in the Children of God cult (featured), and have written my own book about it. I found their depiction to be quite accurate, from an insider perspective.
I do believe it takes those of us who’ve survived cults or cult-like coercive control at least 5-10 other cult accounts before we begin to see the incredible parallels—which is the beginning of understanding what we experienced. American Cult is a nice way to get snapshots of many of the big cults you’ve ever hear of (and a few you haven’t) all in one place. The parallels are popping.
July 18, 2025
So glad I finally read this graphic novel! I hope to use it to teach about New Religious Movements in the future. I could see it setting up useful discussions about how the book defines “cults,” if students agree with the definition, and the particular groups the artists included. Standouts for me: chapters on Oneida, Jonestown, Heaven’s Gate, MOVE, and theWestboro Baptist Church. Really cool! Amazing artwork! And surprisingly (mostly) very thoughtful depictions of very very complex movements.
October 13, 2021
3.5 — rounded down, unfortunately
I've been fascinated with cults for years now. I saw an except of chapter about Sufism Reoriented on The Nib. It was really good so I figured this was going to be lighter read than the typical books I read about cults. It was in some regards. As someone who has studied Jonestown for many years, I found the chapter regarding Jonestown incredibly upsetting. Ryan Carey tries to present an alternative narrative contrary to the actual events that transpired. There was no right wing conspiracy. I am not sure where Carey got the idea that Jim Jones was racist. He was not. One does not need to be a racist right wing facist to be a dangerous person. Despite some troubling remarks made as a child, Jones always used his gospel to advocate for leftist values. Carey also speaks as if he was a survivor of the tragedy, he is not. Jim Jones was a manipulative and charismatic which is why he was dangerous, he was not a racist right-winger.
That's the biggest issue with this book though, none of these writers are experts in cult research. Some chapters read more like wikipedia articles whilst others made no sense factually or in-general. This book is fine if you're looking for brief introductions to a number of different cults, but if you're already well versed in cults, don't read it. I'm really disappointed here.
I've been fascinated with cults for years now. I saw an except of chapter about Sufism Reoriented on The Nib. It was really good so I figured this was going to be lighter read than the typical books I read about cults. It was in some regards. As someone who has studied Jonestown for many years, I found the chapter regarding Jonestown incredibly upsetting. Ryan Carey tries to present an alternative narrative contrary to the actual events that transpired. There was no right wing conspiracy. I am not sure where Carey got the idea that Jim Jones was racist. He was not. One does not need to be a racist right wing facist to be a dangerous person. Despite some troubling remarks made as a child, Jones always used his gospel to advocate for leftist values. Carey also speaks as if he was a survivor of the tragedy, he is not. Jim Jones was a manipulative and charismatic which is why he was dangerous, he was not a racist right-winger.
That's the biggest issue with this book though, none of these writers are experts in cult research. Some chapters read more like wikipedia articles whilst others made no sense factually or in-general. This book is fine if you're looking for brief introductions to a number of different cults, but if you're already well versed in cults, don't read it. I'm really disappointed here.
March 1, 2023
Did you know The Cheesecake Factory funded a cult? Me neither.
This is a really great book. The timeline covers the colonial era through NXIVM, from well-known cults to the more obscure (I’ve never heard of the aforementioned Sufism religion nor the Sullivanias, an Upper West Side therapy cult).
Each comic is by a different artist and they vary in terms of content. Some are bios, others do more to place the cult in a soci-political realm (like the one on MOVE). The best are memoirs, with the ones on Jonestown and the Westboro Baptist Church being especially haunting.
This is a really great book. The timeline covers the colonial era through NXIVM, from well-known cults to the more obscure (I’ve never heard of the aforementioned Sufism religion nor the Sullivanias, an Upper West Side therapy cult).
Each comic is by a different artist and they vary in terms of content. Some are bios, others do more to place the cult in a soci-political realm (like the one on MOVE). The best are memoirs, with the ones on Jonestown and the Westboro Baptist Church being especially haunting.
April 25, 2025
This is such an excellent collection!! I read this when it came out and then again recently with Jugs & Capes and it made for a really good meeting--lots to talk about, much to be horrified by, and with Robyn! Very good book, very good meeting, very good comics wimmin pals.
March 3, 2023
We are a cult ridden society! Wherever there are the easily misled looking for easy answers to life’s challenges, you’ll find predators who will take advantage. A cautionary tale of man’s frailties.
The cartooning is uneven and some of the storytelling is stilted. Still worth a look.
The cartooning is uneven and some of the storytelling is stilted. Still worth a look.
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