What do you think?
Rate this book
The War on Everyone
The War On Everyone is a complete history of the ideas, the tactics and- of course- the bastards who built the framework for the current surge in far-right terror we're all living with today.
Timothy McVeigh, the Tree of Life Synagogue Shooter, Anders Breivik, Dylan Roof and dozens of other mass-killers are all pieces of the same, sinister plot. The actions of a few men, decades ago, crafted this engine of death, and today it's manifested as a War on Everyone.
This book is completely free of ads, and available via streaming or by direct download
Timothy McVeigh, the Tree of Life Synagogue Shooter, Anders Breivik, Dylan Roof and dozens of other mass-killers are all pieces of the same, sinister plot. The actions of a few men, decades ago, crafted this engine of death, and today it's manifested as a War on Everyone.
This book is completely free of ads, and available via streaming or by direct download
120 pages, Audiobook
Published August 13, 2019
11 people are currently reading
1014 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 - 30 of 76 reviews
August 29, 2019
*unsheathes throwing bagel*
"IYAAA"
"IYAAA"
August 22, 2019
I've really enjoyed Evans' past podcast work on America's long (and often, quite recent) history of white supremacist/separatist organizations. This audiobook -- somewhat annoyingly but very accessibly available chapter by free chapter on SoundCloud -- is a thorough, high level summary of a willfully forgotten history built into the structure of present day institutions and culture. I always appreciate the voice in his writing, and he's a capable guide through issues that are easy to look away from.
The deep dive into irony as a frequent tool of fascism was especially interesting. It's easy to think of the "lol nothing matters" of contemporary internet as a new innovation, but Evans instead places it as part of the cultural on-ramp to red pilling, tracing the role of dark humor back to the Third Reich. It is both extremely convincing and deeply upsetting.
The deep dive into irony as a frequent tool of fascism was especially interesting. It's easy to think of the "lol nothing matters" of contemporary internet as a new innovation, but Evans instead places it as part of the cultural on-ramp to red pilling, tracing the role of dark humor back to the Third Reich. It is both extremely convincing and deeply upsetting.
May 26, 2020
“Racists. Love. The internet.”
Essential reading/listening if you want a jumping off point to how we’ve gotten to the point of regular mass shootings (non-spoiler: it’s white supremacy).
While this does sound like an extended episode of Behind the Bastards, author Robert Evans’ podcast, you’ll walk away with some further readings, a couple of which I’ll be adding to my list. Trust me though, they’ll only be ABOUT The Turner Diaries. Please burn every copy of that book you’re aware of.
Essential reading/listening if you want a jumping off point to how we’ve gotten to the point of regular mass shootings (non-spoiler: it’s white supremacy).
While this does sound like an extended episode of Behind the Bastards, author Robert Evans’ podcast, you’ll walk away with some further readings, a couple of which I’ll be adding to my list. Trust me though, they’ll only be ABOUT The Turner Diaries. Please burn every copy of that book you’re aware of.
December 1, 2019
If you're trying to make sense of just how the internet became this fascist hellscape, this is an essential piece of the puzzle, documenting the origins and perpetuation of a movement that was always - and I mean always, as Mr. Evans makes perfectly clear, ever since the very beginning of the internet - here, and that could only exist in its present form within our current internet model - the socially alienated, now connected on platforms with algorithms that encourage engagement and disencourage nuance. Modern fascism begins at disillusionment and irony and dresses alt-right radicalization as the solution to the fashionable but unsustainable nihilism.
Internet history is tricky to document. Perhaps even more so than in regular history, you never know what to pay attention to while it's happening, and key components to web-wide movements can brew inside niche forums to which nobody is really looking. Not to state the obvious, but more of us need to look.
Internet history is tricky to document. Perhaps even more so than in regular history, you never know what to pay attention to while it's happening, and key components to web-wide movements can brew inside niche forums to which nobody is really looking. Not to state the obvious, but more of us need to look.
September 5, 2019
A timely, impressive summary of the sickness at the heart of America.
August 23, 2019
(Listened to the "audiobook" version that was spread out over 7 parts on Evan's "Behind the Bastards" podcast).
What's most alarming here isnt, or isnt just, the timeline that Evans lays out that links a toxic bag of filth that kicked off so much of the White Nationalist/Nazi movement in the USA like George Lincoln Rockwell to one of the take-your-pick mass shooters who got inspired off 8Chan, but that (as he notes after he's done) all that he left out and that he could have made this much longer and more detailed. That isn't a knock against the book though as it is: this is researched so well so that someone who only knows some of the details around people like Timothy McVeigh and Alex Jones can get a much greater (in size) context for what the f*** is going on in this country, and how things like "The Turner Diaries" may be one of the handful of times that one can look at a piece of media (a serialized novel) and say, "gee, maybe that does inspire people to go out and kill others." Evans may have only scratched the surface, but what a goddamn surface he gets at, and the picture he paints is ugly and alarming - it's not about the "Lone Wolf" that's scary, but about how well White Nationalists target more moderate Americans who may just have that doggone "unintentional" or subtle racism. He finds a good way to link the radical nerd assholes from the 80s who were robbing banks to fund their assault weapons (and Apple computer) purchases to the various people who are now connected through that equally lovely and awful medium of the world-wide web.
This book is terrifying and essential.
What's most alarming here isnt, or isnt just, the timeline that Evans lays out that links a toxic bag of filth that kicked off so much of the White Nationalist/Nazi movement in the USA like George Lincoln Rockwell to one of the take-your-pick mass shooters who got inspired off 8Chan, but that (as he notes after he's done) all that he left out and that he could have made this much longer and more detailed. That isn't a knock against the book though as it is: this is researched so well so that someone who only knows some of the details around people like Timothy McVeigh and Alex Jones can get a much greater (in size) context for what the f*** is going on in this country, and how things like "The Turner Diaries" may be one of the handful of times that one can look at a piece of media (a serialized novel) and say, "gee, maybe that does inspire people to go out and kill others." Evans may have only scratched the surface, but what a goddamn surface he gets at, and the picture he paints is ugly and alarming - it's not about the "Lone Wolf" that's scary, but about how well White Nationalists target more moderate Americans who may just have that doggone "unintentional" or subtle racism. He finds a good way to link the radical nerd assholes from the 80s who were robbing banks to fund their assault weapons (and Apple computer) purchases to the various people who are now connected through that equally lovely and awful medium of the world-wide web.
This book is terrifying and essential.
August 29, 2019
Chapter Two & I feel like I know the Right so much better already! Yay! Wait...
Okay, so it's a good thing.
(1) I understand the Christian Right extremism better now, (2) Having grown up uninformed in NY, with the Blues Brothers film being my only edu re: Nazis, apart from my mom's boyfriend, I learned a lot about a scary (not so) invisible culture, (3) Thanks to this [audiobook*] and more from *Behind the Bastards. 👍
Learn about American-British 'Israelites', Nazis, George Lincoln Rockwell, William Pierce, George Mason, Willis Carto, David Duke, George Wallace, and other Bastards and their long-endemic effects on democracy as they rebuilt Nazi fascism in the United States.
Robert Evans is a name attributed to many pieces, including A Brief History of Vice: How Bad Behavior Built Civilization [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...]. From listening to it, it sounded good, I learned a lot, and honestly, I feel a lot less worried and confused about the hate in America today. This is a good place to start if you want to make sure Nazis never happen again.
Chapter Four Update:
I also learned something new about Vietnam! Who would've guessed! Check it out!
Chapter Seven: Follow the breadcrumbs left by white nationalist Hansels from Hitler in photographs and the Third Reich in film, to Alex Jones, the Internet, the "conspiracy pill", international terrorist recruitment, and internet strategies that prototyped trolling and other strategies of information warfare.
Okay, so it's a good thing.
(1) I understand the Christian Right extremism better now, (2) Having grown up uninformed in NY, with the Blues Brothers film being my only edu re: Nazis, apart from my mom's boyfriend, I learned a lot about a scary (not so) invisible culture, (3) Thanks to this [audiobook*] and more from *Behind the Bastards. 👍
Learn about American-British 'Israelites', Nazis, George Lincoln Rockwell, William Pierce, George Mason, Willis Carto, David Duke, George Wallace, and other Bastards and their long-endemic effects on democracy as they rebuilt Nazi fascism in the United States.
Robert Evans is a name attributed to many pieces, including A Brief History of Vice: How Bad Behavior Built Civilization [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...]. From listening to it, it sounded good, I learned a lot, and honestly, I feel a lot less worried and confused about the hate in America today. This is a good place to start if you want to make sure Nazis never happen again.
Chapter Four Update:
I also learned something new about Vietnam! Who would've guessed! Check it out!
Chapter Seven: Follow the breadcrumbs left by white nationalist Hansels from Hitler in photographs and the Third Reich in film, to Alex Jones, the Internet, the "conspiracy pill", international terrorist recruitment, and internet strategies that prototyped trolling and other strategies of information warfare.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2019
I've read this book nearly half a dozen times and get more out of it with each one, a million gold stars
August 29, 2019
This is a book inspired by a podcast, which Evans followed by reading the book script in a series of episodes of the podcast, with commentary and interaction by a guest. I found it worth reading the audiobook first and then listening to the episodes to gain more depth from the commentary. Listening to a podcast of a book inspired by a podcast feels a bit like an ouroboros, but it was great when Sawbones did something similar, so I gave it a chance, and don't regret my decision, even though I'll never get the visual out of my head of fascism being a herpes on society.
October 28, 2019
To understand how we got to political landscape in which we currently inhabit, you need a longer view. Tiki-torch wielding fascists didn't sprout from the suburbs overnight, they have been lurking in the American zeitgeist for decades now.
The War on Everyone provides a sober accounting of how we got to where we are and how the American story that is taken for granted does not comport with the reality of what America has entertained and endured.
Anyone having trepidation about what happens next should probably take a look at this and give it a listen.
The War on Everyone provides a sober accounting of how we got to where we are and how the American story that is taken for granted does not comport with the reality of what America has entertained and endured.
Anyone having trepidation about what happens next should probably take a look at this and give it a listen.
February 21, 2020
I'm not really sure what makes this an audio book and not a podcast except that author Robert Evans insists that it is. He himself did acknowledge the arbitrary distinction at one point. There are two available ways to listen to this audiobook, one is a free chapter by chapter release and one is as part of his main podcast in which he reads it to friends who make jokes. Which one you prefer really depends on how much you like your audiobooks interrupted by comedians saying "What?!"
War on Everyone is about the history of fascist movements in the US and is presented in a simple and fascinating manner. Evans is calm and clear and presents the information in a concise manner. The one weakness he has comes in his connection between stories which often feels very simple which makes me suspect it's too simple. This is my main criticism of Evans in general; I think he often falls to the temptation of making a 1 to 1 comparison of history to the present. This is really common in his podcast as well. It's a minor complaint because it's easily ignored when he's simply talking about history he has read and learned about, but it is something to keep in mind. On the one hand we are absolutely suffering from the sins and mistakes of the past, but it is a mistake to exaggerate these comparisons.
One aspect of Evans' work that I do respect greatly is his empathy and sympathy he manages to have for people who he also disagrees vehemently with. He has a way of explaining why he thinks someone could wind up in a situation they do without simply calling them a monster (although he does that sometimes as well), and without excusing their actions. This, I think, is a highly admirable quality.
So overall it's good, but not great, but as an introduction to the topic before reading the sources that he used it's pretty good. I think Evans would agree that his podcasts in which he basically summarizes history books he read are probably best used as a jumping off point into the history book itself.
War on Everyone is about the history of fascist movements in the US and is presented in a simple and fascinating manner. Evans is calm and clear and presents the information in a concise manner. The one weakness he has comes in his connection between stories which often feels very simple which makes me suspect it's too simple. This is my main criticism of Evans in general; I think he often falls to the temptation of making a 1 to 1 comparison of history to the present. This is really common in his podcast as well. It's a minor complaint because it's easily ignored when he's simply talking about history he has read and learned about, but it is something to keep in mind. On the one hand we are absolutely suffering from the sins and mistakes of the past, but it is a mistake to exaggerate these comparisons.
One aspect of Evans' work that I do respect greatly is his empathy and sympathy he manages to have for people who he also disagrees vehemently with. He has a way of explaining why he thinks someone could wind up in a situation they do without simply calling them a monster (although he does that sometimes as well), and without excusing their actions. This, I think, is a highly admirable quality.
So overall it's good, but not great, but as an introduction to the topic before reading the sources that he used it's pretty good. I think Evans would agree that his podcasts in which he basically summarizes history books he read are probably best used as a jumping off point into the history book itself.
January 6, 2023
5 throwing bagels outta 5 🥯🥯🥯🥯🥯
October 17, 2024
This is so fucking good. Should be required listening
Read
November 4, 2019It’s hard to call this a book. A better description would be a seven part podcast tracing mass shooters to white supremacists in America’s past.
Pros) I do enjoy Robert Evans humor and enjoyed this much better than any of his other podcasts where he has to entertain someone. He’s better alone. He’s a good story teller.
Cons) The examination of the far right misses the complete picture of what’s plaguing America today. Sure, white supremes sucks, but so do ANTIFA members who violently supplant liberty for security. Both sides are horrid, both sides have complex and troubling histories. Get over yourself and understand there’s necessary risk when you engage with ideas.
The good thing about all of this, though, is that neither side is even a plurality.
Finally, if I actually considered this a book, it’d be thinly researched and shallow. But I don’t consider this a book but simply another pod. That being said, I did want something more than a typical Behind the Bastards. Him going solo was good, but I wanted more analytical and historical depth. Did not receive.
In the end, I’m gonna leave this one without a rating since it really didn’t meet the conventions of a book.
Pros) I do enjoy Robert Evans humor and enjoyed this much better than any of his other podcasts where he has to entertain someone. He’s better alone. He’s a good story teller.
Cons) The examination of the far right misses the complete picture of what’s plaguing America today. Sure, white supremes sucks, but so do ANTIFA members who violently supplant liberty for security. Both sides are horrid, both sides have complex and troubling histories. Get over yourself and understand there’s necessary risk when you engage with ideas.
The good thing about all of this, though, is that neither side is even a plurality.
Finally, if I actually considered this a book, it’d be thinly researched and shallow. But I don’t consider this a book but simply another pod. That being said, I did want something more than a typical Behind the Bastards. Him going solo was good, but I wanted more analytical and historical depth. Did not receive.
In the end, I’m gonna leave this one without a rating since it really didn’t meet the conventions of a book.
August 19, 2019
This is the sort of short work that you would really love to see expanded into a fully documented and more complete history--which is not to say that it isn't worth reading as it is. Still this brief history of fascism in the Unites States (the US' particular and specific instantiation of Ur-Fascism) is both chilling and informative.
October 22, 2019
Startling and informative, it gives a lot of detail to events and personalities that had previously been regarded as unimportant footnotes. Sadly this means that a lot of the figures on the modern far right who were written off as failed kranks have to be seen in a new and more serious and dangerous light.
Read
September 25, 2019That was informative and infuriating. I wish I had a case of Perrier to throw.
December 4, 2021
শুনলাম। প্রথম চ্যাপ্টারটা খুবই শোনার মতো। বাকীগুলিতে মার্কিন ফ্যাশিষ্টদের গত সত্তুর বছরের ইতিহাস বলে গেছে।
বই যে শোনা যায় এটাই মানতে পারতেছি না। বানান ভুলের জায়গায় এই বইতে আছে রেকর্ডিং প্রমাদ।
বই যে শোনা যায় এটাই মানতে পারতেছি না। বানান ভুলের জায়গায় এই বইতে আছে রেকর্ডিং প্রমাদ।
August 27, 2020
Most generally I'm not an audiobook person, but this was worth it.
If you wonder how America got where it is today, this audiobook is for you.
White Nationalism and homegrown terrorism has a long history festering in the corners of American society. This overview of white supremacy and conservative extremism throughout our history is enlightening.
Why does it seem like mass shootings and bombings are happening like dominoes? Why does it feel like each creates the next? This text outlines the 'Christian Identity' movement and it connects extremists, spreads, and finds both new believers and new victims.
Educate yourselves. Evens is good at what he does and there's a variety of sources.
If you wonder how America got where it is today, this audiobook is for you.
White Nationalism and homegrown terrorism has a long history festering in the corners of American society. This overview of white supremacy and conservative extremism throughout our history is enlightening.
Why does it seem like mass shootings and bombings are happening like dominoes? Why does it feel like each creates the next? This text outlines the 'Christian Identity' movement and it connects extremists, spreads, and finds both new believers and new victims.
Educate yourselves. Evens is good at what he does and there's a variety of sources.
February 11, 2020
I listened to this audiobook as he read it on his Podcast, Behind the Bastards, which is a great show. Evans is good at doing thorough research and presenting information in a way that is both deeply informative but not overwhelming. When read on his Podcast there is commentary from Cody Johnston and Katy Stoll as well as Evans himself. If you would rather just hear the book without the comedic banter from him and his guests I would not recommend the podcast version but I personally enjoyed it that way.
March 3, 2021
Excellent review of how fascism has evolved in the shadows in America since the end of the second world war and the impact it's had on our present day. The author connects the dots from the early post war American fascists to the many of the conspiracy theories that currently clog our discourse and some of the "lone wolf" shooters making the news. The free audio book is a quick listen and even if you don't agree with the author's conclusions, the questions he asks are important and deserve a brighter spotlight than they've received.
May 7, 2022
I really liked this book. It detailed the rise of facism in America from the 60s to now, and how extremist talking points have been toned down in order to fit into our modern day mainstream ideologies. Talking points that were considered obscene decades earlier are now accepted in our politics. The book shows the roots of that shift. It also pointed out something I never noticed before: that the “lone shooter” narrative in the wake of mass shootings is a myth, and most of these incidents can be traced back to the same origins.
I highly recommend.
I highly recommend.
July 11, 2020
This was a free Audiobook by podcaster Robert Evans who hosts podcasts like: "Behind the Police" and "Behind the Bastards" and "It Can Happen Here" it's a small 7 chapter 2 -3 hour Audiobook that explores the history of how we have gotten a full fledge Nazi movement in the US.
His book outlines how Nazism took off from 1930s Germany to Modern Day United States and it's a wild ride of how the far right movement has used the internet to it's advantage.
His book outlines how Nazism took off from 1930s Germany to Modern Day United States and it's a wild ride of how the far right movement has used the internet to it's advantage.
April 2, 2021
*3.5-4 ive been listening to robert evans’s different podcasts for a couple years now so that probably added to my enjoyment of this. But i think this is a really accessible starting point for learning more about modern day fascism (WHITE SUPREMACY) in the states and how these people have been able to grow like a cesspool online. i think this gives you just enough information to want to go and seek out different readings on more specific sectors/groups/people mentioned in this.
April 4, 2021
The American right-wing is not a recent developement. Evans tracks the growth and spread of fascist ideology on the fringes of the 20th century conservative movement, from the Birchers to a guy who tried to assassinate Deng Xiaoping. As an audiobook, it's like listening to a podcast in both the good and the bad sense. Good in that it is engaging and informative, bad in that if you get distracted you can miss whole stretches of the weird history of American fascism.
July 14, 2025
I listened to the podcast version, in which Robert Evans reads the book to Katy Stoll and Cody Johnston.
Is a very well put together history of the far-right movement in the USA. Fans of Behind the Bastards may think it repeats a bit of the info we've already heard, but I enjoyed this format and felt the recaps helped to make a clearer picture of everything that went on and how things are connected.
Is a very well put together history of the far-right movement in the USA. Fans of Behind the Bastards may think it repeats a bit of the info we've already heard, but I enjoyed this format and felt the recaps helped to make a clearer picture of everything that went on and how things are connected.
February 26, 2020
Some interesting information but lacking a strong central narrative, and I think some of the parallels and connections drawn are tenuous though worthy of further exploration.
Not quite sure what the difference between an audiobook and a podcast is in this case. There were several editing issues-- repeated lines and flubbed takes followed by better takes.
Not quite sure what the difference between an audiobook and a podcast is in this case. There were several editing issues-- repeated lines and flubbed takes followed by better takes.
June 9, 2020
Really enjoyed. Listened to the audio version and the internet just makes more sense now, in a horrible, disappointing way. The teenager reposts offensive meme to being called out to recruiting to white supremacists who will identify with you is simple and bonkers. The youth have so much potential to be preyed upon.
February 17, 2021
An excellent audiobook, and because it's an audiobook in seven chapters, a relatively quick listen - Robert Evans is a seasoned conflict journalist and an astute social and political commentator who hosts or cohosts some insightful (and darkly funny) podcasts including Behind the Bastards and Worst Year Ever.
Bleak, irreverent, angry, deeply caring, and highly recommended.
Bleak, irreverent, angry, deeply caring, and highly recommended.
October 13, 2021
Good historical throughline of violent far-right movements in the US. Since the book doesn't give out too much citations, especially in chapter 4, it inadvertently sounds like one of the conspiracy theories it's been describing. However, this reading is by far the best audiobook listening experience I've ever had, so I can overlook any minor frustration towards the book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews