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Reviews
Under the Eye of Power: How Fear of Secret Societies Shapes American Democracy by Colin Dickey
j_squaredd's review
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Violence
c2llanes's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.75
this is a really thorough look at the history of conspiratorial and paranoid thinking in american history, and i think provided extremely valuable context for understanding how that thinking has evolved. dickey does a good job weaving a tapestry of various conspiracy theories, evaluating their veracity, and connecting them to our current moment.
I think if you’re looking for very specific descriptions of different conspiracy theories, and going in depth on them, I think you’ll find this frustrating, as it’s more of an overview. i should also note that this is highly instructive in understanding our nation’s collective psyche and collective attitudes about conspiracy, but i don’t think this is going to be especially helpful for someone who’s looking to engage a loved one who they feel has been lost to conspiratorial thinking. i think you may gain some understanding about where this person is getting their beliefs and the climate they’re marinating in, but if you’re looking for a guide on how best to talk to someone who’s down the rabbit hole, i’d look elsewhere. it’s been awhile since i’ve read, but I remember awful archives by Jenny rice being good for that topic!
I think if you’re looking for very specific descriptions of different conspiracy theories, and going in depth on them, I think you’ll find this frustrating, as it’s more of an overview. i should also note that this is highly instructive in understanding our nation’s collective psyche and collective attitudes about conspiracy, but i don’t think this is going to be especially helpful for someone who’s looking to engage a loved one who they feel has been lost to conspiratorial thinking. i think you may gain some understanding about where this person is getting their beliefs and the climate they’re marinating in, but if you’re looking for a guide on how best to talk to someone who’s down the rabbit hole, i’d look elsewhere. it’s been awhile since i’ve read, but I remember awful archives by Jenny rice being good for that topic!
mandtastic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
It was fascinating, it explores the cyclical nature of conspiracies. I was riveted by this book, it’s so well written and engaging. I’ll prob read it again
hb_bookworm's review against another edition
5.0
colin dickey always knocks it out of the park! an enlightening read that ends on a hopeful note, and encourages us to think deeper about the patterns of paranoid thinking and conspiracy culture in america.