That's What They Want You to Think, by Paul Simpson.
Okay, show of hands: which of you folks are into conspiracies? Do you have just a passing fancy for them? Are you amused by all the hoopla such "controversies" stir up, or are you one of the ones stirring up stuff? Do you cut yourself every time you try to apply Occam's Razor? If so, then have I got the book for you.
Put down your copies of The Catcher in the Rye or On the Trail of the Assassins, or pause your streaming of Capricorn One, stop trying to look at all the layers in that PDF, and check this out, truthers: My friend Paul Simpson has a new book out, That's What They Want You To Think: Conspiracies Real, Possible, and Paranoid. It's just chock full of all sorts of suspiciously interesting goodness. As it says on the back cover:
Conspiracies. They happen every day. All it takes is a couple of people and a secret, nefarious plan. But then there are big conspiracy theories-the assassinations, cover-ups, and shadow governments that are endlessly debated on talk radio and the Internet. Are they real? Are they even possible? Or are they just plain paranoid?
Paul Simpson has researched a wide variety of conspiracies, from those historically accepted to those that spark accusations of “being a part of it” if you disagree with their supporters. In reviewing these famous (and, in some cases, infamous) theories, That’s What They Want You to Think does not start from the position of a believer or a debunker. In each case, Simpson makes up his own mind based on the evidence of primary documents-and some of his conclusions may surprise even the most dedicated conspiracy researcher.
Straightforward and engaging, That’s What They Want You to Think provides food for thought for both conspiracy buffs and skeptics. Novices and veteran researchers alike will debate the latest evidence and fresh takes on long-standing theories. Covering topics as diverse as the JFK assassination and faked moon landings, from the bombing of Pearl Harbor to Area 51 and the New World Order, Simpson makes you wonder if what you believe is real, possible, or paranoid.
You can get this bad boy right now in Nook and Amazon Kindle format. Oh yeah, you can:
Nook e-Book from Barnes & Noble
Amazon Kindle e-Book
So, run out and grab yourself a copy. You know...before They find you....
(Originally published at The Fog of Ward and cross-posted to LiveJournal.)