My favorite nonfiction books about cults, scams, and schemes

**Commentary** Let's be honest—open source has a cult problem. Not in the Jonestown sense, but in the "my project is my life, my maintainer is my guru" sense. This book list from BookDna is a reminder that the psychology of devotion isn't confined to compound walls or crypto exchanges. It's the same playbook: a charismatic leader, a clear enemy (usually a corporate giant), and a set of rituals (those damned pull request templates) that make you feel like you're part of something bigger than a codebase. The list covers the usual suspects—Scientology, the Moonies, the crypto scams—but open source folks should read it with a mirror. Because every time a project dies in a flame war over a license change, or a maintainer goes scorched-earth on a contributor, you're watching a micro-cult fracture. The dynamics are identical: the in-group, the out-group, the narratives that justify bad behavior. It's not about the tech; it's about the people and the power. There's also a practical angle here. If you're building a community, this list is a checklist of red flags. Toxic positivity? Check. A leader who can't take criticism? Check. A "benefactor" who's always about to fund you but never does? Check. The book list's focus on "schemes" is particularly relevant to the open source world, where funding models often border on the exploitative, and maintainers are left to survive on crumbs while corporate sponsors get the glory. I'm not saying open source is a scam—far from it. But the ecosystem is ripe for the kind of charismatic exploitation that these books document. So do yourself a favor: read a few of these titles, then take a hard look at your own community's dynamics. The source is here, but the warning is universal. [Source: https://bookdna.com/best-books/nonfiction-about-cults-scams-and-schemes]