{"product_id":"voodoo-histories-the-role-of-the-conspiracy-theory-in-shaping-modern-history-9781594484988","title":"Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Meticulous in its research, forensic in its reasoning, robust in its argument, and often hilarious in its debunking... a highly entertaining rumble with the century's major conspiracy theorists and their theories.\" --John Lahr, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eTennessee Williams\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom an award-winning journalist, a history so funny, so true, so scary, it's bound to be called a conspiracy.  \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOur age is obsessed by the idea of conspiracy. We see it everywhere- from Pearl Harbor to 9\/11, from the assassination of Kennedy to the death of Diana. In this age of terrorism we live in, the role of conspiracy is a serious one, one that can fuel radical or fringe elements to violence. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor David Aaronovitch, there came a time when he started to see a pattern among these inflammatory theories. these theories used similarly murky methods with which to insinu­ate their claims: they linked themselves to the supposed conspiracies of the past (it happened then so it can happen now); they carefully manipulated their evidence to hide its holes; they relied on the authority of dubious aca­demic sources. Most important, they elevated their believers to membership of an elite- a group of people able to see beyond lies to a higher reality. But why believe something that entails stretching the bounds of probabil­ity so far? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this entertaining and enlightening book, he examines why people believe conspiracy theories, and makes an argument for a true skepticism: one based on a thorough knowledge of history and a strong dose of common sense.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDavid Aaronovitch is an award-winning journalist, who has worked in radio, television and newspapers in the United Kingdom since the early 1980s. His first book, \u003ci\u003ePaddling to Jerusalem\u003c\/i\u003e, won the Madoc prize for travel literature in 2001. He is also the recipient of the George Orwell Prize for political journalism. He writes a regular column for \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e (UK). He lives in north London, with his wife and three daughters.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Riverhead Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50421108900114,"sku":"9781594484988","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_96222081-ffff-4a65-98ed-04f0abd21571.jpg?v=1729502153","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/voodoo-histories-the-role-of-the-conspiracy-theory-in-shaping-modern-history-9781594484988","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}