''Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump'' is a 2017 nonfiction book by investigative journalist David Neiwert in which provides an account of how disparate but interrelated elements of American culture ranging from the Birther movement to

Gamergate Gamergate or GamerGate (GG) was a loosely organized online misogyny, misogynistic online harassment campaign motivated by a right-wing backlash against feminism, diversity, and progressivism in video game culture. It was conducted using the ...

to the militia movement came together to elect

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

and create the

alt-right The alt-right (abbreviated from alternative right) is a Far-right politics, far-right, White nationalism, white nationalist movement. A largely Internet activism, online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late ...

Summary

Unlike some other analyses of the alt-right, such as George Hawley's more narrowly focused ''How to Make Sense of the Alt-Right'', Neiwert provides his analysis from a broad vantage point. Neiwert walks through a wide variety of cultural movements and subcultures on the right, exploring how they connect, how they affect each other, and how they interpret the outside world. Beginning with the

Presidency of Bill Clinton Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...

, Neiwert examines the rise of the survivalist and militia movements during this time. He investigates the manner by which the

New World Order conspiracy theory The New World Order (NWO) is a term often used in conspiracy theory, conspiracy theories which hypothesizes, hypothesize a secretly emerging totalitarian world government. The common theme in conspiracy theories about a New World Order is that ...

and the

white supremacist White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

movement during the Civil Rights era presaged these new growths during the Clinton administration. The federal marshal siege at

Ruby Ridge The Ruby Ridge standoff was the siege of a cabin occupied by the Weaver family in Boundary County, Idaho, in August 1992. On August 21, deputies of the United States Marshals Service (USMS) came to arrest Randy Weaver under a bench warrant fo ...

and the siege at

Waco siege The Waco siege, also known as the Waco massacre, was the siege by US federal government and Texas state law enforcement officials of a compound belonging to the religious cult known as the Branch Davidians, between February 28 and April 19, 1993 ...

of the

Branch Davidians The Branch Davidians (or the General Association of Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, or the Branch Seventh-day Adventists) are a religious sect founded in 1955 by Benjamin Roden. They regard themselves as a continuation of the General A ...

further radicalized the militia movement. During the

Presidency of George W. Bush George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following his narrow electoral college victo ...

, the militia movement declined in prominence, but the 9/11 Truth movement grew. Following the election of

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

and during his subsequent presidency, the level of far-right terror attacks rose again and federal stand-offs returned. During this time, the right-wing media ecosystem changed dramatically, impacted by the emergence of

Breitbart ''Breitbart News Network'' (; known commonly as ''Breitbart News'', ''Breitbart'', or ''Breitbart.com'') is an Radical right (United States), American far-rightMultiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * syndicated news, opinion, and commentar ...

, the alignment of

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

with the

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2007, catapulted into the mainstream by Congressman Ron Paul's presidential campaign. The movement expanded in resp ...

, led by

Glenn Beck Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. He is the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts, the parent company of his television and rad ...

, and the rise of Richard B. Spencer on the far right of the party. Neiwert ties these movements together to explain the rise of

in the

2016 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2016. The Republican Party (United States), Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor, Indiana governor Mike P ...

. Neiwert is largely unconvinced by the economic explanations for Trump's victory. Rather, he argues, the collision of cultural factors on the right led to the success of the candidate.

Reception

''The Washington Post'' highlights how Neiwert goes beyond particular conservative schisms of online subcultures to try to paint a picture of how the different facets of the alt-right, the right wing, and conspiracy theorists connect to create new dynamics and American modes of behavior. Though the ''Post'' argues that Neiwert's "analysis can be too broad," it concludes by noting that it "draws some intriguing connections" that cannot be found in a more limited work. The ''International Socialist Review'' (ISR) describes the book as a fully comprehensive "narrative encyclopedia" that provides a fully-developed, highly methodical view of the history that keeps the reader engaged through its "dramatic" tone. Though the ISR finds "Neiwert’s prescriptions for defeating the alt-right... disappointing—a focus on human empathy in talking with others, nonviolent protest, and the use of the ballot box", it comes to the conclusion that book serves as "an excellent and necessary guide". ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' called the book "A prescient discussion of one of the darkest issues facing America today."

References

{{Alt-right footer 2017 non-fiction books Alt-right American non-fiction books Books about politics of the United States Books about the far right Radical Right in the Age of Trump Verso Books books