UNDER THE EYE OF POWER How Fear of Secret Societies Shapes American Democracy

Our guide to this overview of conspiracy theories that have obsessed Americans for most of our history is narrator Will Damron, who speaks with just the right mix of authority and urgency. Beginning before the Revolution and extending through the twentieth century, the author covers the Illuminati, the Masons, the Lizard People, the John Birch Society, the Ku Klux Klan, and more. Dickey's thesis is that fears of some secret and malevolent group--whether witches, Catholics, or communists--are a feature of our history and that conspiracy theories give meaning to otherwise irreconcilable behaviors or incomprehensible events. Though it seems we're in their thrall today, 'twas ever thus, a fact that is some consolation. Still, Dickey says, we shouldn't downplay the threats that we face now. L.W.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2023]