The Storm Is Upon Us

May 24, 2021
Journalist Rothschild (The World’s Worst Conspiracies) provides an enlightening history of the QAnon conspiracy theory. Drawing on interviews with QAnon followers and their friends and family members, Rothschild delves into the movement’s roots on the message boards of 4chan and Reddit, and describes the counterintuitive appeal of conspiracy theories in general, noting that it can feel more plausible that a cabal of bad actors is responsible for terrible events, rather than “honest mistakes by others or random chance.” Pointing to the prevalence of QAnon symbols at the January 6 Capitol riot, Rothschild claims that the movement has “saturated Republican politics,” and estimates that “there are likely hundreds of thousands who buy into at least some part of the complex mythology.” Though the contours of Rothschild’s findings are familiar, he unearths startling examples of the group’s twisted logic and wide reach. For instance, a 2019 tweet by former FBI director James Comey was misinterpreted by QAnon followers as an announcement of a “false flag” attack on an upcoming charter school fundraiser in California; parents were so alarmed by reports of a threat that the event had to be canceled. Rothschild also offers useful advice on how to help loved ones get out of QAnon. This is a disturbing and well-informed look at the darker side of modern American politics.

May 15, 2021
An investigation into the shadowy QAnon movement, which brought us the Capitol invasion of Jan. 6, 2021. Journalist Rothschild, a specialist in conspiracy theories, states his thesis early on: "No conspiracy theory more encapsulates the full-throated madness of the Donald Trump era than QAnon." Though Trump may have had only a dim understanding of the movement that regarded him a messiah, the violence of Jan. 6 was part of a continuum that included "numerous incidents of domestic terrorism," including at least one attempt to assassinate Joe Biden. Its premises are bizarre: Democrats, according to the QAnon canon, are deeply implicated in an international system of pedophilia, milking their victims for the superdrug called adrenochrome. Rothschild, who draws on a large body of interviews with family members and a few apostates, delves into the origins of such beliefs, which hark back to antisemitic screeds of centuries past. He also suggests that dismissive attitudes toward true believers that peg them as brainwashed cult members aren't helpful. QAnon supporters are seeking meaning in a bewildering world and have simply chosen a weird path that suggests that John F. Kennedy Jr. faked his death and is going to reclaim his father's crown or that lizard people are doing their business in advance of an alien invasion. All that said, though, Rothschild also warns that "while most Q believers are just misguided people looking for a good answer to a difficult question," they are capable of significant acts of violence--and are almost certainly destined to commit it: Jan. 6 was one manifestation, but all over the country, there have been innumerable instances of acts such as a drunken Texas woman who tried to run cars off the road to help Trump battle "the cabal and the pedophile ring." To conjure a truly disturbing portrait of an ever growing subculture, read this one alongside Pastels and Pedophiles by Mia Bloom and Sophia Moskalenko. Given the odds that someone you know buys into QAnon doctrine, Rothschild's rabbit-hole dive is a valuable guide.

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Starred review from June 1, 2021
Many people didn't pay much attention to the QAnon conspiracy theory until January 6, 2021, when some of its proponents participated in the siege of the U.S. Capitol. Anonymous posts from the elusive Q first appeared in 2017, but mainstream media basically dismissed the nonsensical drops. Online conspiracy theory specialist Rothschild provides a detailed timeline of how this insidious movement became mobilized. He profiles various ""Anons,"" ""Autists,"" and ""Bakers"" who hosted, interpreted, and spread Q's cryptic messages, often profiting from the hapless disciples who internalized the propaganda. Rothschild's compelling, comprehensive, meticulously-documented reporting provides ample context. He occasionally slips into a wry tone when describing some farcical episode or badly misspelled manifesto, but things turn dark as he lists the acts of violence perpetuated by QAnon believers: death threats, kidnapping, even murder. He also exposes the reluctance of social-media platforms and e-marketers to shut down QAnon's incendiary messaging. Q has been silent since December, 2020. Rothschild wonders if QAnon will quietly fade away, or become the platform of the Republican Party. None of Q's predictions have come true, and the big question still lingers: who, exactly, is Q? Rothschild doesn't know, and doesn't care. Others do. Expect lots of publicity, controversy, and demand.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.