What do you think?
Rate this book
Win a free print copy of this book!
7 days and 12:32:15
15 copies available
U.S. only
The Madness of Believing: A Memoir from Inside Alex Jones’s Conspiracy Machine
Not yet published
Expected 14 Apr 26Win a free print copy of this book!
7 days and 12:32:15
15 copies available
U.S. only
An unvarnished and immersive dive into the world of conspiracy theories, propaganda, and disinformation from Alex Jones’ former righthand man at Infowars.
At twenty-four-years old, Josh Owens was a college dropout who had already been listening to Alex Jones for five years. Originally drawn in by Jones' entertaining personality and anti-establishment stance, Josh soon came to suspect that vaccines were dangerous, that fluoride in drinking water lowered IQ levels, and a wide range of other far-fetched conspiracies. When the opportunity arose to work for Jones, he jumped at it, packing up his life and moving halfway across the country to start his first job as an adult.
THE MADNESS OF BELIEVING follows Josh’s experience working at Infowars, where he became one of Jones’ most trusted employees. He began traveling across the world creating “news” stories and spreading outright lies to Infowars’ ever-growing listener base. As he rose through the ranks, his skepticism grew, and Josh underwent a personal transformation just as Infowars too changed from a fringe community to a mainstream disinformation machine.
Josh’s story is one playing out across that of impressionable young people pulled into a dangerous world where reality and fiction are blurred, and extremist beliefs gain steam. THE MADNESS OF BELIEVING is a reckoning with this climate, one that provides riveting insight into these supposedly radical, truth-driven organizations while exposing their dangerous false claims and lies.
At twenty-four-years old, Josh Owens was a college dropout who had already been listening to Alex Jones for five years. Originally drawn in by Jones' entertaining personality and anti-establishment stance, Josh soon came to suspect that vaccines were dangerous, that fluoride in drinking water lowered IQ levels, and a wide range of other far-fetched conspiracies. When the opportunity arose to work for Jones, he jumped at it, packing up his life and moving halfway across the country to start his first job as an adult.
THE MADNESS OF BELIEVING follows Josh’s experience working at Infowars, where he became one of Jones’ most trusted employees. He began traveling across the world creating “news” stories and spreading outright lies to Infowars’ ever-growing listener base. As he rose through the ranks, his skepticism grew, and Josh underwent a personal transformation just as Infowars too changed from a fringe community to a mainstream disinformation machine.
Josh’s story is one playing out across that of impressionable young people pulled into a dangerous world where reality and fiction are blurred, and extremist beliefs gain steam. THE MADNESS OF BELIEVING is a reckoning with this climate, one that provides riveting insight into these supposedly radical, truth-driven organizations while exposing their dangerous false claims and lies.
- GenresNonfictionPolitics
288 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication April 14, 2026
2 people are currently reading
1219 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 7, 2025
ARC for review. To be published April 14, 2036.
4 stars
So, Alex Jones. He’s an insane man.
Here’s the story of a young man who worked for him and slowly went from true believer (although he doesn’t really cop to that, you can tell that he was) to “well, maybe this guy’s not so legit” to “Dear God, I have to get away from this man and his craziness.”
If you don’t know who Alex Jones really a he’s the ultra-far-right conspiracy theorist who is likely best known for calling Sandy Hook a hoax. Many of the families sued Jones and, for his trouble, having a jury(?-I think it was a jury and not a bench trial) found in their favor, awarding them somewhere around $1.5 billion dollars. BILLION. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
So, here, the author was a film student before going to work for Jones, and he was also a big believer in conspiracy theories…in fact he entered a contest to work for Jones, God help us. We are with the author as he becomes part of Jones’s inner circle and he works with Jones and his show though the Bundy ranch standoff, Ferguson, lots of border angst, San Bernardino, Trump’s 2016 Presidential run and more.
Even while the author is still fairly enamored of Jones he.ms presented as chaotic, out of control, hot tempered and seems to have a serious problem with alcohol. That’s all in addition to his racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, xenophobia, and, well, his general dislike of everyone who isn’t a white American man. He’s simply vile. Frankly, the author is fairly bad too, for making as many excuses as he did. Why his girlfriend stood by him is beyond me. However, the book was an interesting read.
4 stars
So, Alex Jones. He’s an insane man.
Here’s the story of a young man who worked for him and slowly went from true believer (although he doesn’t really cop to that, you can tell that he was) to “well, maybe this guy’s not so legit” to “Dear God, I have to get away from this man and his craziness.”
If you don’t know who Alex Jones really a he’s the ultra-far-right conspiracy theorist who is likely best known for calling Sandy Hook a hoax. Many of the families sued Jones and, for his trouble, having a jury(?-I think it was a jury and not a bench trial) found in their favor, awarding them somewhere around $1.5 billion dollars. BILLION. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
So, here, the author was a film student before going to work for Jones, and he was also a big believer in conspiracy theories…in fact he entered a contest to work for Jones, God help us. We are with the author as he becomes part of Jones’s inner circle and he works with Jones and his show though the Bundy ranch standoff, Ferguson, lots of border angst, San Bernardino, Trump’s 2016 Presidential run and more.
Even while the author is still fairly enamored of Jones he.ms presented as chaotic, out of control, hot tempered and seems to have a serious problem with alcohol. That’s all in addition to his racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, xenophobia, and, well, his general dislike of everyone who isn’t a white American man. He’s simply vile. Frankly, the author is fairly bad too, for making as many excuses as he did. Why his girlfriend stood by him is beyond me. However, the book was an interesting read.
October 23, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
Big Careless People vibes but with Infowars. A former employee telling all, but unlike Careless People you can see how, while influential, Alex Jones is a hot mess. Infowars is even a more low budget joke than I had imagined. The author also seems a bit more self aware but still made no sense why he didn’t quit earlier.
Big Careless People vibes but with Infowars. A former employee telling all, but unlike Careless People you can see how, while influential, Alex Jones is a hot mess. Infowars is even a more low budget joke than I had imagined. The author also seems a bit more self aware but still made no sense why he didn’t quit earlier.
October 12, 2025
Its hard to really rate this.
On one hand its exactly as I was expecting. A lot of chaos with Alex Jones.
The other hand, I am still shaking my head as to why it took so long for the author to leave InfoWars.
The author suggests that he struggled with what he was doing, yet he continued.
The author never really comes out and apologizes for the chaos that he helped create. Yet, if not for the author, it would have been someone else.
I really didn't get the "madness" of believing. I think that he got caught up in something, when he was younger and NOW wants to write about it.
It was an easy read, nothing hard to figure out what he was doing.
I am not even certain who this book is for? I know it won't be for fans of ALex Jones, though the author never says anything really terrible about him.
Thank you to the publisher and NEtgalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review .
On one hand its exactly as I was expecting. A lot of chaos with Alex Jones.
The other hand, I am still shaking my head as to why it took so long for the author to leave InfoWars.
The author suggests that he struggled with what he was doing, yet he continued.
The author never really comes out and apologizes for the chaos that he helped create. Yet, if not for the author, it would have been someone else.
I really didn't get the "madness" of believing. I think that he got caught up in something, when he was younger and NOW wants to write about it.
It was an easy read, nothing hard to figure out what he was doing.
I am not even certain who this book is for? I know it won't be for fans of ALex Jones, though the author never says anything really terrible about him.
Thank you to the publisher and NEtgalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review .
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Information is interesting. Perhaps I've just read too many ghost-written autobiographies, because my forefront thought is that Owens is simply not a talented writer. Regardless, I think it's brave of him to come forward with his story.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the eARC!
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the eARC!
Review of advance copy
Wasn't expecting this to be so heartfelt. Highly recommend for anyone concerned about the current state of the country and the world. Surprisingly hopeful!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews