Conspiracy theory, Reason editor Jesse Walker argues, is inescapable in American politics and culture; his The United States of Paranoia is a lively and thought-provoking discussion of the perennial phenomenon. Not limited to the fringes, conspiracy theories are equally popular at the center of the political spectrum--every major event in American history, Walker says, has prompted at least one conspiracy theory, often trumpeted by the elite.
Walker lays out five archetypes at the core of conspiracy stories. In addition to enemies trying to destroy the U.S. from outside, inside, above and below, the taxonomy includes the "Benevolent Conspiracy" that secretly works for the betterment of people's lives. In discussing everything from the Salem witch trials to Alger Hiss, from the moon landing to Watergate, Walker combines the storyteller's art with the journalist's instinct for research to analyze the anxieties of people who repeat or believe such stories. He adds new insights to familiar examples, showing, for example, how a fear of illegal immigration fueled the birther conspiracy theories in 2009.
Walker's critique of Richard Hofstadter's classic essay "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" is in itself worth the price of admission, but the true pleasure of The United States of Paranoia lies in the stories Walker tells--sometimes, as in the case of Orson Welles' famous "War of the Worlds" broadcast, in versions very different from those handed down in popular histories. This entertaining, superbly insightful book is essential reading for anyone interested in American history and culture. --Jeanette Zwart, freelance writer and reviewer