The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging

by Noelle Cook

How do ordinary women become extremists?

Leafing through photos from the January 6 insurrection, extremist researcher Noelle Cook was struck by how many women looked like her: middle-aged white women in puffy coats. Women were not on the fringes of the extreme right, she realized. They were radicalizing each other, and the pandemic was changing them. So who were the women of J6? And why did some of them believe in shape-shifting reptilians and the health benefits of colloidal silver?

This is the world scholars call conspirituality, in which New Age religion, online wellness culture, and extremism blend and become laced with antisemitic and racist theories. With acute attention to the emotional lives of women and research on conspiracism, Cook introduces us to Tammy, who believed storming the Capitol would help take down a global cabal of pedophiles. We also meet Yvonne, convinced she is a starseed destined to lead others into the fifth dimension. We visit a trade show where vendors hawk everything from quantum healing devices to government cover-ups, and trace the movement's roots to a nineteenth-century mystical philosophy.

With arresting detail, The Conspiracists draws us into the lives of conspiratorial women to explore how and why women are becoming radicalized. Women are crafting entire worlds, Cook argues, and we ignore these worlds at our own peril. As misinformation spreads and extremism intensifies, The Conspiracists does not seek to excuse women's conspiracism but rather to understand it. Otherwise, we have no hope of countering its force.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History

185 pages, Hardcover

Published January 6, 2026

About the author

Noelle Cook is an ethnographer and storyteller who studies how extremism, conspiracy theories, and disinformation shape everyday life. She is the author of The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging (Broadleaf Books, 2026) and Associate Producer of The Conspiracists, a feature documentary based on five years of immersive research. Her work examines the cultural, emotional, and generational forces that draw ordinary Americans—especially middle-aged white women—into conspiratorial worlds, using empathy without endorsement to understand how identity and belonging take root in places where conspiracy and extremism intersect.

Reviews

[Richard Derus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: How do ordinary women become extremists?

Leafing through photos from the January 6 insurrection, extremist researcher Noelle Cook was struck by how many women looked like her: middle-aged white women in puffy coats. Women were not on the fringes of the extreme right, she realized. They were radicalizing each other, and the pandemic was changing them. So who were the women of J6? And why did some of them believe in shape-shifting reptilians and the health benefits of colloidal silver?

This is the world scholars call conspirituality, in which New Age religion, online wellness culture, and extremism blend and become laced with antisemitic and racist theories. With acute attention to the emotional lives of women and research on conspiracism, Cook introduces us to Tammy, who believed storming the Capitol would help take down a global cabal of pedophiles. We also meet Yvonne, convinced she is a starseed destined to lead others into the fifth dimension. We visit a trade show where vendors hawk everything from quantum healing devices to government cover-ups, and trace the movement's roots to a nineteenth-century mystical philosophy.

With arresting detail, The Conspiracists draws us into the lives of conspiratorial women to explore how and why women are becoming radicalized. Women are crafting entire worlds, Cook argues, and we ignore these worlds at our own peril. As misinformation spreads and extremism intensifies, The Conspiracists does not seek to excuse women's conspiracism but rather to understand it. Otherwise, we have no hope of countering its force.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: I am quite openly an atheist. In a world where how you pray and to whom can get you murdered, that is not the safe option.

One of the most powerful repulsive forces in my eyes against all religions, everywhere and of every stripe, is that this book's subjects are not unique to any one tradition...apart from the socially acceptable psychotic break that is labeled religion.

That statement will offend many. I've had a psychotic break recently, a reaction known to occur to people who take Levaquin (albeit very, very few of them, lucky me) as I did for pneumonia, so I speak from my own experience: If inanimate/invisible things are speaking to you, are counseling you about Reality, are imbued with consciousness or intelligence or both, you are experiencing a psychotic break...not a divine visitation or revelatory vision.

I'd treat the women profiled in these pages with the care and concern I received during my own psychotic break, gently attempting to lead them back to consensus reality. It's not always effective but it's worth trying. In profiling these women, Author Cook is not demeaning them, not saying (as I have) they are experiencing a mental-health crisis, not presenting value judgments outright...again, like I have done. She traces the women's sense of being abandoned, unconsidered, as they travel further and further into what most of us see as conspiracy-theory aberrations. It is a truth we as a society do not want to face head-on that huge swaths of our population are in the grips of this factually supported idea of themselves as abandoned, hard done by. In the face of that existential crisis what else is there to do but reach for some explanation, some reason? They already know there is no justification or excuse for their situation. There must be a "why," because there always is.

It's facing up to the vile, selfish cause of the nightmarish cruelty enacted on them that makes conspiracy theories so appealing and so successful. As these ordinary women's descent (as I see it) into aberrant thinking and acceptance of "alternative facts" demonstrates, the need to have a "why" is the most powerful inducement of conspiracies and delusions...of all sorts, in all times.

The absence of trust in what I see as trustworthy authority structures, eg science, has been carefully cultivated for more than a generation. (You can look up the research on your own.) It's led many people into a more general mistrust of what was once mainstream information economies that we relied on to build our consensus about the polity we live in. That vacuum, as the women profiled demonstrate in their adherence to beliefs not demonstrably truthful, is filled by the Othered communities they've chosen to fill the void. In those Othered communities there is stability, there is fellowship, there is belonging and validation the unempathetic outsiders do not offer.

I certainly don't offer empathy and understanding to people who believe they're messiahs, or that there are lizard people secretly controlling the world. Scorn and contumely by the dumpsterload, yes; understanding and empathy, not a smidgin. Hence my need to engage with this book: being Right is being part of the problem that's led to these fractures developing during the time of immense societal stress we're experiencing. In a quest not to unknowingly respond to others' delusional thinking, as I see it, with behaviors that will only worsen the problem I've identified, I seek my usual trusted source of advice: Experts who share my vision of the world more than they don't.

January 6th looms. It is a midterm election year, and there is widespread opposition to the current regime. A foreign war has been launched.

The omens do not portend a smooth course ahead. Conspiracists, you aunties, cousins, and grandmas, are likely going to support a radical alteration of the country's governance...despite the signs pointing to that course leading to repression and violence and immiseration. Beliefs that "They" are the ones who will suffer and be punished for "Their" misdeeds, that this horror will lead into a glorious Golden Age of Truth and Rewards for those who believed, are going to be dashed...are being dashed by the entire Epstein files debacle. Marjorie Taylor Greene, with whom I share nothing except the Constitutionally-guaranteed right to trial by a jury of my peers, has admitted she was wrong to hold her conspiracist beliefs.

It's a process we cannot hasten and widen in scope without understanding its roots. That was the point of Author Cook writing this book. Stand ready to escort the conspiracists back into consensus reality by learning how and why they left it.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published January 6, 2026.

5 stars

This is a really interesting look at why middle aged white women ended up storming the Capitol on January 6 and why so many more are caught up in “conspirituality,” a mix of new age spirituality and far-right conspiracy theories. As an aside, wonder what the percentage was of POC in the crowd on January 6.

The book focuses on two women, Tammy and Yvonne, and my one quarrel with the book is that, to me, at least, these women appear to be on the extreme side of the spectrum in a number of ways, especially as to the trauma suffered as children and young adults. It is fairly easy to be angry at many of those extremists on the right, but, honestly, after reading about all that Tammy and Yvonne have suffered through it is difficult to feel anything other than pity, and maybe a thought of, “if I had gone through all that, who knows how I would have turned out? Maybe serial killer..”. Then you just wish them well.

However, if Tammy and Yvonne aren’t necessarily representative of every woman present on January 6 as far as background, their present day beliefs are so interesting. They seem to buy it all: fake moon landing, flat earth, reptilian celebrities drinking the blood of babies (this is a REAL thing)…it’s crazy. But it’s enlightening. I think we keep thinking that society is going to come back into its right mind when Trump dies…but what if this IS the majority now? What has happened to us? Well worth a read.

[Stacey Sturgis · Rating 5 out of 5]

RELEASE DAY 1/6

“When women get involved, a movement becomes a serious threat.”

This well-researched, thoughtful, and empathetic work not only answered many of my own questions about how so many women in my circles turned—seemingly overnight—into rabid conspiracists, but also provided me with ideas for how we might move forward as a nation so divided in the era of Trump 2.0. In this new landscape, those of us who live outside the world of conspiracy theories often only get glimpses of the ideology while being overwhelmed and confounded by the behavior. This results in the disintegration of our relationships, the isolation of the one following the conspiracies, and further hostility and suspicion toward “the other side.”

The book originated as a graduate thesis that was influenced by photographs the author took of J6. She wondered, as many of us have, how so many middle-aged women ended up supporting this movement to the point of violence. What draws them to conspiracy theories, and how were they convinced? It did not take me long to see similarities between research on conspiracism (which, as a field, is still quite new) and that on high-control faith communities. Indeed, Ms. Cook draws not only parallels to organized fundamentalist religion but finds concrete evidence demonstrating the influence of specific faiths on large numbers of women who today participate in what we learn is called conspirituality. This term describes a synthesis of varied, individualized New Age spiritual beliefs and conspiracy theories, mainly spread through online influencers. Patriarchal religions, which, as the author notes, “leave little room for older women,” appear to prime them in a post-COVID world to find both hope and new, valued roles in belief systems centered in largely online groups based on common interests in protecting children, health, and education.

Readers will meet two women, Tammy and Yvonne, to learn their stories. As Ms. Cook describes Tammy’s journey, her “paths to conspiracism [were] blasted out by a constant firehose of trauma that began in childhood and kept blasting open new pathways deep into adulthood.” The author uses the grief, heartbreak, and hope shared by Tammy and Yvonne to illustrate how they each found in conspirituality a solution to overcome their despair and sense of powerlessness. As we get to know them better, Ms. Cook adds her research findings to the picture emerging of who is drawn to conspiracism, and why.

I found this powerful work to be valuable on both a personal and professional level. I would recommend it to anyone struggling with family or friends they may have given up as lost to conspiracism, and especially to those in the fields of mental health therapy, substance use disorder treatment, primary care medicine, community nursing, and social work. Intervention opportunities abound for teachers and school-based mental health staff. A solid 5/5.

Deep thanks to Broadleaf Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

[Amy Maddess · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Conspiracists, Noelle Cook offers an intimate, sociologically grounded exploration of how conspiracy thinking takes root and why it proves so resilient in an era defined by political polarization and social fracture. Through close case studies—particularly of two women, Tammy and Yvonne—Cook situates conspiratorial belief not as an intellectual failure, but as a coping mechanism shaped by trauma, uncertainty, and a profound need for meaning and belonging. The book’s central thesis is persuasive: conspiracism thrives where trust erodes, and any meaningful response will require something currently in short supply—genuine curiosity about, and empathy for, people on “the other side.”

One of the book’s strengths lies in how effectively it connects personal narratives to broader sociological research. Reading The Conspiracists reinforced for me the importance of staying engaged with current social science scholarship in order to better understand the world as it unfolds in real time. Cook demonstrates how conspiracy beliefs offer coherence in moments of upheaval, providing simple explanations for complex problems and fostering communities that feel stabilizing, even as they reinforce misinformation. At the same time, the book argues convincingly that confronting conspiracism through ridicule or fact-checking alone is ineffective; rebuilding trust and human connection must be central to any solution.

That said, the book occasionally stumbles in tone and framing. While trauma clearly underpins many of the narratives Cook explores, there are moments where this feels overly explicit and somewhat condescending, as though the reader needs to be guided toward conclusions that are already evident in the stories themselves. Additionally, the discussion of racial differences in conspiratorial belief initially relies too heavily on sweeping generalizations. The later clarification—that Black people and other marginalized groups often hold conspiracy beliefs grounded in documented historical injustices, while white conspiratorial thinking is more frequently rooted in perceived loss of social status—adds necessary nuance, but arrives later than it should. This distinction deserved earlier and more careful unpacking to avoid reinforcing simplistic comparisons.

I was also struck by how closely The Conspiracists parallels themes from Little Bosses Everywhere by Bridget Read. Both books examine similar groups of women searching for purpose, belonging, and identity, often finding it through parallel ecosystems—whether MLMs or “conspirituality.” The overlap felt uncanny, down to the coincidence that both books feature central case studies named Yvonne. Together, these works suggest a broader pattern: when traditional sources of meaning, security, and community erode, people will inevitably seek alternatives that promise clarity and belonging, even at great personal and social cost.

Overall, The Conspiracists is a thoughtful, challenging read that resists easy answers and instead insists on empathy, sociological literacy, and sustained curiosity as tools for understanding one of the defining phenomena of our time. While imperfect in places, it succeeds in asking the most important question: not how to defeat conspiratorial thinking, but how to understand the human needs that give rise to it in the first place.

[Krystelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I think the first word that springs to mind to describe this book is ‘bleak’, but please understand this term is used in the best possible way. This is a treatise on where society has gone so wrong, particularly in America, and how our insular society has left people behind to the point that they fall prey to dangerous ideology.

I don’t think that this book is sympathetic, necessarily, but it is the best kind of critique of ideas that are deeply worrying. It studies the lives of two women, who were once reasonably ordinary, and their descent into Trumpism and, eventually, full conspiracy.

These women are people who feel like they’ve been left behind. The ideology they have been captured by, as laid out in this book, is designed to snare them and make them easy fodder for insurrection (like, say, the storming of the Capitol). I think the study of both of the subjects, and the wider scope as a whole, was just fascinating.

I do think that this book could have leaned more into the concept of a solution, and some more of the roots of the ideas that are floated, but I appreciate it was an academic piece in and of itself in just being a study. I was left disappointed by how, as a society, we have let the internet and weak social connections destroy people’s lives, but I would like to hope we can find hope in the years ahead.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This multilayered book covers the stories of two women in the right-wing conspiracy space, as well as a larger picture of that movement. Cook identifies how a toxic mix of conspiracism and spirituality, or conspirituality, attracts downtrodden, overlooked, often impoverished women into the fold of the likes of QAnon and its ilk.

This was so much more than a stiff portrait of two women. The ways that the author became embedded in the story, exemplifying the need for empathy (though not agreement or approval) with research participants is worth learning from. There were some detours within the overall narrative, but it is a necessary addition to the genre of conspiracy research.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This deep dive into female conspiracists on the MAGA fringes focuses on a couple of adherents. I learned so much about the worldview, including such neologisms as conspirituality and new beliefs such as "Disclosure" movement and such seminal figures as "Love has won" Amy Carlson. The blend of New Age mysticism and impending world transformation leads to concepts like "starseed":

I am most definitely a starseed!" Yvonne proclaimed in response. "I see and understand things differently."

There are a variety of starseed checklists because there are numerous kinds of starseeds. Each one has its own set of characteristics. The checklist for "Indigo Children" includes: "headstrong, creative, prone to addictions, an 'old soul,' intuitive or psychic, tendency to isolate, independent and proud, possesses a deep desire to help the world in a big way, wavers between low self-esteem and grandiosity, easily bored, diagnosed with ADD, prone to insomnia or nightmares, history of depression, looks for real friendships only, and easily bonds with other non-human living things." If you check fourteen or more items from the list, then you are "in fact an indigo." The comments section for the meme was filled with people identifying themselves as Indigo Children based on their responses.

My favorite list is a meme Yvonne reposted on Facebook that describes common "Ascension Symptoms." In Yvonne's theology, "Ascension" or "Dis-closure" is what happens when the world starts transitioning to 5D, a process that seems a lot like the biblical apocalypse from the book of Revelation.

This post-theosophy new age syncretism is fascinating. Is this how a religion is born?

Typically, that training isn't free. Nor are the different sacred items needed to activate your full starseed powers and ready yourself for Ascension. It's all quite involved and requires a series of classes, healing and channeling sessions, and the purchase of an assortment of items, elixirs, and ointments, each of which has a unique spiritual purpose.

You can see how all this works together with Love Has Won, the online spiritual group that Yvonne started following during the pandemic. Love Has Won is a descendant of theosophy, the I AM movement, alien religions, and several other New Age traditions. Its leader, Amy Carlson, picked and chose elements of all those versions of New Age faith and then added her own...

It is interesting how so many figures one would not have once associated with the far-right fringe apparently catalyzed by COVID-19 went into this rabbit hole. A key exemplar is the Plandemic guy.

The changes reflect how the pandemic has remade the health and wellness and New Age spiritual communities. Now the Expo features some of the big-gest names in anti-government, anti-mask, and anti-vaccination activism. People shell out fifty dollars a ticket to hear television and film producer Del Bigtree talk about his movie Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe. His session sold out quickly. Bigtree would go on to become Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 2024 presidential campaign spokesperson.

Audiences pay the same amount to hear British conspiracy guru Sacha Stone. Prior to the pandemic, Stone was a relatively benign wellness advocate. During the pandemic, Stone went hard into conspirituality when his anti-vaccination advocacy catapulted him to right-wing fame. Now Stone talks about how the Illuminati rule the earth and are trying to control humanity through vaccines that implant a soul-controlling nanochip with each injection. Like Del Bigtree, Sacha Stone is closely connected with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The closing event of the entire 2023 Expo is the world premiere of the film Plandemic 3: The Great Awakening, produced by anti-vaccination activist and conspiracy theory peddler Mikki Willis. The original plan-demic film-Plandemic: The Hidden Agenda Behind Covid-19-went viral on social media after its release in May 2020, especially after being pro-moted by far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Despite being banned by mainstream social media platforms, it continued to spread online, becoming one of the most damaging sources of medical misinformation during the pandemic.

Prior to producing these films, Willis worked as a videographer for Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign and did the same for Tulsi Gabbard's 2020 presidential run. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote the foreword for the book version of Plandemic, which was published in October 2021. Here's what Kennedy had to say: "Mikki Willis is the Paul Revere of the rebellion against the burgeoning totalitarianism of the Biosecurity State. Willis' incendiary film, Plandemic, sparked the seeds of revolution in a billion open minds and ignited the dangerous global conflagration of critical thinking." In 2024, Willis worked for Kennedy's presidential campaign and produced the video introducing him to voters.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spellbinding. A deep, careful, enthralling, and chilling dive into the conspirituality of American women.

Conspirituality is a new term for an old idea: conspiracy thinking and spirituality go hand-in-hand. People simply fall prey to typical cognitive biases, made worse by a lack of education, inculcation, mental health issues and disorders, and poor circumstances throughout the life span.

Cook introduces us to two women a lot of people will struggle to like, let alone empathize with. One went to jail for participating in the Capitol Hill riots. Both are all the things: anti-vaxxers, Covid denialists, even algorithmic conspiracists (the AI is speaking to you ...). And they are also deeply traumatized people ... and in some ways good people. One was a Marine drill sergeant. Cook helps us understand where it all went wrong. The women are approached critically but treated with humanity.

"Conspiracies continue to be a method of hope to get through it all."

This is the key takeaway. Reality sucks for most people, most of the time. We have an innate desire to feel good, feel supported, to belong … to have access to basic resources, including a stable social network … to have our intrinsic needs met ... but when this doesn’t happen, especially over an extended period of time and when trauma is added to the mix, plus access to certain content and the attention of certain people, the seeds for conspiratorial thinking and religious fervour are sewn.

"Treating conspiracists with kindness, patience, and understanding appears to be a precondition for a successful exit."

A lot of people lambaste or otherwise make fun of conspiracy thinkers. A lot of people attack them/their ideas (the lines are often blurred), and rightly so on the idea front. But what is the end goal? Yeah, they’re wrong and sometimes even dangerous. But how will attacking them help? What does it feel to be on the receiving end? How would you react? You'd double-down and radicalize further. And you certainly wouldn't want to be friends with you. It's not just the conspiracy theorists who need to change their ways. They need somewhere to go ... someone to go to.

The one thing that grated my nerves about this text was Cook's constant hand-waving to "research" that she never cites. This was supposed to be a thesis. Yet, nary a source is to be had. Citations aren't just for academics. In fact, a book on this kind of topic almost requires the "opposite" behaviour it's criticizing. Any yahoo might call this material a "conspiracy" without the proper receipts!

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Broadleaf Books | Augsburg Fortress Publishers for the advance copy.

[Chelsea Knowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

The Conspiracists follows two women who were at the January 6 insurrection. Tammy stormed the Capitol because she believed it would help take down a global cabal of pedophiles. On the other hand, Yvonne believes she is a starseed destined to lead others into the fifth dimension. The two women follow conspirituality which blends New Age religion, online wellness culture and extremism. This book investigates why women are turning to conspirituality and why they believe in things that most people would consider crazy.

This book is very good and extremely compelling. I think this book is important and people need to read this. As this book states it’s important to understand why people turn to conspirituality and follow conspiracy theories that have been proven untrue. I felt very emotional after reading about Tammy’s background and it is clear to see how ACE’s and negative life experiences impact people’s beliefs in later life. This book starts off discussing the Capitol insurrection but then discusses things like the pandemic and delves into some key beliefs in conspirituality such as QAnon and starseeds. I will be recommending this book, I had such a good time reading this and I found it to be very impactful.

Favourite quote - “Black conspiracism grows out of lived experiences and genuine horrors inflicted by governments and the medical establishment, which, for example, used to get most of its research cadavers by robbing Black graveyards. White conspiracism seems more rooted in the perception of loss in social status, in part driven by the advances by non-white Americans as a result of the civil rights movements of the 1960s and ’70s.”

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Broadleaf Books and Netgalley for the ARC

Not gonna lie, I kind of love that this is coming out on January 6

Incredibly interesting book. A lot has been published about January 6, about the conspirituality movement, about how some people can get radicalized and start to believe in very fringe ideologies, but I feel that it's the first time we're actually focusing on a very specific demographic : middle aged white women. The author decided to tell us the story of two women who are very similar and explain why they are so representative of that movement. Just like with cults (and one could argue this is kind of a cult), anyone could join but not actually everyone ; usually those groups are more appealing to very specific people with pasts and personality traits that they all have in common. Being a victim of trauma throughout your childhood, the lack of social network, the desire to believe in something bigger than yourself, a distrust of the government... All those things mixed with covid, a time when suddenly everyone was isolated and trying to find answers online : a very dangerous combination.

One thing that the author does really well is talking about these women with compassion, I think that's key when talking about those movements, sure I want to point and laugh and judge sometimes, but those women are also victims. Understanding what brought them there is the best way to prevent others from joining. One thing I really agree with, is that there is very little community for menopausal women, once they're past a certain age they become mostly invisible everywhere ; I feel like we don't talk enough about that.

Highly recommend this book, interesting and empathic at the same time

[Six Degrees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noelle Cook entered my life shortly after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. At the time, she was studying the women who took part in the attack, while I was still trying to understand how my loved one had fallen down the rabbit hole of Pizzagate and then QAnon. Her work and compassion in making sense of conspirituality opened up a greater understanding not only for me but for many others, ultimately leading to her first book, The Conspiracists.​

In The Conspiracists, Cook takes a compassionate, in-depth look at two women, Yvonne and Tammy. Through their stories she examines how trauma, life experiences, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a “choose-your-own-adventure” style of New Age spirituality created the perfect breeding ground for self-radicalization, especially online.​

The result is a moving and thought-provoking journey. Though Yvonne and Tammy share much in common, their differences make for an even more compelling portrait of what their lives are like and how varied the path into conspirituality can be.​

Cook never seeks to excuse the behaviors or actions of Yvonne or Tammy. In a world lacking compassion and understanding, where so many have either fallen down the rabbit hole of conspiracies or lost someone to them, The Conspiracists offers a fresh, nuanced look at these women, how they developed their belief systems, and what it might mean to truly try to understand them just a little more.​

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis: Cook meets and profiles two middle-aged women convicted for involvement in the 6 January 2021 Capitol attack, telling their stories and grappling with how they came to buy into a mix of QAnon conspiracy theories and New Age spirituality.

Review: This ethnography was written in a narrative format, canvassing the lives of the women profiled. It emphasised how women who are marginalised, isolated and vulnerable (whether that be due to adverse childhood experiences, poverty, domestic violence, or all three as in the case of each woman profiled) are more likely to be drawn into conspiracy theories. It explained the rationale for the women’s views, and how they fell into an algorithmic feedback loop that fed their conspiracy beliefs. That said, Cook mentioned that she started the book as an academic research project, and commenced compiling data regarding the women arrested before shifting focus. It would have been nice if some of this approach had been left in, to determine how representative the two women profiled are, of women involved in right-wing conspirituality. 

Cook humanises the women, but doesn’t excuse their actions. It would be an interesting read for anyone who wonders how QAnon conspiracy theories have taken hold among women in the US, or anyone who's a fan of Arlie Russell Hochschild's Strangers In Their Own Land.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Conspiracists is a chilling, deeply human examination of how extremism takes root, not on the margins of society, but in familiar, everyday lives. Noelle Cook approaches a volatile subject with rigor, empathy, and unflinching clarity, revealing how loneliness, identity-seeking, wellness culture, and digital communities can quietly merge into radical belief systems.

What makes this book so powerful is its focus on women, not as anomalies within extremist movements, but as active participants who shape, sustain, and spread conspiratorial worlds. Cook’s portraits are unsettling precisely because they feel real: women searching for meaning, belonging, and moral clarity in moments of fear and uncertainty. By refusing both sensationalism and excuse-making, The Conspiracists offers one of the most important contributions yet to our understanding of misinformation, radicalization, and the emotional economies that fuel them. This is essential reading for anyone concerned with democracy, media literacy, and the hidden social forces reshaping our political landscape.

[Jordan Gauss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling and empathetic look at two specific women who “fell down the rabbit hole”. It’s clear that the author really spent a lot of time getting to know these women, and grew to care for them deeply. This definitely humanized a couple of “January 6ers”, and made a case for how easily it can be to turn to conspiracies as a form of religion as a result of trauma, uncertainty, and vicious cycles. Having said that, I don’t know that I’m convinced by some of the assertions. The author certainly makes a good case for the role a lifetime of trauma can have on one’s propensity to believe in conspiracy. I’m not necessarily convinced that the ideas about the women discussed in this book can necessarily be extrapolated, and applied to all, or even most, conspiracy theorist women. Overall, a very interesting, and moving, look at two women who found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

[September Withers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging is a sharp and unsettling examination of how radicalization takes root in unexpected places. Noelle Cook approaches a complex and often misunderstood subject with clarity, empathy, and rigorous research, offering readers a deeper understanding of how conspiracy culture and extremism intersect with identity and belonging.

What stands out is the book’s focus on emotional and social dynamics rather than spectacle. By centering real women and tracing the blend of wellness culture, spirituality, and misinformation, Cook delivers a nuanced analysis that feels both timely and essential. This is a vital contribution to conversations around misinformation and modern extremism

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look at two middle-aged women who stormed the Capitol on January 6. I never would have believed I could understand the mindset of a far right MAGA cultist/conspiracist, but Noelle Cook has proven me wrong. Her sensitivity and non-judgmental attitude allowed her inside the minds and lives of these women, and she deftly illustrated how their various traumas, lack of resources, and social isolation led them to become prey to the algorithms and conspiracy theories. She also described various conspiracy theories and cults in depth, with a section on how best to reach people with extremist beliefs. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the political divisiveness in the last several years!

Thanks to Broadleaf Books, via NetGalley, for this ARC!

[Erin Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a fascinating read. I could not put it down. The author details how and why white, middle-age women are falling for conspiracy theories. She follows two women as they seem to live normal lives and then become very online and fall into conspiracy theories. Both women have significant trauma in their past, and the author does believe this place into the reasons they are prone to believing in conspiracy theories. I was surprised about how lingo I have heard used is actually from new age spiritualism such as 5 D. I found the book and enlightening, disturbing and hopeful.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was a well written book about two women who get wrapped up in conspiracy theories and how they act upon them. Crazy stuff. I can’t imagine what those women have gone through that lead them to where they are now. Not sympathizing with them at all. Also learned about conspiracy theories I’ve never heard of before! It was a good read but nothing revolutionary at this point in time.

Thank you Net Galley for the early copy!!!

[Madison ✨ (mad.lyreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great examination of middle aged women who fall into conspiracies. While the book focuses on two people specifically, the author makes clear she interviewed more than just those two, though it appears to really be a deep dive on these two. I have read a few books about people who have fallen into QAnon, though this book is more broadly about people who fall into conspiracy theories as a whole, and this book does a great job of making sure we are viewing these individuals as a whole, rather than just as the person with beliefs we just do not understand.

The author notes in the beginning that this book isn't that academic, but I wish she had leaned slightly more into that. Sometimes I couldn't tell what thoughts came from research, and what came from her observations of these women. Regardless, I flew through this book. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to Broadleaf Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are in this together, whether we like it or not.

One of my top reads of 2025. A deceptively tender combination of the strange, senseless lore of Qanon and other modern American conspiracies, plus the humanity of the people who get sucked into them. Less forgiving and infantalizing than other books I've read with the same approach; Cook has sympathy and tells us a lot about these women's lives, but it feels more like an explanation than a way to make us forgive them. Also having a focus on the women in the movement is vital.

(Could have used a prose edit, though; it drove me a little insane with how it would re-explain things that were obvious in dialogue, like trying to transform people's interviews into a hand-holding script for a bad play. " 'And man, was I shocked,' she says, trying to capture her sense of disbelief." Oh was she? Was she trying to convey she was shocked with how she said "I was shocked"? Do you think? Could I have picked that up on my own?)

Will be revisiting again sometime.