They Knew
How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent
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Average rating4
15
How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent
Ratings1
Average rating4
FINALIST FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE “Every sentence delivered. The pathos of truth-seeking left me thinking of Herman Melville." —Timothy Snyder, #1 New York Times bestselling author of On Tyranny NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING author Sarah Kendzior delves into the difference between conspiracy and conspiracy theory, "deftly separat[ing] fact from fiction in a conspiracy-addled nation" (VANITY FAIR). Conspiracy theories are on the rise because officials refuse to enforce accountability for real conspiracies. Uncritical faith in broken institutions is as dangerous as false narratives peddled by propagandists. The truth may hurt—but the lies will kill us. They Knew discusses conspiracy culture in a rapidly declining United States struggling with corruption, climate change, and other crises. As the actions of the powerful remain shrouded in mystery—“From Norman Baker to Jeffrey Epstein, Iran-Contra to January 6" (VF)—it is unsurprising that people turn to conspiracy theories to fill the informational void. They Knew exposes the tactics these powerful actors use to placate an inquisitive public. Here, for the first time, Kendzior blends her signature whip-smart prose and eviscerating arguments with lyrical and intimate examinations of the times and places that haunt American history. "America is a ghost story," writes Kendzior, as she unearths decades of buried history, providing an essential and critical look at how to rebuild our democracy by confronting the political lies and crimes that have shaped us.
Reviews with the most likes.
This book was very engaging and offers a lot of interesting tidbits but I'm not entirely sure it actually delivered on its title. It certainly did a great job of asking us to rethink our preconceptions about Missouri and of establishing that the era of accountability was the anomaly though.
While it wasn't really the intent of the book, it did a pretty good job of explaining why Israel enjoys so much impunity.
When my mother was still with us we used to refer to her as a conspiracy theorist, not in the dismissive or pejorative way we would call someone that today but in a loving way because she was endlessly curious and thinking about what was going behind the scene which often lead her to embrace the idea that there were conspirations all around (a lot of the conspirations she saw are now common knowledge). Why am I telling you about my mom? Because I found the way Kendzior talks about the conspiracy theorists of today to be very humane and refreshing, it's easy to dismiss people as crackpots but it's important to recognize that the impulse which led them down that path is often (but not always) the same which would lead us to pick up a book such as this one.
As per usual, I didn't know about the author's podcast and wasn't familiar with her work prior to reading this book (the only podcasts I actually listen to are Welcome to Night Vale and Well There's Your Problem so yeah I do say that about every podcaster book) so my review is based solely on the book.
