What do you think?
Rate this book
Uncover Up: How to Think Clearly in an Age of Conspiracies
Not yet published
Expected 28 Jul 26An urgent exploration of how conspiracy theories take hold and spread and how to see the truth through the noise
Conspiratorial thinking, mis- and disinformation, and anti-intellectualism are at dangerous levels. With traditional media on the way out, social media algorithms siloing users into personal echo chambers, and generative AI muddying the waters, it's getting harder and harder to tell news from nonsense. Our ability to think critically about the world around us is being undermined by these forces and many others, which are being used to sow confusion, disrupt democracy, damage the environment, and degrade social well-being.
With clear-eyed reasoning and examples that are equal parts fascinating and shocking, Uncover How to Think Clearly in an Age of Conspiracies offers sociological, historical, philosophical, and literary perspectives on conspiracy theories, allowing us to cut through the fog of misinformation. This guide to critical thinking helps us recognize when, how, and why a piece of dubious media is able to shape our worldview or secure our support, ultimately showing us how to critically approach the deluge of questionable claims we encounter every day.
Conspiratorial thinking, mis- and disinformation, and anti-intellectualism are at dangerous levels. With traditional media on the way out, social media algorithms siloing users into personal echo chambers, and generative AI muddying the waters, it's getting harder and harder to tell news from nonsense. Our ability to think critically about the world around us is being undermined by these forces and many others, which are being used to sow confusion, disrupt democracy, damage the environment, and degrade social well-being.
With clear-eyed reasoning and examples that are equal parts fascinating and shocking, Uncover How to Think Clearly in an Age of Conspiracies offers sociological, historical, philosophical, and literary perspectives on conspiracy theories, allowing us to cut through the fog of misinformation. This guide to critical thinking helps us recognize when, how, and why a piece of dubious media is able to shape our worldview or secure our support, ultimately showing us how to critically approach the deluge of questionable claims we encounter every day.
272 pages, Paperback
Expected publication July 28, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
Please note this is a 3.5.
I think one of the most fascinating things about living in the modern era is the propensity people have for thinking that we are somehow more enlightened than those of previous centuries. Sure, we have the ability to speak to people across the world with the tap of a button, and we have modern healthcare, and a whole host of other things- but in no way is that a prophylactic to stupidity.
‘Uncover Up’ handles a fascinating topic- conspiracy theories and how they are built and dissolved. It goes into detail on some well-known theories, but the real value of this book I found was in the way it picked the theories apart based on the way they were constructed. It makes for a wonderful crash course in manipulated thinking, and shows how we are all vulnerable to this kind of revised reality.
It definitely provides some excellent food for thought. I do think that there could have been a bit more detail in respect of some of the theories, and there were perhaps some omissions I would have liked to see explored. The section on anti-vaccination rhetoric, for instance, could have done with some historical comparisons in further detail.
All in all though, this is an excellent first pass at improving our critical thinking in a world of disinformation, and is well worth the read.
Please note this is a 3.5.
I think one of the most fascinating things about living in the modern era is the propensity people have for thinking that we are somehow more enlightened than those of previous centuries. Sure, we have the ability to speak to people across the world with the tap of a button, and we have modern healthcare, and a whole host of other things- but in no way is that a prophylactic to stupidity.
‘Uncover Up’ handles a fascinating topic- conspiracy theories and how they are built and dissolved. It goes into detail on some well-known theories, but the real value of this book I found was in the way it picked the theories apart based on the way they were constructed. It makes for a wonderful crash course in manipulated thinking, and shows how we are all vulnerable to this kind of revised reality.
It definitely provides some excellent food for thought. I do think that there could have been a bit more detail in respect of some of the theories, and there were perhaps some omissions I would have liked to see explored. The section on anti-vaccination rhetoric, for instance, could have done with some historical comparisons in further detail.
All in all though, this is an excellent first pass at improving our critical thinking in a world of disinformation, and is well worth the read.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I’m not a huge non-fiction reader, but I’ve been really intrigued by conspiracy theories lately (they can get pretty wild! 😂), and this book sounded very interesting and timely! The authors did a great job exploring a variety of conspiracy theories throughout history and breaking down the significance of context and the social and political climate in which these theories gained traction.
I learned about some conspiracy theories I had never been exposed to (HIV/AIDS, mutilated cows 😬) and gained a lot of insight into theories I’ve seen more recently (anti-vax, the Illuminati). It’s also really fascinating to see the role social media and online communities play in all of this.
I appreciate the authors’ unbiased and informative approach to each topic and theory, as well as the advice they give readers as we navigate a world where truth is becoming harder and harder to distinguish from conspiracy. Definitely worth the read!
I learned about some conspiracy theories I had never been exposed to (HIV/AIDS, mutilated cows 😬) and gained a lot of insight into theories I’ve seen more recently (anti-vax, the Illuminati). It’s also really fascinating to see the role social media and online communities play in all of this.
I appreciate the authors’ unbiased and informative approach to each topic and theory, as well as the advice they give readers as we navigate a world where truth is becoming harder and harder to distinguish from conspiracy. Definitely worth the read!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I enjoyed this book. I found the writing to be crisp and clear. The authors used a lot of real-life examples which made the information easy to grasp. Some of the writing is particularly witty, making the book a pleasure to read. The authors also did a great job of explaining how science works. Overall this is a highly worthwhile read. Thank you to Netgalley and ECW Press for the advance reader copy.
May 2, 2026
This was a pretty interesting read. I never felt like I was a person to really believe conspiracy theories. This book talks about how people think and how others start to think the same as well and then it spreads throughout. I found it interesting to read about a whole bunch on theories. I am giving this a 3 star rating.
Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC read of this book.
Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC read of this book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews