J. M. Berger

J.M. Berger is the author of five books, including both fiction and nonfiction. His latest novel is "The Pope's Hitman," a frenetic thriller introducing the iconic action hero Father Francis Loyola, a beloved parish priest who was served as an assassin in service to the Vatican. When his past comes back to haunt him, Loyola will cross the globe to eliminate his enemies and protect the Pope.

Berger's most recent nonfiction book, "Extremism" (MIT Press, 2018) is the definitive text on the subject for both academics and lay readers, now offered in six languages. His debut novel, Optimal (2020), is a prescient dystopian tale about a world run by algorithms and social media.

Berger is a writer and researcher focused on extremism as a Senior Research Fellow for the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. His research encompasses extremist ideologies and propaganda online and offline, including the development of social media and semantic analytical methodologies. He has worked as a consultant on these issues for Silicon Valley companies and the U.S. government.