So You Want to Be an Extremist is a satirical guide that traces the origins and evolution of conspiracy theories from ancient Rome to modern-day social media. Why was this an important book for you to write?

I think people know bits and pieces, but there wasn’t a full picture of extremism in one place. I wanted to create a single piece of content that anyone could pick up and easily learn about the world of extremism, from its humble origins to a major part of society today. And also laugh a bit at the horrors they learn along the way because it is a dark, scary place. Whether we like it or not, these people, these products, these movements are affecting all of us in some fashion.

Did you learn anything during your research that surprised you?

How truly ubiquitous this level of extremism and conspiracy thinking has become, particularly among the younger generation. Twenty years ago it was your crazy uncle sending emails. A decade ago it was older people falling for Facebook memes, believing anything that was written online. Now, it is a younger, seemingly displaced generation, who are very tech-savvy, failing at even baseline critical thinking on many topics.

Why was it important for you to take the satirical approach with this book?

For me, satire has always been a way to convey certain ideas and vices as laughable, but also reprehensible. I have a penchant for poking fun at the horrible people that take advantage of others: dictators, oligarchs, and now, extremists. I like to strike a balance between comedy and learning, and I do think they can complement each other. So, I wanted to give the audience that same balance. Plus, they don’t have to read a 400-page academic paper to learn about this stuff. I suffer for them.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from So You Want to Be an Extremist?

Extremism isn’t fringe anymore! It has been normalized to the point that it is a part of everyday media, politics, religion, business, and society. This isn’t going away anytime soon. These ideas and movements are only becoming more prevalent and worse, more accepted.

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