Voodoo Histories

Oct 5, 2024 4:28 AM

Author:David Aaronovitch

Voodoo Histories

**AS FEATURED ON HOAXED PODCAST**

This definitive book delves into why so many people are ready to believe in conspiracy theories, and the damage it can cause.

Voodoo Histories entertainingly demolishes the absurd and sinister conspiracy theories of the last 100 years, such as:Did Neil Armstrong really set foot on the moon?Was the United States government responsible for the 11 September attacks?Should we doubt the accidental nature of Princess Diana's death?David Aaronovitch reveals not only why people are so ready to believe in these stories but also the dangers of this credulity.

'This book leaves us in no doubt that arriving at the truth is a vital matter - at times a matter of life and death' Financial Times.

Reviews

A handbook to be cherished by anyone who would rather have the unvarnished truth

—— Daily Mail

Superbly researched, wittily written and eminently sane

—— Andrew Roberts , Literary Review

Gloriously readable

—— Independent

Dazzling debunkery

—— Scotland on Sunday

This book leaves us in no doubt that arriving at the truth is a vital matter - at times a matter of life and death

—— John Lloyd , Financial Times

Intelligent and hugely enjoyable... It is a serious inquiry into why conspiracy theories appeal, and aaronovitch's theories are consistently reasonable, persuasive and humane

—— Sunday Times

Terrifying, hilarious, irreverent and addictively compelling... An instant classic

—— Simon Sebag-Montefiore

Brilliant, sparkling and witty

—— Ian Kershaw

A rich and fascinating account.... His unravelling of the theories is a model of common sense and responsible reasoning

—— AC Grayling , The Times

Anyone who has toyed with suspicion over the accidental nature of Princess Diana's death, or the self-inflicted nature of David Kelly's, will have that flirtation brutally curtailed by Aaronovitch's caustic rationality

—— Observer

A useful book about an important subject

—— Giles Foden , Guardian

With dark wit and extraordinary patience he lays bare the psychology of conspiracism

—— Nick Cohen

Voodoo Histories is as concerned with understanding conspiracies as it is with rebutting them, and Aaronovitch's tone throughout is that of the sage psychologist, his method that of the forensic historian

—— New Statesman

Fascinating

—— Lesley McDowell , Independent on Sunday

Admirably diligent

—— Rafael Behr , Observer

He is articulate, well-versed and a good writer; it's worth reading this whether you agree with him or not.

—— William Leith , Evening Standard

Fascinating account of the major conspiracy theories of the past 100 years

—— Lesley McDowell , Independent on Sunday

Aaronovitch aims to do more than expose popular nonsense

—— Rafael Behr , Observer

Forensically intelligent and hugely enjoyable study of modern conspiracy theories...consistently reasonable, persuasive and humane

—— Christopher Hart , Sunday Times

Solid, well-researched and unexpectedly gripping

—— Christopher Hirst , Independent

[Aaronovitch] is, broadly speaking, an enemy of conspiracy theories. He is also articulate, well versed in the facts and a good writer

—— William Leith , Scotsman

Aaronovitch painstakingly dissects these and some of the other great conspiracy theories of the age and demonstrates with merciless clarity what utter tripe they are.

—— Mail on Sunday

A serious, entertaining and shocking investigation into the stuff that conspiracy theories are made of. Aaronovitch guides us through the half-truths and speculation and examines the distrust of officialdom which fuels conspiracists' imagination.

—— Independent on Sunday

In its many-layered discoveries, the book is truly magnetic

—— Jane Knight , The Times

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