I was really excited when I saw that Annalee Newitz had a new non-fiction book coming out, because I really enjoyed their Four Lost Cities, but when I saw it was about PsyOps and propaganda and social media, I was like… do I really want to do this to myself? I don’t like to read a lot about current events because living through them is rather difficult and I mostly want my reading to be at least semi-escapist. But I trusted Newitz to do well with this topic, and I was not disappointed.
This is not really a deep dive, but more of an introduction into the history of propaganda in the United States, recent developments such as the whole Cambridge Analytica thing, and how we can learn to recognize and fight weaponized stories when they’re directed towards us and the ones we love.
Because Newitz is also sci-fi author, this book is closely tied with the sci-fi and fantasy literary scene, highlighting different authors who wrote and taught about propaganda, and current authors whose work has a political bent. We get to hear about the man who created Wonder Woman, and then about the writer and artist working on the modern Nubia comics. It’s a deeply nerdy book masquerading as a serious piece of political current events. Newitz even refers to the man who teaches them about PsyOps strategies “Han Solo.”
These bits of levity help buoy the reader as you learn more about how right wing operatives weaponized Facebook groups to radicalize your uncle, or whoever in your family went deep into MAGALand.
I have to admit that because I did this as an audiobook, I’ve already forgotten a lot of what I learned. I’ll probably wait for it to come out in paperback and get a physical copy for my shelves so I can refresh myself on the strategies for fighting misinformation and radicalization. But overall, I found this to be an enlightening read that did disturb me at times, but left me ultimately feeling hopeful that we don’t have to let ourselves and our uncles be manipulated by bad actors on social media.
Format and Source: I read this as an audiobook from Sno-Isle Libraries.
CWs and TWs: Discusses racism, homophobia, and warfare.
Book Bingo Prompts
SAL/SPL Adult Summer Reading: Something That Scares You. I was going to read a horror novel, but sometimes truth is scarier than fiction, and our current political climate scares me. Please make sure that you’re registered to vote and that you’re staying informed on the issues up and down your ballot.
Book Bingo Progress
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 17 out of 25 prompts complete. 2 bingos.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 15 out of 25 prompts complete. 1 bingo.
SAL/SPL Adult Summer Reading: 12 out of 23 prompts complete, 0 bingos.
SBTB Summer Romance: 2 out of 24 prompts complete, 0 bingos.