Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump

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Description

Just as Donald Trumps victorious campaign for the US presidency shocked liberal Americans, the seemingly sudden national prominence of white supremacists, xenophobes, militia leaders, and mysterious Alt-Right" leaders mystifies many. But the extreme Right has been growing steadily in the US since the 1990s, with the rise of Patriot militias; following 9/11, when conspiracy theorists found fresh life; and in virulent reaction to the first black president of the country. Nurtured by a powerful right-wing media sector in radio, TV, and online, the Far Right, Tea Party movement conservatives, and Republican activists found common ground in Producerist ideology and constitutionalist interpretations of US lawan alternative America that is resurgent, even as it has been ignored by the political establishment and mainstream media. Investigative reporter David Neiwert has been tracking extremists for more than two decades, and here he provides a deeply reported and authoritative report on the background, mindset, and growth on the ground of Far Right movements across the country. The product of years of reportage, and including the most in-depth investigation of Trumps ties to Far Right figures, this is a crucial book about one of the most disturbing sides of the US.

Reviews

The seemingly sudden reemergence of the far right in America has left many in a state of panic and bewilderment. Alt-America will be essential in helping us to comprehend the depth of its foundations in national life. -- Angela Nagle, author of Kill All Normies: Online Culture Wars from 4Chan and Tumblr to Trump and the Alt-Right
Neiwert looks beyond conservative schisms, left-wing failings and online subcultures to pinpoint the experiences and beliefs that bind the alt-right together, and he calls the world he finds "Alt-America". * Washington Post *
An alarming, well-researched account of how the far-right extremist underground became empowered in the era of Trump... A prescient discussion of one of the darkest issues facing America today. * Kirkus *
Offers the most comprehensive account of the United States' renewed extremist cultures . Alt-America excites in its ability to connect the seemingly extraordinary alt-right to the broader culture of wing-nut conservatism, drawing white nationalism, 4chan, Donald Trump, Alex Jones and Fox News together into a wonky negaverse version of political life. -- John Semley * The Globe and Mail *
Neiwert has not only earned his investigative chops over the past decade or so by exploring the dangerous side of right-wing extremism-he's proven himself to be one of the more lyrical and elegant writers on the beat. * Daily Kos *
Tracing the ebbs and flows of this far-right extremism in the United States over the last 20 years, Neiwert argues that white nationalist activity in the age of Trump is simply the latest flare-up of what he calls 'Alt-America,' or the segment of the American population that has fed on conspiracy theories, racist misinformation, and deep distrust of federal institutions for decades. -- J.C. Pan * New Republic *

Author Bio

David Neiwert is an investigative journalist based in Seattle and a contributing writer for the Southern Poverty Law Center. He is the author of Of Orcas and Men, And Hell Followed With Her, The Eliminationists, Strawberry Days, Death on the Fourth of July, and In Gods Country. He is also co-author, with John Amato, of Over the Cliff. He is senior editor at CrooksandLiars.com and blogs at Orcinus.