Mike Rothschild

2021

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Does a fantastic job of explaining an essentially inexplicable movement.

QAnon is a conspiracy theory like no other, one that subsumes other conspiracies and morphs into new shapes as its existing tropes and predictions fail to come to pass. It's hard to see it as anything other than a rejection of reason and modernity and the embrace of ... well, nonsense. Rothschild sees it as far more than that, and manages to dive into the abyss without ever becoming lost or tempted to become a believer. He traces the theory's development, from before the first Q "drops" until after Q's disappearence, and draws some historical parallels with previous movements whose failed predictions did little to damage their popularity.

4/5. Finished 04 January 2023.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)