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

by Michael Edison Hayden

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, True Crime, History, Memoir

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 7, 2026

Reviews

[Robert J]

As a fan of Michael's writing for SPLC and now podcast, Posting Through It, this book fleshed out so much of his work over the past 5 years or so. The pinprick glimpses we get into lives ripped apart by monstrous right wing forces and liberals without plans in his previous reporting was made into a full diorama in this book. I couldn't put it down and plan on a re-read soon. There's a lot of high minded rhetoric tossed around about journalism's abilities, responsibilities, etc, but not enough about the cost and it's limitations. The story of Berkeley Springs and about Michael's life over the time this book covers illustrates all of these. It's also immensely hopeful in watching some of the faltering of the fascists and hopefully them fading away as the Brimelows seem to be. How disposable all of the "movement" people are to each other always helps me see the light during this bleak moment. On a somewhat lighter note, the bickering of the people in town could make an excellent second season to the HBO show, Neighbors. Excellent read and vital right now.

[Courtney]

4 stars

Strange People On The Hill is a nonfiction book that focuses on a small town and its community after the purchase of a significant piece of property by a well renowned couple for their far right politics. This investigative piece was very engrossing. I liked that it included numerous perspectives and struggles of the people in this town, and their views of these individuals both positive and negative coming to their town. It really puts you in the mind set of the concerns, rationization, and even the steps these individuals were willing to take to protect themselves and each other. It also had the personal struggles of the author himself and that this story was not solely affecting just this town but communities within town and outside it. I think that this book has a lot of important information to contemplate. I recommend reading this book if politics, current events, or social affairs is a topic of interest.
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

[Jordan]

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.

[Julie Young Buckler]

Follow Your Instincts

Quite a book for information missing from the minds of voter America. Learning late is better than remaining ignorant, however.

Love the writing and the spirit behind it. Refreshingly honest and straightforward. The facts are clear and the story is precise. Much to learn from this book.

Hopefully there will be additional books by this author.

[Lisa Swanson]

Strange People on the Hill is a welcome addition to local history of a small town in America at this moment in our country. It tells through multiple local residents of Berkeley Springs, W. Va., how the relocation to town of right-wing VDare, a national group, whose mission, through on-line publication and conferences, is to end immigration, and to promote fear about the racist "great migration" theory.

The location makes sense -- West Virginia is a leader in "born-heres" with two-thirds of residents born in the state, and ranks third among the states, according to Census data, in the percentage of non-Latino White people, at 91 percent. They must have felt safe. And the local historic quirky castle on the hill overlooking the town just a two-hour drive from Washington happened to be for sale.

I live in the town and know many of the people featured in the book; I am one. Rifts between the characters in the book existed before the arrival of the new castle people, but the vocal factions became more polarized with their presence. Yet, a large group, not shadowed here -- the long-time residents, shop owners reliant on the flow of tourists, service and industry workers who avoid any controversy -- claim or fake ignorance of VDare Castle owners' existence and hateful mission. Amen, I guess.

Another significant group that I wish Hayden had tapped here are the actual immigrants from other countries who have been here for decades -- dentist, doctor, massage therapist, acupuncturist, shop owners and more who have somehow persisted. I do not know whether the author tried to interview them or did so and was rebuffed, but each of them would have a good story if they have quietly endured hostility here and how the arrival of VDare affected that.

I hope that the publication and distribution of Strange People -- though Berkeley Springs lacks a bookstore -- churns up some chatter about our town, racism, immigration, and how people can get along.

Hayden includes in the book his own story of the personal mental struggles during the writing. The three-tier narrative structure of the book is welcome, providing the national climate, the local woes, and the author's extreme personal anxiety and actual fear, as interrelated elements of our social and political work and lives. I place myself on the middle shelf, an active citizen in the town scene, trying unsuccessfully to bat away the national news in favor of daily demonstrations on our local main street. But Strange People brings to light the detrimental effect of this conflict on every individual, whether we can see it or not. Even the local therapist is overwhelmed.

[Marguerite Blanchard]

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.

[Andrea Fuller]

The constant whining and bickering of the townspeople, the disjointed effort of the SPLC, and so much detail on the author’s mental health struggles left me wondering why the book had the title it did. I rarely do not finish a book but I lost all interest and became completely frustrated at the lack of actual information.

[Optimism]

strange people on the hill is about what happens when a small town suddenly has new members - and those new members just happen to run the white nationalist website VDARE... the town gets torn apart by those that don't want any part of the heinous movement in town, and those that aren't really sure what the big deal is since they're seemingly aligned on immigration reform.

it's also about trying to find levity in the surreal, when someone doesn't realize the difference between counterprotesting and protesting *too*, the joys of room temperature vodka, and pretending not to hear shouts about trespassing (which is fine, when you're not trespassing. they weren't.) i don't think it's laugh out loud funny, but there are what humor there is is real. because no one could make this stuff up.

it's also about the toll that years of reporting on the worst elements of the extremist right can bring, personally, professionally, and mentally. it's heartbreaking to see the repercussions of speaking out and doing your job in a world that's bending ever more to fascism.

it really highlights the cancer that extremism is. and that no one is coming to save us except ourselves. orgs you donate to are subject to external pressures and mismanagement. our politicians are either largely cult members or unwilling to fight fire with fire. it's up to us to fight back, to call out what wrongs we see in the world, and to fight for a better future.

strange people on the hill shows that it's not quick, it's not easy, but it IS possible.

[Lynn Coburn]

You must read this book. Not only is it local, but it’s what is infiltrating every small town in this country.

[Connor]

It hit a bit too close to home

[Grace]

Excellent investigative piece on the white nationalist hate group VDARE and the social splintering of the town Berkeley Springs, W.Va after VDARE founders bought a castle there. We need more people and journalists like Hayden to expose the movement whose aim is to end American democracy. Journalists are one of the hopes we have left.

[Vinny]

4.5 stars. Excellent book to read. It read very much like a novel peering into this little town. The thing that makes this book such a page turner is just watching Mike document the erosion that occurs in these people. All it took was people from the outside to move in and spew hatred and extremities of a fascist movement to truly rip apart the soul of this little town of Berkely Springs. It really was heartbreaking to read how these lives were broken by such a selfish and disgusting movement in VDARE. I also felt connected to the little things Mike shared with those he felt safe and at home with. Be it the people or the spots he went to in Bekerly Springs, I felt like I could see myself there. He really captured it well. I'm also glad he is doing well after all the mental turmoil he faced while writing this book. His podcast with Jared Holt, Posting Through It, is how i came across Mike in the first place, and I'm very happy to have gotten to listen to them, and got to read this book. Very well done dude.

[Louise]

Berkeley Springs, WVA, is a town of fewer than 1,000 people. It has a vibrant tourist economy due to its proximity to population centers, its natural spring waters, its hiking trails and charm,

Upon learning that a right wing hate organization had bought a prominent hilltop property, one of the citizens contacted the Southern Poverty Law Center for advice. Michael Edison Hayden was sent to listen to their needs.

This is Hayden’s story of his association with the community. He describes the circle of people concerned about the impact the new neighbors could have on the town and some who are not affiliated with this group. He writes of events, such as the community’s Black Lives Matter protests and the counter protests. He describes the culture, such as the lone Rainbow flag in the town and the many Confederate flags (and Trump signs) in the county that surrounds it.

His personal story is disarmingly told . He goes to Berkeley Springs knowing there is very little he can do for the town. At this time the SPLC, once a storied civil rights organization, was beset with problems and, Hayden, a union steward, could not count of backup from his organization.

The one thing he could do was write and keep the issues in the public eye. He could read and forward social media posts and comment when needed. He could research the new neighbors and their organization, VDARE.

VDARE was, essentially, a web site. It must have had some money and members since it bought this “castle” like building. The couple that founded VDARE moved to the castle. They planned to use it as an office and a place for for conferences and meetings. They seemed well connected in the neo-Nazi world. There was serious litigation over its financial practices.

Through Haydein’s experiences you see how journalists get their stories. It is not just interviewing people, but creating access sometimes by finding ways into unwelcome places. It was stressful just to read about this. Back at the SPLC office, you see the added pressures caused by lay offs and executives with other priorities.

All this presses on Hayden and he is hospitalized. It is an understatement to say that the admission procedure of this hospital left a lot to be desired. Despite this, Hayden got better through rest, some drugs and a therapist.

You also see how the town is changed by its new, presumably influential, residents . The VDARE couple reaches out to the community. They go to church, entertain, make donations. People take sides. Some carry guns. Not everyone feels safe. I presume this is an example for how polarized communities have developed in these times.

While the book covers the "strange people" and how the town is "torn apart". the book is Hayden's story.

If you are interested in how small towns have responded to the times, you will want to read this book.

[Hannah Jordan]

Go buy this book now! I promise you, I could not put it down!

Hayden could’ve entitled it “How One Real Estate Transaction Changed a Town: for Worse AND for Better because Hayden documents the myriad ways in which the town of Berkeley Springs (aka the town of Bath), West Virginia was transformed by VDARE’s purchase of the castle on the hill. I take exception to the actual subtitle: How Extremism Tore Apart a Small American Town because, as Hayden shows us, it absolutely did NOT tear it apart. It may have opened it up a bit, revealed some underlying issues and even created a little drama, but, in the end, the town stands strong.

If you like history and have a working knowledge of extremism, you will undoubtedly appreciate Hayden’s take on how its rise affects the places where it embeds. And then there’s Hayden’s adept storytelling, especially the way he makes the people in the town come to life. Yes, they can be quirky and dramatic or too quick to take offense, but these small town characters are engaged in their community and are fighting for its very survival. You want to understand them so you can help them figure it all out. In addition, Hayden makes himself one of the central characters of the story, going into some detail about his own personal and mental health struggles during this period of time that includes not only his investigation into the Great Replacement Theory and the conflicts with his employer (SPLC), but also COVID as well as the eventual re-election of Trump to a second term. You find yourself rooting for his-as well as the town’s and, by extension, the country’s-success.

Disclaimer: My husband and I became “weekenders” in the Berkeley Springs area in 2019 and subsequently moved here in 2024, so I’ve formulated my own perceptions of the impact that one real estate transaction has had on the town.

[David W.]

This is the author’s very personal account of what happened after white supremacist Peter Brimelow and his wife purchased a 19th century ‘castle’ in the resort town of Berkeley Springs, W. Virginia in early 2020. The events in the town that the author describes are roughly bookended by two recent American tragedies: the Covid pandemic and Trump’s 2024 election win.

The book weaves together three related stories, none of which has a completely satisfactory resolution:
1. The author’s struggles with health and family problems.
2. His dispute with the Southern Poverty Law Center [SPLC], which led him to break with, and sue, the organization over employment issues.
3. His investigative research in Berkeley Springs, which resulted in an article about Peter and Lydia Brimelow on the SPLC website under their ‘Hatewatch’ section and later this book.

Although Peter Brimelow’s white supremacist website ‘VDARE’ was taken down after a New York state lawsuit alleging financial fraud, his ideas have made it into the political mainstream in ways that perhaps surprise even him.

The book is an engrossing read, and the author comes across as a very humane and caring individual. One theme that runs through the book is the tremendous personal toll that working for an organization like the SPLC can exact.

Adding pictures of people and places mentioned, or a list of names, might have made the book more readable. Although there is a sketched map of Berkeley Springs at the beginning of the book, I found it difficult to place the events in context. Also, so many people other than the author and the Brimelow’s move in and out of the five-year narrative that I gave up trying to remember all the names.

[Shannon]

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.

[Jordan Patterson]

Berkeley Springs is my hometown and I have an interest in seeing what the far right and their bedfellows are up to, so this book is quite the synthesis of it all. I read it essentially in one sitting while taking the Amtrak back home.

Berkeley Springs has a castle (yes) that sits atop a hill, overlooking the downtown. VDARE, an explicit white nationalist hate group, bought it so they could hold conferences without fear of being kicked out. This purchase happened at the same time our country was working through COVID and protests of 2020. Berkeley Springs, although in the deep red state of West Virginia, has begun to cater towards tourists of DC and other cities around the area. This purchases sends a different signal than that!

The book tells the tale of this tension that becomes reality in the small town as business owners and residents struggle to find what Berkeley Springs is and what it stands for. Death threats are issued, business deals are broken, and people move away.

I walked around downtown after finishing the book with what felt like new eyes. The book ultimately felt like a perfect microcosm of the United States in the early 2020s. Warts and all, but also a genuine interest from some to do and be better.

[Alicia Garcia-Webster]

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.

[Madeline Peltz]

Hayden has a novelist's approach to narrative nonfiction. STRANGE PEOPLE ON THE HILL tells the story of the diviso among the people of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia after the white nationalist group VDARE purchased a castle in the town. With heart and precision, he allows each character to speak for themselves, flaws and all. This book was reported over the course of five years, and reflects not only on how our era of paranoia degrades relationships among neighbors, but how this environment impacted the narrator himself, a leading investigative reporter and expert on far-right extremism. STRANGE PEOPLE stands out among its peer works.

[Kelly Cresap]

Hayden’s anatomy of a small-town firestorm is rife with parallels to what’s happening now in the U.S. With verve, solid journalistic chops, and more than a little wiliness Hayden pursues the Berkeley Springs VDARE story from all relevant angles. Thankfully, he places emphasis on those fighting against, rather than promoting, or capitulating to, white supremacy. He gets at the heart of big public face-offs as well as battles waged online. Beyond reportorial details about who, what, and why, Hayden has a knack for getting at the toll of such events on individual human psyches, including his own. For all the heartbreak involved, this is also a portrait in civic feistiness.

[Robert]

There's a real story buried in this rather incoherent account of the local events, the author's mental health crisis, and the larger political picture. The author needed a very critical editor to help him shape this into a dynamic narrative rather than the strangely literal linear account of what happened without a guiding understanding of its significance. I was aware of some of the details because of my personal knowledge of two of the prominent actors in the narrative and I still came away without a real sense of either the author's view of what happened or its larger significance.

[Minty McBunny]

I heard about this book through Molly Conger’s excellent Weird Little Guys podcast and asked my library to add it to their collection. Shout out to BCPL for agreeing!

This topic is so important to understand, and Hayden’s book is excellent snapshot of the conflict and division that is playing out in small towns across the USA. It you’re concerned about the spread of far right and how all these “lone wolf” racists are connected, I recommend this book as well as Molly’s podcast

[Michele Gorman]

Ok. Where do I start? I love Berkeley Springs. There is something ( a lot of somethings) amazing about the place. You can’t be there and not notice the castle high on the hill. It’s got a dark aura around it, and now I understand why. There’s so many pieces of this book that hit home. I know most of the businesses mentioned in this book, the landmarks, and the feel of the town. If you’ve never been, go. Then read this book.

[Jenny D]

Although the book explores the divisions created by VDARE buying a castle in Berkley Springs, the author talked about his time at SPLC and his inpatient experience. The book catalogs what happens in small town America when an extremist group moves in, and the town has to contend with hatred and division. It's a microcosm of what has happened nationwide. VDARE and its affiliates have made its way into mainstream conservatism and hurt our country with their hatred irrevocably.

[Cathy Radziemski]

A story for our time

I’m sorry to say that this book was a disappointment. I read all the way through it, and I could see the drama of everything in it. But it was told as more of a hodgepodge or laundry list of things that happened to the author. The drama of the story was hidden in a bunch of meandering events.

[Robert Ricker]

A different take

This book was relatively hard to read. Hard hard hard to read because everyone has seen the dissension and disharmony that has been caused the last last several several years. I would deeply suggest it as a read for someone interested in a left, leaning liberal point of view.

[Linda Fer]

A gripping crime story filled with tension, secrets, and unforgettable characters. The investigation was fascinating, and every clue added another layer to the mystery. An excellent read for crime fiction fan

[Stephanie]

I found this book really fascinating, not just because of its description of white nationalism moving into a small town, but also because of his openness about his own mental health struggles. It was a very raw and honest book.

[Hannah Gais]

good book. that hannah gais person is questionable though.

[Terri]

Amazing book about a little town in WV that was almost destroyed by the Right but they fought it. Didn't win, but didn't lose either.