On this very exciting episode, Alli is joined by linguist and cult expert Amanda Montell for a conversation about the eighty-second book in Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley High series, Kidnapped By the Cult!, in which they discover that the SVH portrayal of cults is actually pretty accurate. You’ll learn about the history and language of cults, Amanda’s first impression of the Wakefields, teen brain chemistry, and so much more. Plus, Alli and Amanda reminisce on high school angst and mall hangs!

Amanda Montell is a writer, linguist, and author of the critically acclaimed books Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism and Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language. Her writing has appeared in publications like Marie Claire, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, Cosmopolitan, and others. She is also the creator and co-host of the “comedy-cult” podcast Sounds Like a Cult. Amanda grew up in Baltimore, holds a degree in linguistics from NYU, and lives in Los Angeles with her partner, plants, and pets. Follow her on Instagram (@amanda_montell). 

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