Interview with Julia Ebner, author of Going Mainstream: How extremists are taking over
Julia Ebner, author of Going Mainstream: How extremists are taking over recommends a fantastic selection of books! Before jumping into the interview, please check out Julia's book:
Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Going Mainstream: How extremists are taking over
Incels. Anti Vaxxers. Conspiracy theorists. Neo-Nazis. Once, these groups all belonged on the fringes of the political spectrum. Today, accelerated by a pandemic, global conflict and rapid technological change, their ideas are becoming more widespread: QAnon proponents run for U.S. Congress, neo-fascists win elections in Europe, and celebrity influencers spread dangerous myths to millions. Going Mainstream asks the question: What is happening here?
Going undercover online and in person, UK counter-extremism expert Julia Ebner reveals how, united by a shared sense of grievance and scepticism about institutions, radicalised individuals are influencing the mainstream as never before. Hidden from public scrutiny, they leverage social media to create alternative information ecosystems and build sophisticated networks funded by dark money.
Ebner's candid conversations with extremists offer a nuanced and gripping insight into why people have turned to the fringes. She explores why outlandish ideas have taken hold and disinformation is spreading faster than ever.
Going Mainstream is a dispatch from the darkest front of the culture wars, and a vital wake-up call.
Buy On:
Easons €23.99
Bookshop.org UK £20.90
Blackwells £17.27
Waterstones £19.99
Wordery $27.16
Q. Do you have a favourite smart thinking book (and why that book)?
How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future by Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt. Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
How Democracies Die by Levitsky and Zieblatt (if that counts as a smart thinking book). It made me appreciate how fragile our democracies are but also points to the fundamental pillars that can hold them together.
How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future
How does a democracy die?
What can we do to save our own?
What lessons does history teach us?
In the 21st century democracy is threatened like never before.
Drawing insightful lessons from across history - from Pinochet's murderous Chilean regime to Erdogan's quiet dismantling in Turkey - Levitsky and Ziblatt explain why democracies fail, how leaders like Trump subvert them today and what each of us can do to protect our democratic rights.
Buy On:
Easons €14.00
Bookshop.org UK £10.44
Bookshop.org US $15.81
Blackwells £8.56
Waterstones £10.99
Wordery $13.57
Q. What's the most recent smart thinking book you've read (and how would you rate it)?
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Deep Work by Cal Newport (excellent, still so timely and relevant - perhaps even more so today than it was when it was first published)
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Many modern knowledge workers now spend most of their brain power battling distraction and interruption, whether because of the incessant pinging of devices, noisy open-plan offices or the difficulty of deciding what deserves your attention the most. When Cal Newport coined the term 'deep work' on his popular blog, Study Hacks, in 2012, he found the concept quickly hit a nerve. Most of us, after all, are excruciatingly familiar with shallow work instead - distractedly skimming the surface of our workload and never getting to the important part. Newport began exploring the methods and mindset that foster a practice of distraction-free productivity at work, and now, in DEEP WORK, he shows how anyone can achieve this elusive state.
Through revealing portraits of both historical and modern-day thinkers, academics and leaders in the fields of technology, science and culture, and their deep work habits, Newport shares an inspiring collection of tools to wring every last drop of value out of your intellectual capacity. He explains why mastering this shift in work practices is crucial for anyone who intends to stay ahead in a complex information economy, and how to systematically train the mind to focus. Put simply: developing and cultivating a deep work practice is one of the best decisions we can make in an increasingly distracted world.
Buy On:
Easons €17.31
Bookshop.org UK £14.24
Bookshop.org US $26.97
Blackwells £10.62
Waterstones £14.99
Wordery $18.51
Q. Do you have a favourite childhood book?
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Pipi Longstocking
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a perennial favourite with children and adults alike. Its imaginative illustration and clever cut-out detail charts the progress of a very hungry caterpillar as he eats his way through the week.
Buy On:
Easons €7.69
Bookshop.org UK £7.59
Bookshop.org US $10.22
Blackwells £45.00
Waterstones £6.99
Wordery $9.86
Q. Do you prefer reading on paper, Kindle or listening to an audiobook?
On paper, ideally with a cup of chai latte next to me
Q. Do you have a favourite bookshop (and why that shop)?
Hatchards
Hatchards on Piccadilly, I love its atmosphere and could spend hours there just looking around
Many thanks to Julia for recommending a fantastic selection of books! Please don't forget to check out Going Mainstream: How extremists are taking over.
Daryl
Image Copyrights: Bonnier Books Ltd (Going Mainstream: How extremists are taking over), Crown Publishing Group (NY) (How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future), Little, Brown Book Group (Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World), Penguin Random House Children's UK (The Very Hungry Caterpillar).
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