Culture Warlords

My Journey Into the Dark Web of White Supremacy

By: Tal Lavin

Narrated by: Tal Lavin

One reporter takes an immersive dive into white supremacy's explosive online presence, exploring the undercurrents of propaganda, racism, misogyny, and history that led us to where we are now.

Tal Lavin is every skinhead's worst nightmare: a loud and unapologetic Jewish trans man, acerbic, smart, and profoundly antiracist, with the investigative chops to expose the tactics and ideologies of online hatemongers.

Culture Warlords is the story of how Lavin, a frequent target of extremist trolls (including those at Fox News), dove into a byzantine online culture of hate and learned the intricacies of how white supremacy proliferates online. Within these pages, he reveals the extremists hiding in plain sight online: Incels. White nationalists. White supremacists. National Socialists. Proud Boys. Christian extremists. In order to showcase them in their natural habitat, Lavin assumes a range of identities, going undercover as a blonde Nazi babe, a forlorn incel, and a violent Aryan femme fatale. Along the way, he discovers a whites-only dating site geared toward racists looking for love, a disturbing extremist YouTube channel run by a fourteen-year-old girl with over 800,000 followers, the everyday heroes of the antifascist movement, and much more. By combining compelling stories chock-full of catfishing and gate-crashing with his own in-depth, gut-wrenching research, he also turns the lens of anti-Semitism, racism, and white power back on itself in an attempt to dismantle and decimate the online hate movement from within.

Shocking, humorous, and merciless in equal measure, Culture Warlords explores some of the vilest subcultures on the Web-and shows us how we can fight back.

Critic reviews

USA TODAY, "20 new books to read this fall" and "5 books not to miss!"
Hey Alma, "Alma's Favorite Books for Fall 2020"
Lit Hub, "The Lit Hub 2020 Fall Preview"
Jewish Journal, "25 Inspiring Books Worth Adding to Your Covid 19 Summer Reading List"

"[A] skillful memoir... [with] highly useful insights... Righteous indignation meets techie magic to shine light on one of America's most malignant warts."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"In Culture Warlords, Tal Lavin capably leads readers through chilly tunnels of loathing, burrowing deep into dens of violent racism, anti-Semitism, and misogyny. He describes communities of hate and how they're growing with precision, seriousness, and humor. Even as he takes on multiple identities, readers will find in him a steady and often lyrical guide: transparent about his fears, fury, and ever-changing sense of self. Culture Warlords is surely brutal and urgent; it is also unexpectedly delicate."—REBECCA TRAISTER, New York Times bestselling author of All the Single Ladies and Good and Mad

"As someone who has gone undercover and waded through the dark trenches of white supremacy, I know firsthand how jarring it can be to find yourself in the belly of the beast-and the courage it takes to dig your way to the other side. Culture Warlords is a searingly original and breathtaking feat of fearless journalism, and it is required reading for anyone who seeks to understand the nefarious context for the world we live in today."—RON STALLWORTH, New York Times bestselling author of Black Klansman

"Tal Lavin's Culture Warlords is a necessary and urgent read that could not have come at a much better time. You will be astounded at the depths to which Lavin sinks to expose how far and wide white supremacy spreads across both real-life meetings and internet communities. Thoroughly researched and engaging, this debut demonstrates the work of a fearless reporter."—MORGAN JERKINS, NewYork Times bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoing and Wandering in Strange Lands

"Culture Warlords is a shock to the system-an urgent, incendiary work that takes us into the most hate-filled corners of American culture. Having immersed himself, Gonzo-style, in a toxic online world where white supremacy is the norm, Tal Lavin shows us the fun-house mirror reflection of American culture. Lavin writes like his hands are on fire, forcing us to take a hard look at our nation's ugliest truths."—PAMELA COLLOFF, New York Times Magazine and ProPublica

"[Lavin's] notes... are hilarious even as they give us a better understanding of what the more obscure communities of the internet are hiding."—The Lit Hub

Gonzo journalism online

Talia Lavin explored a toxic and violent online subculture so you don't have to. In person at events, and online undercover (assuming personae both hilarious and sad), she spent 2019 in the belly of the beast of white supremacy. I know I sound like I'm clutching my pearls, but I was taken aback by the specificity of the attacks against her and others, and the personal hatred fomented online by people who -- ironically -- don't even know each other. I listened to this audio at 1.1 speed; I enjoyed the narration, and the story -- while uncomfortable -- was an eye-opener.

most relevant book you could read right now

talia Lavin clearly lays out the links between misogyny and white supremacy. timely and important

Cannot recommend this book enough

This might be the most important read of 2020 and beyond. And Lavin did just as phenomenal of a job reading it for the audio version as she did writing the book in the first place. I stand in awe of the work she did to be able to create this book and I hope everyone reads it.

I’m recommending this book to friends

Talia Lavin has done a phenomenal job. I have heard of the various violent white supremacy attacks over the years but I never knew that they were just the tip of an iceberg. I feel like Talia could have written seven books on all the strains of evil going on around us. I commend her (and her editor) for organizing it and presenting it in a way that is engaging and forceful. Somehow Talia also sustains a cushion of humor that provides a bit of levity despite the infuriating revelations.

Talia performs this audio version. I enjoyed how she mimicked the tone of on-line commenters. The reading doesn’t have the even sound level of voice professionals but it’s worth adjusting the volume a bit to get the full force of Talia’s strong message.

An important book.

If you have someone in your life who is steeped in gamer culture if you have someone in your life who spends most of their time online if you have someone in your life who is insular and lonely. Buy them this book. They may or may not be part of the subject matter but they are close enough to it that they could accidentally end up wrapped up in it. This will at least give them some context when they are swimming about in the Internet soup all alone.

Then, after you get them this book, make sure you tell them how much you care about them and make sure you include them in the parts of your life that would bring them joy.