Conspiracy Theory in America

Discovering America

By: Lance deHaven-Smith

Narrated by: Bobby Dobbs

Ever since the Warren Commission concluded that a lone gunman assassinated President John F. Kennedy, people who doubt that finding have been widely dismissed as conspiracy theorists, despite credible evidence that right-wing elements in the CIA, FBI, and Secret Service - and possibly even senior government officials - were also involved. Why has suspicion of criminal wrongdoing at the highest levels of government been rejected out-of-hand as paranoid thinking akin to superstition?

Lance deHaven-Smith asks tough questions and connects the dots among five decades' worth of suspicious events, including the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy, the attempted assassinations of George Wallace and Ronald Reagan, the crimes of Watergate, the Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages deal, the disputed presidential elections of 2000 and 2004, the major defense failure of 9/11, and the subsequent anthrax letter attacks.

Sure to spark intense debate about the truthfulness and trustworthiness of our government, Conspiracy Theory in America offers a powerful reminder that a suspicious, even radically suspicious, attitude toward government is crucial to maintaining our democracy.

©2013 University of Texas Press (P)2014 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"DeHaven-Smith offers an intriguing take on the origins and implications of conspiracy theories and the paranoid mindset itself in this accessible academic study." ( Publisher's Weekly)

" Conspiracy Theory in America is an excellent presentation, logical and well documented." (James Richard Bailey, FiredogLake.com)

Get this book and question everything.

Dismantles the fears about conspiracy theory making and the questioning of possible government wrong doing in an age where intimidation by the establishment runs high.

Wow!

Wile I am not informed about all the conspiracies listed, the use of "Conspiracy Theory" to cover up real conspiracies is very well documented. Don't believe a conspiracy until you hear the government deny it or call it a conspiracy. .

excellent, chilling, not very hopeful

disturbingly accurate depiction with implausable "fix" proposed, conspiracy theories have only become pejotatives since JFK's murder.

Helpful in thinking about conspiracy theories

What did you love best about Conspiracy Theory in America?

It gave me a frame of reference

What about Bobby Dobbs’s performance did you like?

He spoke distinctly but not fluently or feelingly

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

That there's a conceptual framework for such considerations

Informative

Great information about how Conspiracy Theories were stigmatized to allow nefarious actions to continue in US politics.