Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History - Hardcover

Aaronovitch, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0224074709 ISBN 13: 9780224074704

Publisher: Jonathan Cape, 2009

Synopsis

Our 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. For award-winning journalist David Aaronovitch, there came a time when he started to see a pattern among these inflammatory theories. He found that 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; and 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? Surely it is more likely that men did actually land on the moon in 1969 than that thousands of people were enlisted to fabricate an elaborate hoax. In this entertaining and enlightening book-aimed at providing ammunition for those who have found themselves at the wrong end of a conversation about moon landings or the twin towers-Aaronovitch carefully probes and explodes a dozen of the major conspiracy theories. In doing so, he examines why people believe them and makes an argument for a true skepticism-one based on a thorough knowledge of history and a strong dose of common sense.

About this title

About the Author:

David Aaronovitch is an internationally bestselling author and award-winning journalist whose first book, Paddling to Jerusalem, won the Madoc Award for Travel Literature in 2001.

From AudioFile:

We often wonder if any of the wild conspiracy theories we continually hear about have validity. It turns out that most of them don't, yet we still wonder: "What if . . . ?" In this serious yet entertaining book, Aaronovitch looks at some of the most important conspiracy theories, how they are constructed, and how they change the way we look at the world (even if we know they're wrong). James Langton provides a leisurely reading, with his tone and narration well adapted to the serious nature of the book. However, the stereotypical accents he adopts when reading quotes from non-English speakers are not successful. Nevertheless, Langton's pace is ideal-slow enough to follow complex discussions yet lively enough to maintain interest. K.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Jonathan Cape
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0224074709
• ISBN 13: 9780224074704
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320