The Madness of Believing

"A personal story that enhances our understanding of extremism."—Kirkus Reviews

"An honest, searching and often unsettling account of life working for the nation's foremost conspiracy peddler. Owens paints a clear picture of the fervid, hallucinatory environment at Infowars, and the shame and guilt of reckoning with his time there. And crucially, for other people who have found themselves in situations that don't align with their values, he offers a clear, if painful, roadmap for how to find your way out."—Anna Merlan, author of Republic of Lies

“Owens’s story follows a trajectory that’s becoming alarmingly familiar in America, where listless, angry, or alienated people find kinship and purpose in fringe communities. Owens’ journey from film school, all the way down the Infowars rabbit hole, is a riveting account of what it’s like to work for the internet’s most notorious conspiracy theorist during the rise of Donald Trump. Owens’ prose is unflinching and honest—he never shies away from his past complicity and regret while giving us a rare look inside Alex Jones’ propaganda machine. Stories of radicalization are now commonplace, but what makes The Madness of Believing an essential text in this turbulent moment is how Owens chronicles his path out of Jones’s world. Written with great empathy and courage, The Madness of Believing is a cautionary tale and a confessional, but above all else, it’s a hopeful story—of reckoning, personal accountability and second chances.”—Charlie Warzel, writer at The Atlantic