Such a powerful book. Thorough & informative—a must-read for everyone at this time in our shared human history.

In this interesting new biography, Jonathan Butler brings George Demmerle to life in incredible detail. Exploring the late 1960s and the various conflicts and social justice movements of the period, Butler highlights Demmerle’s participation in radical activist groups and protests like the march on Washington and the Democratic National Convention protests and his alliances with top civil rights leaders before revealing that Demmerle was a FBI informant while all of this was happening. Navigating political extremism, ideology, loyalty, and the line between activism and betrayal, Demmerle is an incredibly complex and fascinating figure in this tumultuous period of American history. The details and research in this book are really fascinating, and Butler does a fantastic job of interpreting and contextualizing the information for readers of all backgrounds. The prose is straightforward and readable, while the information ties into so many other historical events that readers can easily make connections and contextualize Demmerle’s position in history. The people are so central to this book and Demmerle’s story, and the human and civil rights elements of the book remain deeply relevant in the present day, so readers will be able to see and appreciate the connections between the book and the current climate in the United States.

In Join the Conspiracy: How a Brooklyn Eccentric Got Lost on the Right, Infiltrated the Left, and Brought Down the Biggest Bombing Network in New York, Jonathan Butler explores the life of George Demmerle, a factory worker from Brooklyn who became deeply involved in the radical movements of the 1960s.

Initially siding with right-wing ideologies, Demmerle's journey took a dramatic turn as he infiltrated leftist groups, all while secretly acting as an FBI informant. It’s a story of political extremism and undercover work during one of the most chaotic decades in U.S. history. It’s packed with surprising twists and paints a picture of someone who never really fit in anywhere, even as he infiltrated almost everywhere.

For those interested in the intricacies of 1960s activism and the shadowy world of informants, this book offers a compelling read.​

I received this advance reader copy of Join the Conspiracy from Fordham University Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pretty interesting read. It did have a lot of general history on anti-war activism but also the nuance and difficulty of acting in your morals. Even the best intended beliefs can be tainted by extremism. Whether you agree or disagree with his actions, the story itself was very interesting in itself.

I really really wanted to read and review this book, but unfortunately I was not able to access an assistive reader for this arc, either in the NetGalley app or in Kindle. I need this accessibility device because I have diminished vision. I recommend to the publishers and Netgalley to make ARCs accessible by assistive readers to prevent excluding other visually impaired readers.

Please make assistive readers available on arcs for readers with diminished vision!