Review by Choice Review
Newitz (journalist) has written a book cautioning that a lie may not be true but it can nevertheless be real. Drawing primarily on the work of Paul Linebarger, whose 1948 book Psychological Warfare became the "bible" for psychological operations during the Cold War, Newitz describes how psychological warfare evolved from a strategy against foreign enemies to its use in the spread of disinformation in domestic culture wars. Newitz lists three major psychological weapons: scapegoating, deception, and violent threats. One can also add what Hitler called the "big lie": a lie that is stated often enough comes to be believed by millions of people. Newitz's book specifically describes as examples how social media and foreign actors, specifically Russia, played an important role in the spread of false information about a "rigged" election in the 2020 presidential race. This effort to "gaslight" the American people continues to be believed as a fact among millions of followers of President Donald Trump. Increasingly, the polarization among the American public, states Newitz, is characterized not by engagement in democratic debate but in "launching weaponized stories against one another … as if they were enemies of the state." This an important book that signals the danger facing the US democratic experiment. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. --Jack Robert Fischel, emeritus, Millersville University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
In this timely and thought-provoking book, nonfiction writer and novelist Newitz (Four Lost Cities, 2021; The Terraformers, 2023) argues that the U.S. has a centuries-old tradition of using the tools of psychological warfare within its own borders. Newitz documents the history of weaponized storytelling in America, from the myth of the "last Indian" during the nineteenth-century Indian Wars to the fight over Wonder Woman in the twentieth century and the culture wars of the 2010s. They also offer up examples of counternarratives, including the spread of the Ghost Dance ceremony and how some sf authors have imagined solutions that can be adapted to real-world situations. Ultimately, despite many instances of psychological warfare past and present, Newitz is hopeful, proposing how Americans can dismantle these systems and find peace. Combining deep research and expertise gained from an Army PSYOP (psychological operations) class, Newitz provides a compelling case that "stories are weapons" but can also be "gifts of peace." Readers interested in politics and modern-day culture wars will find Newitz's work fascinating.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A long-view denunciation of today's avalanche of disinformation, fake news, and propaganda. Newitz, journalist, host of the Our Opinions Are Correct podcast, and author of Four Lost Cities, among works of science fiction, argues that "weaponized storytelling" has been an American tradition throughout its history. During the Revolution, Benjamin Franklin published a fake newspaper article describing a fictional British officer's delight at boxes of scalps from colonial settlers, women, and children, delivered by Native American allies. Reprinted widely, it produced universal outrage. The author moves on to examine what some scholars proclaim was America's "foundational moment"--not the Revolution but the Indian Wars, when white settlers replaced Indigenous communities with their own. Readers long familiar with the deplorable treatment of Native Americans during the 19th century may be inclined to skim these sections, but matters will not improve as Newitz recounts other outrages. They join the steady stream of debunkers of Charles Murray's The Bell Curve (1994), the bible of scientific racism--though they warn that the audience for deeply satisfying fables is largely impervious to the facts. The author makes a convincing case that the 21st-century epidemic of intolerance, invective, and authoritarian movements is as American as apple pie. In the obligatory how-to-fix-it conclusion, Newitz emphasizes tolerance, agreeing to disagree, and promoting evidence over emotion. They do not ignore traditional pleas to reform public education and the internet, but admit that they haven't caught on. Searching for alternatives, the author promotes spreading democratic ideals through storytelling in "applied science fiction" or a transformed, "rejuvenated" public library. "When we immerse ourselves in the silence of the library," writes Newitz, "we learn the most fundamental defense against psyops. Our minds belong to us." A cogent history and analysis of today's toxic national discourse, joining a host of recent titles in a burgeoning genre. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
