I Heart Politics: How People Power Took Over the World

by Phoenix Andrews

Taking readers on an irresistible adventure through some of the most colourful, outrageous and polarising events of recent years - from Brexit to the Capitol Hill Riots and QAnon rallies to Extinction Rebellion protests - Phoenix Andrews shows how if we want to understand what's really happening behind the headlines we need to think about one overlooked fandom.I Heart Politics is a surprising response to the zeitgeist and a brilliant illustration of how, when it comes to many of the most important and polarising issues of our time, we're much less rational creatures than we'd like to believe.

299 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 4, 2024

Reviews

[Niamh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very kindly given an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley and W.F Howes Ltd.

The underlying thesis of this book is fascinating: that politics, like pop culture, is full of fandoms. And fandom behaviour, which has sharpened and radicalized since the birth of the Internet, has seeped into modern day politics and goes some way to explaining the rise of populism and why, especially in the UK, politics crises turn into haydays for incredible memes. With any political book, I want to learn something and Phoenix Andrews' thoughtful ruminations on fandom and politics made for a great listen. It's short and sharp, though as we headed towards the end, I felt like this could have been just as - if not more - successful as an extended article over a book.

'I Heart Politics' is available from April 4th.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fabulour read. Having experience from being on social media (facebook, twitter, reddit etc etc but who hasn't been these days), this book makes a lot of sense and puts a lot of context on to the posting in support of particular politicians/parties/causes, which really helps understanding the dynamics of 'Politics Twitter', r/pol

Really fascinating, and I enjoy how relatable and interesting that I found Phoenix Andrews writing style to be.

He did a great job in making the connection between the politics and general fandom.

It makes a lot of sense of a question I was onced asked "should I f
vote for [party]. I see a lot of stuff about them on facebook?' Now if I was asked that question, I can answer it.

[Simon J Alvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

18. A book written by someone I've known on Twitter that mentions a colleague, a friend, and loads of people who I have been following online for ages, shows this is a book for me. This is a really interesting way of looking at the political culture of the last fifteen years and trying to understand how we got to where we got to. This is an extremely readable and entertaining account of the period which makes its case for a new class of political actors, the fan, well

[Jon Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the sharpest insight as to why politics appeared to descend into madness over the last decade: social media enabling fandoms to dictate political discourse for good and ill. It’s an energetic but thorough rogering of how fandom culture rise, impeccably illustrated by examples from politics and other fandoms from the perspective of someone sharp enough to analyse a changed world but still passionate enough to see it through the eyes of an unashamed fan.

[Kim Ashworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be the first book on politics that I've a) finished and b) enjoyed. Accessible, witty ("Keir Starmer has no vibes"), an interesting perspective and very informative. Well worth a read, if only to be reminded of all the wild things that have happened in the past few years!