I have sent the zoom link to everyone who RSVP’d by email to me. But it’s not to late to decide to join us.
If you RSVP’d by email but didn’t get a link, it’s not personal, just send me another email.
If you haven’t RSVP’d because you haven’t read the book, please join us anyway for what will surely be a great discussion.
To RSVP, send email to WaterGirl at balloon-juice.com
Info from a previous post below, in case you haven’t seen any of the previous announcements.
Announcing two Balloon Juice zooms with Elle Reeves to talk about her book.
Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics
First zoom: Saturday, February 15 at 3:30 pm Eastern time. Charlottesville in 2017.
Second zoom: Saturday, March 1 at 3:30 pm Eastern time. Insurrection on Jan 6, 2021.
We won’t just look backwards, we’ll talk about what we can learn from the those events that we can use going forward.
To attend, please RSVP by email to WaterGirl at balloon-juice.com
Who is Elle Reeve, and why would you want to read her book?
Let’s see. For starters, Cole has known Elle Reeve for a long time, she’s written a terrific book, and we’re lucky that she is up for having a couple of book club zooms.
We also know she’s smart, because when I asked her to send me a blurb that I could use for this post, she enlisted a friend of hers to write it for her. Self-promotion is hard; outsource whenever possible!
“Named one of the best books of 2024 by The Washington Post, Elle Reeve’s Black Pill is a wild ride into the dark heart of political discourse on the internet and how it has come to be a decisive factor in our current politics. Over a decade of reporting, Reeve unearths hundreds of as-yet-unseen documents and exposes some of the most notorious leaders of American far right groups in dozens of hours of exclusive interviews. This unique raft of reporting goes deeper than ever to explain just how these nefarious forces conspired to propel Donald Trump to the presidency in 2016 and drove real-world political action in Charlottesville in 2017 and at the January 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C.
With this clarity comes a more nuanced understanding of not just how it all happened, but also how those who oppose creeping fascism can fight back.
Reeve’s unique voice, sharp observations, and penchant for dark humor are propulsive. Black Pill is an essential and entertaining read for anyone interested in how we got to this moment in American political history, what might happen next, and how to affect change.
Link to the Washington Post review.
NYT Book Review. (If You Want to Understand Why Democracy Is Under Attack, Read This Book.)
CliosFanBoy
Might some kind soul(s) please post a gift link to the NYT and WP reviews? Thank you.
Elizabelle
@CliosFanBoy:
NYTimes gift link
If You Want to Understand Why Democracy Is Under Attack, Read This Book
In “Black Pill,” the journalist Elle Reeve finds that the once-fringe alt-right is dead — because now it’s mainstream.
Elizabelle
WaPost GIFT LINK:
‘Black Pill’ is a disturbing look at how ‘meme magic’ captured the GOP
Elle Reeve’s deeply reported book explores the slippery irony and dangerous absurdities at the heart of what was once the alt-right and is now Trump’s Republican Party.
CliosFanBoy
@Elizabelle:
Thank you so much!!!!
stinger
Okay, I’m in. I’ll email you, WG.
Joy in FL
I’m at about page 100. It’s a great book. I hope to get some more read before the zoom.
I’m really looking forward to the conversation this afternoon.
Janus Daniels
CORRECTION requested on “Charlottesville in 2017.”
A Ghost to Most
Good for Elle. She’s made a living doing something I couldn’t get away from. Dealing with christian fascists.
WaterGirl
@Janus Daniels: I don’t understand – you’ll need to be more clear.