Culture Warlords
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | October 13, 2020 |
| Founder | Talia Lavin |
| Products | Non-fiction book |
| Parent | Hachette Books |
Culture Warlords: My Journey into the Dark Web of White Supremacy is a factual work authored by Talia Lavin. The narrative chronicles Lavin’s efforts in adopting online identities to penetrate and reveal fascist white supremacist groups operating within digital forums and websites, alongside exploring the historical origins of these ideologies.
Time magazine recognized Culture Warlords as one of the top 100 essential reads of 2020.
Publication history
As a Jewish descendant of Holocaust survivors, Lavin was compelled to delve into white supremacist activities following the 2017 Charlottesville demonstrations, where slogans such as "Jews will not replace us!" underscored the growing influence of extremist beliefs tied to the white genocide conspiracy theory.
In March 2019, Lavin finalized a deal for Culture Warlords with editor Paul Whitlatch at Hachette Books. The book was officially released on October 13, 2020.
Content
Through the creation of various online personas, Lavin gained entry into white supremacist chatrooms and websites, collecting information valuable to journalists and anti-fascist advocates. The book recounts these interactions while mapping the development of the alt-right, from medieval European blood libel myths to Henry Ford’s dissemination of anti-Semitic propaganda, including discussions on the Gamergate incident and narratives involving radicalized young YouTubers.
Reception
According to Publishers Weekly, the book offers a "stirring and comprehensive examination of the internet as a catalyst for racism and misogyny," providing readers with intense insights into confronting hateful ideologies. Kirkus awarded Culture Warlords a starred review, while USA Today ranked it as the top “hottest new book release” during its debut week.
Jennifer Szalai from The New York Times commended Lavin’s "bold and witty" approach in this impassioned work. In the Boston Globe, Kate Tuttle emphasized Lavin’s profound grasp of both contemporary hate speech and its foundations in race science, eugenics, and anti-Semitism.
Time magazine included Culture Warlords among its 100 must-read books for 2020.
External links
- "Going Undercover on a Racist Dating Site" – excerpt published in The Nation
- "Conspiracy theories about Soros aren’t just false. They’re anti-Semitic." in The Washington Post