This was pretty disturbing and super informative. I had no idea 8chan’s origins were so… weird. The entire beginning was a trip to read about and as someone who is the daughter of parents who are deep in the MAGA cult and sippin’ on that Kool-aid, this was troubling but also enlightening.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria for my advance copy.

A great trip through the Alt Right as it rose and fell. I was concerned initially when she brought up how fascists are often autistic, but in the end I think she balanced that true fact with the fact that most autistic people aren't fascist well.

Someone needed to write this book and I'm glad it was Elle Reeve. My heart goes out to her therapist. I can't imagine how difficult this was. Well done.

If you've seen the Vice documentary about the Charlottesville "Unite the Right" insanity, you know Chris Cantwell, the Crying Nazi, and Elle Reeve, who hosted it. If you've seen HBO's "Q: Into the Storm" docuseries, you know Fred Brennan and the Watkins guys. If you don't know any of these people, or if you do and still can't wrap your head around WTF is happening in MAGA-land, read this book. Elle Reeve details her first-hand accounts of meeting with the alt-right creators and darlings, the internet trolls and edge lords and meme factories, and the Unite the Right and Jan. 6 perpetrators. She shows them for what they really are: keyboard warriors who wilt when confronted with reality, yet who've somehow dragged our country into the cesspool with them.

A truly harrowing dive into why America is so divided and how it came to be that way in the digital age. It was scary at times to realize the types of people who walk among us and sow division. Really eye-opening.

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC.

**⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | A Gripping Exploration of Online Extremism**

Elle Reeve’s *Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics* provides a compelling and chilling look at the rise of online extremism and its impact on society. Reeve’s firsthand experience and investigative journalism reveal the disturbing ways in which fringe online communities have influenced mainstream politics and public discourse. The book is well-written and engaging, offering a stark view of the dangers posed by digital radicalization. While the narrative sometimes lacks depth in exploring solutions, *Black Pill* is an essential read for understanding the dark side of the internet and its real-world consequences.

I’ve been amazed how CNN correspondent Elle Reeve has put herself in risky situations to get a story as well as to obtain the perspective of potentially dangerous people. This is even more evident in her latest book, "Black Pill".

Through these interviews, we see the dangers of the far-right groups on the internet and how the expressed ideas have influenced mainstream thought. Many participants are social outcasts and possess a deep hatred towards women. However, they find an accepting community online and power in anonymity. Some were libertarians who subsequently fell into this dark place of the alt-right.

Though I have read articles and books about many of the key players, such as 8Chan creator Fred Brennan (who didn’t realize the monster that he created) and neo-Nazi Richard Spencer, these in-depth interviews give further insight to their thoughts and motives.

I found that in the beginning, there was too much detail, and it was hard to concentrate. However, I’m glad I stuck with it as I discovered her section on alt-right women, especially her interviews with ex-neo-Nazi and Identity Evropa member Samantha Froelich particularly fascinating. How could women find comfort in a community with so much misogyny?

The book reaches a climax with Reeve's recounting of her experiences at the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville and subsequently at the January 6 riot. These sections read like a thriller, with tension and danger at every turn. I found myself gripped by the harrowing details and the sheer audacity and persistence of Reeve and her crew’s immersion in such volatile environments.

Fascists hope to spread a nihilistic outlook, the "black pill", among citizens, thus encouraging disengagement and resignation.  This makes "Black Pill" an essential and timely read for anyone seeking to understand and combat the rise of extreme right-wing ideology.

(This review will be posted on UnderratedReads on August 8, 2024)

This book delivers on exactly what it promises - it's a well researched and well described history and context of the rise of extremism in the US. As someone who largely reads their nonfiction by audiobook, I do think this would have kept my attention just a bit better in that format, but I have no critiques of the writing or content of Black Pill.

This was a personal and incredibly well-researched journey through the origins of online extremism, from the development of 4chan to Charlottesville and January 6th, and how extremism can migrate from the screen to violent events in person. The author has a compelling and at times hilarious narrative style that brought a fresh voice to this topic.

What a timely book. If you, like me, are worried about the future of democracy in the US and are curious about how we went so wrong, this book is an illuminating read. Does it have the whole picture? No. Does it offer solutions? Absolutely not. But it's a deep dive into the underbelly of the Internet, where the outcasts of society have long gathered to seethe and fantasize about taking vengeance. Reeve, a journalist, gives us a zoomed-in play-by-play for how that toxic culture has since spilled out into the mainstream. The book feels like one long Vice article, easy to read and grotesquely entertaining in its what-the-F-ness, as we meet a cast of strange, hateful characters who unfortunately are real people doing real harm. We tag along on what seem to be the author's most career-defining moments as a white blonde woman who is both underestimated and lusted after by the men she interviews, from the early days of 4chan to the January 6th insurrection. Somehow, she was able to get these men (and a few women) to trust her enough to provide very personal details of their lives, including their emails, which makes for a fascinating (and scary, anxiety-inducing) read. It brought to mind the recent movie Civil War, in which a white blonde journalist (Kirsten Dunst) must do her job in the face of some of the most heinous acts of hate and violence. In Reeve's words, she was "a girl on the dance floor at Incel Berghain." That gives you some idea of what to expect.

If you want juicy details about:

-the alt-right;
-incel culture;
-the ways in which the Internet, once a fun escape for many, has evolved into a pulsing cancer on reality...

...read this book.

Many thanks to Atria and Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you, Atria Books. for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I just finished Black Pill: How I Witnessed The Darkest Corners Of The Internet Come To Life, Poison Society And Capture American Politics.

This book is based on interviews that the author did with members of the “alt-right” movement. She has spent years as a journalist covering that movement. While there is discussion of online activity, the book does focus much more on the real-world actions rather than what is just discussed online.

Among the best chapters of the book were the profile on the creator of 8chan and the discussion of “free speech.”

There was a lot of good information in here about the individuals involved in the movement and its threat to the country. I give this book an A. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

I originally finished reading this on July 15, 2024.

People may not know this about me, but the online culture that Reeve details in this great work of investigative journalism is a bit of a pet interest of mine. While I never frequented 4chan or 8chan, I was a user on Something Awful and can clearly remember the sub-forum that posted racist memes and nazi references "ironically". So watching how that snowball eventually became an avalanche on January 6 has been deeply interesting to me to track over the years.

That being said, much of what Reeve presents here was not wholly new information for me. I was already familiar with Fred Brennan's story to a certain degree (his involvement on the image boards and legal wranglings with Jim Watkins), but Reeve provides an even deeper dive than what I've read or heard before. Her relationship with him is a central part of this investigation, as his lonely teenage years are likely part of what allowed the online alt-right culture to develop.

I was much less familiar with the individuals leading the alt-right community. Reeve managed to get close to many figures in that movement and provides insight into their key figures in this reporting. She also details her experiences being on the scene for both the Unite the Right rally and the storming of Capitol Hill.

This book will most likely appeal to individuals who are already following this niche topic, but is also an excellent entry point for anyone who is curious to know how online culture has fed recent real life events. There are scenes and statements that will be disturbing to many readers, so please take care of yourself while reading.

This review will be posted to Goodreads on July 13, 2024.

I've been astonished and fearful of the growth of violence in America, as I'm sure many others have, and picked this book up to try to understand more about the roots of the problems of racism, violence, and the mentality of the "far right".

Description:
This tour de force of investigative journalism—in the vein of The Next Civil War and Why We’re Polarized —depicts the United States of America as a country at a crossroads with the battle between the right and left spilling out from the darkest corners of the internet into the real world with often tragic consequences.

Award-winning journalist and CNN correspondent Elle Reeve was not surprised by the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. With years of in-depth research and probing interviews under her belt, Reeve was aware of the preoccupations of the online far right and their journey from the computer to QAnon, militias, and racist groups.

At the same time, Reeve saw a parallel growth of counterforces, with citizen vigilantes using new tools and tactics to take down the far right. This ongoing battle, long fought mainly on the internet, has spilled out into the real world with greater and greater frequency, culminating in the attempted coup on January 6th.

Combining her years of on-the-ground reporting, Reeve clearly illustrates this shocking sweep of violence, where this cultural shift came from, and where it is going. She also introduces us to a shocking but powerful cast of characters, such as the creator of 8chan—an online hub for conspiracies and misogynistic rhetoric—and the white power leader who is still pulling the strings from a prison cell. Uncovering the hidden links between these events and how we can prevent further upheavals of this nature, Black Pill is a necessary read for any supporter of democracy.

My Thoughts:
Let me just say that I found this book difficult to read. I'm still reeling from it. I can't wrap my head around how someone can become so twisted and hateful, regardless of their circumstances. Nonetheless, it is happening and continues to happen. It is more and more prevalent and if we don't find some way to stop it America will be nothing but a battlefield. I am even more afraid after reading this book - even though some of the people described here have, luckily, turned their lives around for the better.I have to admit that I actually felt unclean after reading this material. I do think it helps to understand a little of what turns someone to this type of lifestyle. It's just very sad and disheartening. The reseach was well done and I admire the author for being able to accumulate the information and put it in readable form.

Thanks to Atria Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.

This book is a detailed and in-depth look into the main characters of white supremacist, neo-nazi movements in the United States. Utilizing interviews and experiences ranging from 2013 to the present day, Reeve creates a compelling examination of the online radicalization and changing face of the modern-day white supremacist movement. Some chapters introduced many characters and events set at different points in time that did not seem connected until later in the book. While the author’s final connection of these individuals’ stories was clear, the varying stories, interviews, names, and settings was a bit difficult to process! The author, however, does an excellent job of reporting on the beliefs and figures of the far-right movement in a frank and unflinching way, and this book is certainly an important and necessary read for anyone interested in learning more about far-right political extremism, and its tactics, in the US.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

A fascinating book that really opens one's eyes to how one website can change the way people see themselves and others. The keyboard warrior is using the bravado he has found among his peers and spreading hate and disturbing views in the real world

Reeve does an excellent job of bringing ordinary people into the folds of the alt-right internet. This book opened my eyes to the factors that led to the current state of white nationalism in our country and the important role the internet has played in its development.

Black Pill is a mixture of research and interviews (spanning from 2013-2023) that seeks to explain how we got to this political moment. Reeve focuses in on people who play/played a big part in QAnon, militia, and white supremacist movements. My main issue with this book is that it takes some extremist's words at face value around what they now believe. "Formers" like Matthew Heimbach and Jeff Schoep were said to be disillusioned and out of the movement but no mention of how they refused to cooperate/turn over evidence with their court case. I was also concerned how Heimbach's fast turn around to becoming a "marxist" was taken at face value with little exploration or explanation about what his marxism is (it's National Bolshevism which is a neo-fascist and third positionist ideology).

I thought the chapters around Fred Brennan were some of the stronger ones, and I found my attention waning trying to make it through the ones around Richard Spencer and his associated bunch of idiots. It feels a bit disjointed between these different groups, although she makes an effort to tie the threads together in the last few chapters about why these are all connected. Some of it was a bit of information overload without the significance always being made clear. But overall it's a good look at these groups.

Black Pill by Elle Reeve is a powerful and timely exploration of how the darkest corners of the internet have influenced American politics. Reeve's investigative journalism shines as she uncovers the journey of online extremism from fringe forums to real-world events like the Capitol insurrection.

With meticulous research and gripping narratives, Reeve presents a chilling yet enlightening account of the far-right's rise and the counterforces trying to combat it. Her detailed reporting and interviews provide a deep dive into the ideologies shaping today's political landscape.

This book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the impact of internet radicalization on society. Reeve's work is both a stark warning and a call to action, making Black Pill a must-read for supporters of democracy and informed citizens alike.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

In the realm of investigative journalism, Elle Reeve’s “Black Pill” emerges as a formidable and timely exploration of the internet’s shadowy underbelly and its alarming spillage into the fabric of American society and politics. This is an important book.

Reeve, an award-winning journalist, presents a narrative that is as harrowing and enlightening, tracing the trajectory of online extremism and its insidious migration from the fringes to the forefront of national consciousness.

The book’s title, “Black Pill,” is a nod to internet subculture vernacular, symbolizing a catastrophic awakening to the bleakest aspects of reality. Reeve’s work is a meticulous dissection of this phenomenon, examining how disillusionment and disenfranchisement have led to the rise of a digital counterculture that champions dangerous ideologies. The author’s deep dive into the digital depths reveals a world where conspiracy theories and hate speech are not just rampant but are shaping real-world actions and policies.

Reeve’s narrative is grounded in her extensive research and interviews, including interactions with pivotal figures such as the creator of 8chan and influential white power leaders. These insights afford the reader a front-row seat to the ideological battles that have been quietly raging online and their startling manifestations in events like the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021.

“Black Pill” is an urgent call to recognize and address the growing chasm between the virtual and the actual. Reeve’s prose is both accessible and academic, ensuring that the book is not an echo chamber of despair but a beacon for understanding and action. Her reporting does not shy away from the complexities of the issues at hand, offering a nuanced perspective that acknowledges the multifaceted nature of online radicalization and its counterforces.

As a book reviewer with a keen interest in the intersections of technology, society, and politics, I find “Black Pill” to be a crucial addition to the contemporary canon of non-fiction. It serves as a stark reminder of the power of the internet to shape minds and movements and the responsibility we bear to navigate this digital landscape with caution and conscience.

Elle Reeve’s “Black Pill” is a testament to the power of journalism to illuminate the darkest corners of human endeavor and a clarion call for vigilance in an age where the line between online rhetoric and offline reality is increasingly blurred. It is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the currents that are shaping our political discourse and for those who believe in the resilience of democracy in the face of its gravest challenges.