Available on May 10, 2011, from HarperCollins publishers: Among the Truthers: A Journey Through America’s Growing Conspiracist Underground, by Jonathan Kay
“A buoy of truth trapped in a sea of uncertainty—just what the skeptical reader requires … A well-researched and provocative account of our most baffling conspiracies” — Kirkus reviews
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, millions of people around the world have convinced themselves that the actual perpetrators were not al-Qaeda terrorists but elements within the U.S. government seeking a pretext to launch wars abroad and enact draconian laws at home. These “9/11 Truthers” are not alone. They are part of a vast conspiracist subculture that is spreading like wildfire and beginning to influence mainstream politics. For two years, Canadian journalist Jonathan Kay has been researching the underground world of conspiracy theorists by immersing himself in their ranks. He has attended their conventions, infiltrated their Internet discussion boards, become a connoisseur of their propaganda videos, and engaged them in in-depth, revealing interviews. While many individual conspiracy theories seem harmless, even amusing, the phenomenon is doing real damage to the unity and health of North American society.
Since the JFK assassination, conspiracy thinking has proliferated, and the Internet has fostered the growth of numerous alternate mental worlds in which traditional media and the academy have no authority. 9/11 was a death blow to the older consensual view of reality, and as a result, North Americans no longer inhabit one cognitive universe. What this means for the future of politics, and our society at large, is at the heart of Among the Truthers.
Jonathan Kay is a Managing Editor of Canada’s National Post newspaper, a weekly columnist on the newspaper’s op-ed page, and a regular blogger on the Post’s web site. In addition, he is a contributor to Commentary magazine, the New York Post and Reader’s Digest. His freelance articles have appeared in numerous publications including Harper’s, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. In 2002, he was awarded Canada’s National Newspaper Award for Critical Writing. In 2004, he was awarded a National Newspaper Award for Editorial Writing. His first book, The Volunteer, co-authored with Michael Ross, became a top-10 best-seller in 2007. He is currently a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
For more information, please contact the author at info@amongthetruthers.com
