Strange People on the Hill: How Extremism Tore Apart a Small American Town

About the Book

A gripping story that reveals what happened to a small American town when an influential white nationalist group relocated its headquarters there, illustrating how radical changes in American politics impact our psyches and divide our communities

When the white nationalist group VDARE used dark money to purchase a historic castle overlooking Berkeley Springs in West Virginia, America's "cold civil war" spilled into this scenic tourist town.

From behind the imposing stone walls of their castle, VDARE's Peter and Lydia Brimelow spread propaganda focused on the "great replacement" conspiracy theory, sowing discord in the once-peaceful town below. In an attempt to restore civility, a group of neighbors banded together to oppose VDARE's presence in Berkeley Springs.

Strange People on the Hill urgently demonstrates how extreme reactionary ideology and the national politics that embody it disrupt the lives of everyday Americans while highlighting the intimate relationship between violent, racist radicalism and what now passes for mainstream conservatism.

Through extensive on-the-ground reporting, renowned researcher and investigative reporter Michael Edison Hayden shows how the politicized culture wars manifest in deeply personal dramas and conflicts in a moving narrative about how the people of Berkeley Springs are bravely standing up against hate and division and forging a community built on inclusivity, respect, and neighborliness.

About the Author :
Michael Edison Hayden is an investigative reporter and a leading expert on far-right extremism. As a reporter, he broke some of the biggest stories on the radical right over the last decade, and his analyses-featured in outlets like NPR, MSNBC, and CNN-helped shape perspectives on the authoritarian, anti-democracy movement that took over the Republican Party. He resides in New York.

Review :
"Deeply personal, disturbing, and intense, this meticulously documented account is an urgent call to action."--Booklist "A captivating, unsettling up-close look at America's increasingly vicious partisan split."--Publishers Weekly "A brave book that lays bare the grim reality of our times: the fascist tide that threatens to drown us all, the pernicious role of extreme wealth, and the hubris-fed failure of the institutions that we have all relied on as guardrails of our democracy. Most of all, it exposes the unbearable weight borne by the people who are fighting against that tide and the high price they pay. An utterly riveting and heartbreaking read."--David Neiwert, author of The Age of Insurrection "A truly remarkable achievement. One of the most intimate, gripping journalistic accounts to date of this fascist moment in our politics. A deeply reported, and deeply American, descent into madness, chronicling a small town at war with itself, and a writer coming undone as he grapples with what that war means for the future of his country. Strange People on the Hill is a rare and brave book, not only for the evil it boldly confronts, but for the confessional honesty of its author, who throws himself into darkness to help show us all how to find the light."--Christopher Mathias, author of To Catch a Fascist "Strange People on the Hill chronicles an America in flux, as a small town is thrown into chaos by the arrival of a notorious white nationalist family. Michael Edison Hayden has written an admirably candid and remarkably intimate account of the toll that extremism exacts on ordinary people--not least on the author himself."--J.M. Berger, author of Extremism "Michael Edison Hayden has written a harrowing account of how extremist forces can infiltrate communities--and how new networks of solidarity and defense of the truth can emerge to resist them. A timely and engagingly written account by an expert on extremism and hate groups."--Ruth Ben-Ghiat, professor of history and Italian studies at New York University and author of Strongmen "Michael Hayden is one of the leading reporters covering far-right extremism in America, and he's got the scars to prove it. Now, in Strange People on the Hill, he's written a gripping thriller about a white supremacist takeover of a small town--a battle over a castle, and the heart of America itself."--Will Sommer, author of Trust the Plan