Malcolm Nance presents a compelling case in his new book, They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency. And it couldn’t be more timely, with the January 6th hearings currently ongoing. Nance is a former US Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer and regular media pundit.

This is Nance’s ninth book, and his others focus more on foreign terrorist activity. This time he turns the lens to domestic terror threats to the US. And learning that we have no laws—not even one—that address domestic terrorism is a shock to my system.

As the book begins, Nance focuses on the aspects of the Trump insurgency, especially their goals and methods. He calls this TITUS (Trump Insurgency in the United States.) And then he moves along to the history and current-day practices of militia-type organizations. He explains how they recruit and train new members, as well as how they communicate using social media and the Internet. Every paragraph is more chilling than the last.

Nance also spends an entire section of his book detailing the Q-Anon movement, from its beginning to the permutations along the way. He shows how it became enmeshed with the 2020 Presidential re-election campaign. And then he discusses how it changed America’s response and our collective experience with COVID-19.

His final section summarizes the combination of these points and, not surprisingly, assesses America as we know it to be in “mortal danger.” There’s very little hope in this book, but Nance explains why keeping our eyes open is vital to survival.

My conclusions
This is a one-sided book. Nance never tries to illustrate the “good guys on both sides” concept. He hits hard and repeatedly at the radicalization happening throughout our nation. But if your perspective already leans this way, you will find multiple cogent defenses of the need for action and the danger of complacency.

Nance provides me with the language and insight into the TITUS mindset. I’ll never see news reports, legislative actions, or even pop culture quite the same way. The new series from Amazon Prime called The Terminal List is an example. We spent several nights watching during the time I read Nance’s book. In the book, he discusses the Lone Wolf as a domestic terrorist. This person plans and executes a dramatic terror event on their own. And in one sense, the hero/antihero of The Terminal List is just that.

The character also illustrates another concept from Nance and domestic terrorism or insurgency. That’s the idea of a sovereign citizen, a single person or family who refuses to acknowledge the authority of the military or government. Interestingly, these folks are sometimes veterans or even actively serving. In The Terminal List, the main character becomes a vigilante, out to make people pay for ways he was wronged. And while we want to cheer for the strong man left standing, stories like this reinforce dangerous concepts.

I admit it. Following the many points Nance makes fills me with more dread than hope for our country’s future. But if you prefer to live with eyes wide open, then this is a must-read book about the making of current-day political history.

Acknowledgments
Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review. They Want to Kill Americans debuts on July 12, 2022.

Wow this was hard to read however it was truly incredible. It is very strange to be reading books about events that I have lived through and that happened only a few years ago. This book is a history of how we got here but it is also a warning. I wish I could post my highlights because I was highlighting every other sentence. This book is scary but its also important and necessary. I HIGHLY recommend for those of us who are still trying to process the Trump presidency and the January 6th terrorist attack.

Thank you SO much to St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy. Out tomorrow - 7/12.

An excellent resource that details the rise of the insurgency in America. It explains it in a manner that is simple to understand for the average reader. It is a great guide that prepares people to form informed opinions about the state and future of the political parties.

First and foremost, thank you to Netgally and St. Martins Press for the #gifted e-book and physical copies.

I am always interested in non-fiction, especially on white nationalist/domestic terrorist topics. And I really wanted to like this one. But in all honesty, it left me underwhelmed and feeling like I didn't really learn anything new.

I think my biggest confusion was the author's tone. It felt like he was trying to mesh academic/scholarly style, with formal language and hundreds of citations, with a more political focus, with hyperbolic statements that did not have citations. For me, these two styles didn't mesh together well.

Overall, I was really interested in the topic and appreciate the author's willingness to tackle this topic, but this wasn't for me.

This was a difficult read solely based on the subject matter. Nance does an amazing job of digging into what led to the Jan. 6th insurrection and the depths of insanity the Trumpsters reach. It is a sobering and extremely important read during these intense times. He doesn't hold back in his examination of events and we get a full look at how we got here. It's hard to not feel despair while reading this book and you will want to scream, but we must listen and do all we can to prevent this from happening again. Definitely a must read. Thank you for this arc!

I finished it, but it was hard to stick with it. The author more or less ranted about Trump supporters that have taken things a little to far. Yes, Trump lied during his whole Administration. Don't most politicians? Yes, the hard core supporters of his are crazy. (Now, before you get mad at me, I voted for Trump. My reasons: first time, I can't stand Hillary. Second time, I don't believe in Abortions.) So I can call them crazy. The author ranted about everything Trump did and his continuing to do. Yes, Trump should not have told me to march or attack. For that I think he should be persecuted to the fullest of the law. But, a book that I thought would really look at what happened, why and may happen in the future, to me came out as really biased toward the Republican party. It made it sound as if, the writer thinks all Republicans are nothing but a bunch of crazy people. He literally attacked everything that is conservative, at least to me.

Publishes July 12, 2022

Thanks to Netgalley, and St. Martin's Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

They Want to Kill Americans is a sobering, intense look at the January 6th insurrection and what circumstances led to that shocking event. It's very well-written, but also extremely grim. It took me so long to read it because it was difficult not to despair. Malcolm Nance pulls no punches when he talks about the state of the country and how we got here, but I think it's necessary to do so in order for people to realize the gravity of the situation. I highly recommend everyone read this very important book. I'm grateful to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

After reading this most excellent book by Malcolm Nance I need to find a fluffy beach read to find some peace of mind. This is a must read but it is a terrifying one. Way back when we thought the
Tea Baggers were just strange people with their funny hats and the tea bags dangling from the brims the idea that America would ever find itself facing the horrors of January 6, that J6 would be in our vocabulary as 9/11 came to be.....my heart is broken for my country.
Some is already known, much has become known since the J6 hearings began and there is much, much more that, sadly, we may never know. Malcolm Nance leads the reader through the darkness, informing us about the home grown terrorists who do want to kill their fellow Americans because they disagree with the rest of us. The j6 failed coup isn't by any means the end. The coup failed, Trump still hasn't conceded the election, the Big Lie continues to grow and the next chapter is going to be even worse. These groups have learned what didn't work on J6 and will make course corrections for the next attempt. When a country can elect the likes of Trump and his wacko followers like Lauren Boebert and Marjorie-Taylor Green and even crazier ones to come this November, the gates are open for the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys and QAnon to join the GOP and make another attempt at a coup. The next time they may very well succeed. The clock is ticking and this is a must read. It's chilling to imagine that we may not be able to stop these groups from bringing an end to our Democracy. Honestly, if this had been written by just about anyone else I wouldn't have such a strong reaction but Malcolm Nance knows what he's talking about and it's way past time for the rest of America to listen and make much needed changes. If it isn't already too late.
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review

On January 6, 2021, a coalition of white supremacists, militias, and radicalized QAnon conspiracy theorists descended on Capitol Hill and launched a violent insurrection against the United States government. They were drawn there by their God Emperor, Donald Trump, who insisted his election victory had been stolen from him by Democrats and he urged his followers to storm the Capitol and "Stop the Steal."

Malcolm Nance, a counter-terrorism expert and member of US Intelligence, presents a clear-eyed, and incredibly chilling, account of Trump's biggest supporters, and how his campaign worked and aligned with a bevy of domestic terrorist groups, such as the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, in an effort to maintain his tiny-handed grip on power. Nance also explores the ways in which the face of the Republican Party itself has been radically changed (or has at least proudly come out of the closet to display its racism, bigotry, and quest for authoritarian power) forever by infusing it with QAnon nutcases and transformed it into a Jim Jones-like party of cultists who worship at the feet of Trump himself.

Anybody who paid even scant attention to Trump's election in 2016 knew the orange fascist autocrat and his racist, fascist-loving supporters posed terrible dangers to our government and existed solely as a violent threat to America. Immediately after his election, hate crimes rose dramatically and domestic terror threats increased, with a spate of mass murders and mail bomb campaigns being waged against liberal figureheads in the name of Trump. The January 6 insurgency was hardly a surprise given Trump's violent, hateful rhetoric, or the rhetoric of those who worshipped him and openly tweeted and Facebooked their plans to commit sedition and worse in the months and weeks leading up to the attack.

Even though we know these various branches of Trump's street-level, paramilitary enforcers and the Republican apparatchik that cowers before him are supremely awful human beings, I still found information in Nance's reportage horrifying, at times even shocking. I mean, I knew the QAnon cultists were insane whackjobs, but to have their beliefs and conspiracies laid out so starkly, in such plain language, was awfully eye-opening. Even more appalling is the fact that we have two QAnon nutcases like Marjorie Taylor-Green and Lauren Boebert actually holding office, so complete is QAnon's infiltration and takeover of the Republican Party. Again, it's old news, but it's utterly impossible not to feel some measure of disbelief even now, years later.

Even worse, is living with the knowledge that, more than a year after the terror attack on Capitol Hill, terrorist leader Donald Trump is still walking free, and that our government has been ridiculously derelict in pursing the rich and powerful figureheads who instigated the attack against our nation, who gathered together these violent cultists to overthrow American democracy and install a fascist white supremacist dictator for life, and pressing charges against them. One can't help but wonder if inaction from the Department of Justice is because the higher-ups there are hoping for a free pass when the next coup succeeds...

They Want to Kill Americans is a warning about the dangers surrounding us and the threats aligned against our democracy. Those who want to brace themselves and prepare for the coming storm - as it's highly unlikely the attempted coup of January 6 will be the last such insurgency - would do well to heed Nance's warning.

I’ll start by saying this is a frightening book. But then we do live in frightening times. The title is They Want to Kill Americans by Malcolm Nance. When I first saw the title, I immediately thought of foreign terrorists.

But I quickly realized a was wrong. The subtitle (The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency) gives that away. This book is about Americans who wanted to kill other Americans who disagree with them.

The book opens with a story TV discussion shortly after the election of Joe Biden as President. Many were very happy but as Malcolm Nance said “I was there doing my usual job of marring an otherwise happy occasion by warning that a great threat was looming.”

After a brief mention of his national security credentials and a mention of his previous books on the subject he progresses to a description of the insurrection of January 6. 2021 which was an attempt to prevent the actual winner (Biden) of the Presidential election from stealing the election from the actual loser (Trump). Sounds crazy but it actually happened.

I found the description of the insurrection itself more or less a repeat of what I have been hearing in the news, but found the background (particularly on militia movements in US history) very interesting. The descriptions of the crazy ideologies such as Q-Anon were useful but a bit difficult at times since they are so irrational. I did appreciate the extensive references,

So a bit of a mixed review. I think we should all find it frightening. I do recommend this book but depending on how closely you have followed the news of the January 6 insurrection, you could find the descriptions of those events a bit repetitive or what you already know.

I thank Netgalley for the chance to read it before publication. The book is schedule to be published on July 12 so you can plan ahead if interested.

PERFECT TIMING! This book is the perfect (and I don’t use that word willy-nilly) compliment to all happening in the US right now. When Malcolm Nance is a guest on cable news, I always sit up and listen. He’s smart and experienced and I admire him greatly. This books provides so much background and digs deeper into the forces behind the groups in our country harming our Democracy. Highly recommend. Thanks to St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy. Go read this one!

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy. This book wasnso informstive and well written. I would highly recommend. I also bought a physical copy and annotated as I read. What an eye opening account and background to that horrible day in history.

Despite the fact that I work in a sector that is highly informed on the threat and various groups that came to DC on Jan 6th, I STILL found so much of this book informative. It is highly researched (love a non-fiction book with citations!).
With everything going on in the world today, sometimes reading these current event books can really bring you down. But instead, I found this book to bring clarity to what happened on Jan 6th... and perhaps a little hope that these individuals (and their tyrant leader) will be held responsible for their actions.

**I received this advance copy free from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

This is a very detailed evaluation of how we got to January 6, 2021, and it offers a view of where we go from here, and where those who stormed the Capitol want to go. Malcolm Nance has the experience and credentials to speak with authority on the subject of insurgencies and their aims. His book is well researched, footnoted, and well written. He offers nuggets to the far left as he states that the players in what he describes as the Trump Insurgency in The United States (TITUS) are benefiting from white privilege, as well as nuggets to what remains of the old GOP with a call for stronger law enforcement in response to TITUS. The occasional light-hearted moment kept the book from being gloomy and academic. His initial analysis of Q-Anon in particular was a bright moment, which was unexpected. This is a book I put in the hands of someone who still believes in conservatism, but dislikes or is ambivalent toward Trump.

I finished Malcolm Nance’s newest book a week before the first televised hearing of the January 6th House Committee. Many (though not all) of the details of events on January 6th that were covered in that first hearing are also here in Nance’s book. The value of Nance’s book is that he digs deep into the white supremacist and QAnon history that lies behind the events of that day. The result is a book that is a stark warning of a clear and present danger to our nation.

Malcolm Nance first came to public notice with his critique of waterboarding - saying that he knew it was torture because he had administered it himself. He testified in front of the US House Judiciary Committee that “waterboarding is torture, period”. He is a former US Navy Senior Petty Officer who specialized in cryptology. He was an intelligence and security contractor post 9/11 in Iraq and Afghanistan. All of which is to say that Nance has a strong background in understanding and dealing with international terrorists.

Nance is an intelligence and foreign policy analyst for MSNBC. In the last six years he has focused his attention on Trumpworld and the actions and mindset of the ex-President’s followers.

The case he makes in this book, and it is a chilling one, is that we now face domestic terrorists bent on destroying American democracy, and that the Trump presidency helped to strengthen and accelerate the work of these terrorists amongst us.

Blending his expertise on al-Qaida and Trumpworld, Nance is particularly good at pointing out that the tools and methods that lead individuals to become radicalized are much the same whether the objective is extremist Islamic terrorism or QAnon fueled Trumpian insurrection. In both cases the result has been violent extremists bent on achieving their goals regardless of the cost to others. Thus we saw “Blue Power” Trump followers at the Capital last January 6th encouraging each other by shouting “Kill Him” about a Capital Policeman trying to keep them from storming the building.

The book is strongest at the beginning when Nance lays out the “TITUS” (Trump Insurgency in the United States) threat he sees by identifying the various groups that comprise the threat, and at the end, where the events of January 6th are described. In between the text wanders about from John Birch to Timothy McVeigh. It’s not always easy to draw straight lines between the examples Nance describes in the book’s middle, because so much of what white supremacist and militia groups have done between acts of violence and terrorism has been undocumented. But the documentation that Nance does bring forward is disturbing.

The book presents a convincing case that in America we now have “an openly fascist movement” that desires to “install Trump as dictator”, and threatens our democracy. Even if you believe, as I do, that Nance overstates the power of militia groups like the Proud Boys, and doesn’t distinguish enough between online rhetoric and real world actions, there is more than enough here to convince you that the threat is real. We all would do well to take it seriously.

RATING: Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

NOTE: This is an ARC review. The book is due to be available on July 12th.

This is heavy. Specially reading it this week with the J6 commission hearings. Super important to read though

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I was really pleased to be given a chance to read this book! I heard Mr. Nance talking on a segment on NPR about his newest book, and it sounded so relevant to today’s political landscape and the state of our country, that I immediately added it to my TBR list.

This book is a deep dive into America’s current state of affairs, how we got here (especially over the past six years) and where we might be headed as a country. A former U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer specializing in naval cryptology, Mr. Nance is an undisputed expert in national security and intelligence. In his newest book, he meticulously details the rise of hate groups and conspiracy theories, then chillingly lays out the danger they could pose to the future of our democracy. Although the tone is a bit sensational at times, overall “They Want to Kill Americans” is a thoroughly researched, credible, and compelling read, albeit a bit dense at times. This important book is highly recommended for anyone interested in American politics and current events.

I am so grateful for the ARC of this from NetGalley!

I am a huge fan of this author. I have seen him speak at the Kentucky Author's Forum and I have read his other works. His books inform and educate. His is inspiring to read or listen to.

I highly recommend this one for anyone interested in current events.

I was expecting new info about TITUS, but I didn’t get that from this book. It’s a good recap of what happened on January 6, 2021. It is a little sensational… but it’s not bad? I think I was expecting a little more. I guess I was waiting for some new insights, but that didn’t happen with this book. It’s still a good overview on what happened and why could happen in the future. An interesting topic, but this wasn’t the strongest book.

Thank you NetGalley and SMP.

A Note on the review: All political views are my own opinion

At times this was emotionally disturbing and shocking to read, but it is totally relevant and current to an issue that is still alive an happening now in the United States. Malcolm Nance does a great job of retelling the events leading up to the insurrection on the Capitol Building. I also like he details each different kind of group members in the mob and how dangerous they are for different reasons as well as their motives on January 6, 2021 (Proud Boys, MAGA, etc).

Trump stated about the mob: "They are good people. They are a loving people. You are special. We Love you."

Really?!!

How is such disturbing violence ok/acceptable?

The actions of the mob are clearly not loving. Many insurrectionists wanted to scare, injure or kill anyone who opposed their ideals. The targets included any member of Congress, any Democrat, any Republican who supported the outcome of the election, Vice President Pence and of course, President-elect Joe Biden.

Just for the record, I am an Independent voter.

This is not easy book to read just because of the graphic violence and intent to kill; as well as the home-grown American terrorists. But it is a necessary read no matter what your political party. What happened on 1/6/21 was just wrong on so many levels. Democracy needs to be saved.

Highly recommended read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Malcolm W Nance and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 7/12/22