Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • NPR

    'Republic Of Lies' Explores The Fixation With Conspiracy Theories

    Author Anna Merlan's recitations are chilling, as are her warnings that fringe beliefs tend to go mainstream — and how their rise is seen against a resurgence in nationalism and white supremacy.
    by Martha Anne Toll Apr 20, 2019 3 minutes
    <em>Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power</em>, by Anna Merlan

    Since its founding, America has been fertile ground for conspiracy beliefs. While every generation produces rumor-mongers, today we anoint them with special powers through social media.

    Anna Merlan, a journalist at Gizmodo Media Group, explores our contemporary fixation with conspiracy theories of all political stripes in Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power. Throughout the book, she reports from gatherings of people whose beliefs are both extreme and false.

    Merlan explains that today's conspiracy thinking arises from (1) increasingly rigid class

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from NPR

    NPR3 min readAmerican Government
    House Foreign Aid Bills Advance With Democrats' Help; Johnson May Still Be In Peril
    With Democratic support, the legislation overcomes a major procedural hurdle and is expected to head to a weekend vote by the full House.
    NPR4 min read
    'When I Think Of You' Could Be A Ripped-from-the-headlines Hollywood Romance
    Myah Ariel's debut is like a fizzy, angsty mash-up of Bolu Babalola and Kennedy Ryan as the challenges of doing meaningful work in Hollywood threaten two young lovers' romantic reunion.
    NPR4 min read
    A Portrait Of Haitians Trying To Survive Without A Government
    Haiti is on the verge of collapse, with little to no government. But many Haitians have already learned to live without the support of the state, as NPR discovered traveling to Cap-Haïtien.

    Related Books & Audiobooks