Trust the plan The rise of QAnon and the conspiracy that unhinged America

ldquo;QAnon," the author writes, "is unmatched among modern American conspiracy theories in its ability to inspire violence." And he's not talking just about the January 6, 2021, insurrection, which was fueled in large part by supporters of QAnon. He's also talking about a man who killed his brother because he believed his brother "was a lizard-person"; about families torn apart by a belief in QAnon; and about highly organized efforts by QAnon believers to ruin the lives of nonbelievers. QAnon is more than a single conspiracy theory, Sommer shows, which is why it's so powerful: it's a conglomeration of previously existing theories (adapted for a new purpose) and new theories, such as the one that holds Donald Trump will be reinstalled as president and will finally expose the Hollywood celebrities who torture children to harvest their adrenochrome (which keeps the celebrities looking young). This is an absolutely fascinating and deeply troubling book. Rage-inducing and heartbreaking, it's a rigorously researched, energetically written examination of a phenomenon laughed off for too long as fringe silliness. QAnon, Sommer suggests, is no mere conspiracy theory, nor is it simply a cult of Donald Trump worshippers. It is, in a very real sense, a part of the Trumpist Republican mechanism, a dangerous force that influences political ideology and social change--a force that cannot and should not be ignored.