Watch David talking with Marc D'Arcy at BBC BOOKTalk about Voodoo Histories

Synopsis

An absorbing, probing look at the conspiracy theories that operate on the sidelines of history and the reasons they continue to play such a seditious role, from an award-winning journalist.

Our age is obsessed by the idea of conspiracy. We see it everywhere- from Pearl Harbor to 9/11, from the assassination of Kennedy to the death of Diana. In this age of terrorism we live in, the role of conspiracy is a serious one, one that can fuel radical or fringe elements to violence.

For David Aaronovitch, there came a time when he started to see a pattern among these inflammatory theories. these theories used similarly murky methods with which to insinu ate their claims: they linked themselves to the supposed conspiracies of the past (it happened then so it can happen now); they carefully manipulated their evidence to hide its holes; they relied on the authority of dubious aca demic sources. Most important, they elevated their believers to membership of an elite- a group of people able to see beyond lies to a higher reality. But why believe something that entails stretching the bounds of probabil ity so far? Surely it is more likely that men did actually land on the moon in 1969 than that thousands of people were enlisted to fabricate an elaborate hoax.

In this entertaining and enlightening book -aimed at providing ammunition for those who have found themselves at the wrong end of a conversation about moon landings or the twin towers-Aaronovitch carefully probes and explodes a dozen of the major conspiracy theories. In doing so, he examines why people believe them, and makes an argument for a true skepticism: one based on a thorough knowledge of history and a strong dose of common sense.

What the critics say

This book leaves us in no doubt that arriving at the truth is a vital matter – at times a matter of life and death
- John Lloyd, Financial Times

Should we laugh or weep at human folly? Both, if we read David Aaronovitch's debunking masterpiece. The nonsense he exposes is profoundly sinister but also comically absurd.
- Francis Wheen

“This book is really frightening – it shows how both Left and Right are more susceptible than ever to idiot conspiracy theories that a five year old should be able to see through. Aaronovitch does not spare his victims, and nor should he. As he shows, the poisoning of our imaginations by paranoia is a twenty-first-century tragedy.”
- Damian Thompson, author of Counterknowledge

As one of Britain's finest political journalists, David Aaronovitch's great gift is to think against received opinion. His scintillating VOODOO HISTORIES bears witness to Aaronovitch's credo that faith is nice but doubt gets you an education. Meticulous in its research, forensic in its reasoning, robust in its argument, and often hilarious in its debunking, VOODOO HISTORIES is a highly entertaining rumble with the century's major conspiracy theorists and their theories.'Voodoo Histories' also stands as a bravura psychological case study of mankind's compulsive need for narrative to alleviate the anxiety of not-knowing. Fascinating
- John Lahr

Terrifying, hilarious, irreverent and addictively compelling, VOODOO HISTORIES is an instant classic that should be read by everyone - a brilliant, witty and devastating analysis of, and guide to, the big lies of modern history by our most brilliant commentator.
- Simon Sebag-Montefiore

A brilliant, sparkling and witty demolition of numerous conspiracy theories - not only dotty but sometimes, as in the case of the fabricated Protocols of the Elders of Zion, highly dangerous - and analysis of why otherwise intelligent people are so ready to believe in them.
- Ian Kershaw