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Strange People on the Hill: How Extremism Tore Apart a Small American Town
Not yet published
Expected 7 Apr 26A gripping narrative that reveals what happens to a small American town when an influential white nationalist group relocates its headquarters there, vividly 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, West Virginia, America’s “cold civil war” spilled into the scenic tourist town living underneath. From behind the imposing stone walls of their castle, VDARE’s Peter and Lydia Brimelow spread propaganda focused on the great replacement conspiracy, while the once-friendly neighbors on the streets below turned on each other. In an attempt to restore civility, a group of neighbors banded together to oppose their presence. Strange People on the Hill provides an urgent glimpse at how extreme reactionary ideology, and the national politics that embody it, disrupts the lives of everyday Americans, and vividly illustrates the intimate relationship between violent, racist radicalism and what now passes for mainstream conservatism. Renowned researcher and investigative reporter Michael Edison Hayden employs extensive on-the-ground reporting to show how the politicized culture wars manifest in deeply personal dramas and conflicts, crafting a moving narrative about how the people of Berkeley Springs are standing up against hate and division and bravely forging a community built on inclusivity, respect, and neighborliness.
When the white nationalist group VDARE used dark money to purchase a historic castle overlooking Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, America’s “cold civil war” spilled into the scenic tourist town living underneath. From behind the imposing stone walls of their castle, VDARE’s Peter and Lydia Brimelow spread propaganda focused on the great replacement conspiracy, while the once-friendly neighbors on the streets below turned on each other. In an attempt to restore civility, a group of neighbors banded together to oppose their presence. Strange People on the Hill provides an urgent glimpse at how extreme reactionary ideology, and the national politics that embody it, disrupts the lives of everyday Americans, and vividly illustrates the intimate relationship between violent, racist radicalism and what now passes for mainstream conservatism. Renowned researcher and investigative reporter Michael Edison Hayden employs extensive on-the-ground reporting to show how the politicized culture wars manifest in deeply personal dramas and conflicts, crafting a moving narrative about how the people of Berkeley Springs are standing up against hate and division and bravely forging a community built on inclusivity, respect, and neighborliness.
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication April 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 25, 2026
Strange People on the Hill is another excellent book this year in what's feeling like a crowded space of books reflecting on far right extremism alongside books like Christopher Matthias's To Catch a Fascist and Chris Jenning's End of Days. However, I think Michael Edison Hayden's book carves out it's own niche in a really important way. Strange People serves not only as a history of one community's, Berkeley Springs VA, battle with far right extremists but also really the first book of it's kind to also offer a memoir of the impact researching these movements can have on those doing that research. Hayden's accounts of his time in Berkeley Springs is fantastic but the parts that drew me the most in were the moments that he talked about himself at his most vulnerable. I think this book will serve as a hugely important one hopefully for a next generation of people looking also research and confront present and future fascistic threats and offer insight on the challenges and risks in terms of how it might impact their mental health.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
As a Franco-Canadian reader who has always felt more intellectually drawn to Europe than to the United States, I approached Strange People on the Hill with limited understanding of the political and cultural dynamics shaping our southern neighbors. What I found was an eye-opening, sobering, and deeply human account of a nation struggling with polarization.
Michael Edison Hayden sets out to examine the presence of extremist groups such as VDARE and their attempts to embed themselves within “normal” communities—ironically referring to outsiders as “normies.” Yet what resonated most with me was not simply the exposure of radical ideology, but how this microcosm reflected the broader American reality.
Coming from Canada, where a political “gray zone” still exists and citizens can move between parties without being labeled traitors, I had long viewed American politics as bafflingly rigid. I will admit that, from afar, I sometimes reduced the situation to stereotypes—imagining Trump voters as uninformed or easily manipulated. Hayden’s reporting challenged that simplistic view. Through interviews and lived experiences, he illustrates how polarization has created a binary framework of “friend or enemy,” leaving little space for nuance or dissent within one’s own community.
One striking moment involves a woman who voted for Trump because of immigration policy concerns but felt she could not admit it to her family for fear of being rejected. That detail captures the emotional cost of this divide. When political affiliation becomes a marker of moral worth, acknowledging doubt—or crossing party lines—feels like betrayal.
Hayden avoids turning the book into a linear political argument. Instead, he presents a layered portrait of anxiety, fear, frustration, and alienation on multiple sides. What begins as the story of a small, progressive tourist town confronting the infiltration of extremist ideology evolves into a broader meditation on how quickly division can spread when leaders speak in language of hostility rather than collaboration.
By the end of the book, I was left with the impression that radicalization is not confined to fringe groups. When two major parties become entrenched in mutual hostility, the entire political ecosystem hardens. The United States feels, at times, like it is experiencing a cold civil war—less visible than armed conflict, but deeply corrosive.
Equally powerful is Hayden’s willingness to weave his personal struggles—divorce and battles with mental health—into his investigative work. Rather than weakening the narrative, this vulnerability strengthens it. It underscores the emotional toll of reporting on extremism and polarization, and it reminds readers that journalists are not detached observers but human beings navigating their own fragility.
Strange People on the Hill is not simply a book about one extremist organization. It is a crucial document capturing a pivotal moment in American history. It demonstrates how rapidly a unified community—perhaps even a nation—can fracture when fear is amplified and empathy erodes.
This book forced me to confront my own biases. I no longer see Americans as naïve or incapable of recognizing manipulation. I see a people making choices within a system that increasingly offers them no safe middle ground.
For readers outside the United States especially, this book is essential. It does not excuse extremism, but it helps explain how polarization takes root—and why escaping it is so difficult.
Michael Edison Hayden sets out to examine the presence of extremist groups such as VDARE and their attempts to embed themselves within “normal” communities—ironically referring to outsiders as “normies.” Yet what resonated most with me was not simply the exposure of radical ideology, but how this microcosm reflected the broader American reality.
Coming from Canada, where a political “gray zone” still exists and citizens can move between parties without being labeled traitors, I had long viewed American politics as bafflingly rigid. I will admit that, from afar, I sometimes reduced the situation to stereotypes—imagining Trump voters as uninformed or easily manipulated. Hayden’s reporting challenged that simplistic view. Through interviews and lived experiences, he illustrates how polarization has created a binary framework of “friend or enemy,” leaving little space for nuance or dissent within one’s own community.
One striking moment involves a woman who voted for Trump because of immigration policy concerns but felt she could not admit it to her family for fear of being rejected. That detail captures the emotional cost of this divide. When political affiliation becomes a marker of moral worth, acknowledging doubt—or crossing party lines—feels like betrayal.
Hayden avoids turning the book into a linear political argument. Instead, he presents a layered portrait of anxiety, fear, frustration, and alienation on multiple sides. What begins as the story of a small, progressive tourist town confronting the infiltration of extremist ideology evolves into a broader meditation on how quickly division can spread when leaders speak in language of hostility rather than collaboration.
By the end of the book, I was left with the impression that radicalization is not confined to fringe groups. When two major parties become entrenched in mutual hostility, the entire political ecosystem hardens. The United States feels, at times, like it is experiencing a cold civil war—less visible than armed conflict, but deeply corrosive.
Equally powerful is Hayden’s willingness to weave his personal struggles—divorce and battles with mental health—into his investigative work. Rather than weakening the narrative, this vulnerability strengthens it. It underscores the emotional toll of reporting on extremism and polarization, and it reminds readers that journalists are not detached observers but human beings navigating their own fragility.
Strange People on the Hill is not simply a book about one extremist organization. It is a crucial document capturing a pivotal moment in American history. It demonstrates how rapidly a unified community—perhaps even a nation—can fracture when fear is amplified and empathy erodes.
This book forced me to confront my own biases. I no longer see Americans as naïve or incapable of recognizing manipulation. I see a people making choices within a system that increasingly offers them no safe middle ground.
For readers outside the United States especially, this book is essential. It does not excuse extremism, but it helps explain how polarization takes root—and why escaping it is so difficult.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley and Bold Type Books for the eARC!
I first heard about this book on the author’s podcast, Posting Through it. When I saw it on Netgalley, I figured I’d shoot my shot. And I’m happy that I was approved and got the chance to read this one a (little) early.
The main focus of the story is a small town in West Virginia and the fallout from the arrival of the heads of VDARE. Some of the members of the community are upset about the far-right entering their lives and their small town. They reach out to the SPLC and end up in touch with Michael Hayden. As the story progresses, we see the effects of COVID, VDARE and the rise of the far right in a small town.
Overall, I really liked this book. Strange People is incredibly well-written. I could feel the hope and despair of the members of Berkeley Springs as their town is dragged into the larger conversation on the rise of the far right and extremism taking place across the country. What I didn’t expect was the deeply personal nature of Michael Hayden’s story. He’s mentioned his struggles with mental health on Posting Through It, but this book provides a deeper look into his own life which I think was one of the biggest strengths of this book. It’s easy to focus on the bigger picture when it comes to politics/ far right research but this book is a small window into the impact of extremism on both the author and the people he met along the way.
I first heard about this book on the author’s podcast, Posting Through it. When I saw it on Netgalley, I figured I’d shoot my shot. And I’m happy that I was approved and got the chance to read this one a (little) early.
The main focus of the story is a small town in West Virginia and the fallout from the arrival of the heads of VDARE. Some of the members of the community are upset about the far-right entering their lives and their small town. They reach out to the SPLC and end up in touch with Michael Hayden. As the story progresses, we see the effects of COVID, VDARE and the rise of the far right in a small town.
Overall, I really liked this book. Strange People is incredibly well-written. I could feel the hope and despair of the members of Berkeley Springs as their town is dragged into the larger conversation on the rise of the far right and extremism taking place across the country. What I didn’t expect was the deeply personal nature of Michael Hayden’s story. He’s mentioned his struggles with mental health on Posting Through It, but this book provides a deeper look into his own life which I think was one of the biggest strengths of this book. It’s easy to focus on the bigger picture when it comes to politics/ far right research but this book is a small window into the impact of extremism on both the author and the people he met along the way.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An interesting book, but completely different than what I had imagined it would be. I thought it would be, as the title suggests, about "Strange People on the Hill", and indeed, about 1/3 of it was. But then another third was about the mental health journey of the author, and then the remaining third was about all the squabbling and infighting between townspeople and business owners in the town where the story takes place. The couple on the hill, as well as the mental health struggles of the author were interesting to read about, and if it had been just those two interwoven stories, then I would have given this book a higher rating. But the non-stop bickering between neighbors seemed, to me anyway, childish, non-productive, and more symbolic of boredom, than reflective of any real interest into what may have been transpiring in their town. My sympathy lies with the author in this case, because I don't know that he could have made these people any more compelling, at least not without altering their behavior, and thus compromising the integrity of the book. So, in the end, it was just ok for me. **This ARC was provided by NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews