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Uncover Up: How to Think Clearly in an Age of Conspiracies
An 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.
- GenresNonfiction
272 pages, Paperback
Published July 28, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 20, 2026
I really loved this book. I thought it was clear and concise, understandable for people new to the topic while still being informative and entertaining to those that weren’t. I enjoyed the segmentation, topics covered, great breakdown across everything and honestly just kept looking forward to when I could pick it up next. I will admit I’m biased because I’m fascinated by the topic but I really recommend it, particularly if you’re interested in disinformation and misinformation in today’s current ages and how conspiracies spread.
Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!
Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
My thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for an advance copy of this book that tries to make sense out of humanity's love of conspiracies, how many use these ideas to shape their world, their understanding of events, and how these thoughts shape people and how these thoughts trap many in a world that is far more complicated than many can deal with.
When I was a pre-teen I read a book, I don't know which about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I don't know what book, something one would think I would remeber, but it interested me so much I began to read more. My books came from flea markets, tag sales ad book sales, and there were no shortage. Each book offered different suspects, different reasons, and different ways to look at the world. From there I read more books, more assassinations, more government overreach, black helicopters, Illuminati, New World Order. Looking back I was sure something happened, something we weren't being told, but I thought the conspiracy was more covering the mistakes of those in charge, rather than a grand overarching plot. Covering One's Butt seems where many conspiracies start. Maybe it offered me something more, a way to understand a world that was not what I was told. With adults acting childish, cruel in ways I never was taught, but seemed to come natural to many. This is what draws many to conspiracies, the understanding that there has to be a reason for things. Something that makes is easy to question everything, even the questions themselves. Uncover Up: How to Think Clearly in an Age of Conspiracies by Lee Kuhnle and Nathan Radke is a look at conspiracies not for what they are, but what they tell us about life in this modern age, how easy it is to believe, the science behind our belief, and what we can do to look at the world as it really is.
The book is a book about conspiracy thinking, and the science of why humans tend to believe these what can be considered odd ideas. The authors go into some conspiracies, but use them more as examples rather than filling pages with more conspiracy thought. They look at conspiracy and how we think through politics frameing, philosophy, theology and propaganda. The authors explain the bias that is bult into many humans, their wanting to believe, as in X-Files, and the need to understand the world around themselves, a world that is getting harder and harder to deal with. They look to the past, and to the future with AI slop making things even harder to know what is true. Messages that can be aimed right at a person, triggering secret fears, even secret desires for being controlled.
A very fascinating book, one that was both scientific, and yet realistic about the world we have made, and that many continue to shape, to make money, to keep control, and to have people afraid to ask questions. The writers are both professors, Kuhnle is a professor of political science, Radke a philosophy teacher, and share a podcast, so can communicate their ideas well and clearly. The authors are quick not to judge about people's believe in things, something that is rare in many books on this subject. Joking about a person believing in say Pizzagate, is an easy joke, but these authors prefer to explain why the person got to that point. Something they do quite well. The authors use clear examples, and make everything relatable and understandable. There is humor, but it is actually more funny, than cruel.
A book that is critical to how we as a society got to this point. A very well-written one, and I book that I quite enjoyed. I will be looking for more by these authors, as well as checking out their podcast.
When I was a pre-teen I read a book, I don't know which about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I don't know what book, something one would think I would remeber, but it interested me so much I began to read more. My books came from flea markets, tag sales ad book sales, and there were no shortage. Each book offered different suspects, different reasons, and different ways to look at the world. From there I read more books, more assassinations, more government overreach, black helicopters, Illuminati, New World Order. Looking back I was sure something happened, something we weren't being told, but I thought the conspiracy was more covering the mistakes of those in charge, rather than a grand overarching plot. Covering One's Butt seems where many conspiracies start. Maybe it offered me something more, a way to understand a world that was not what I was told. With adults acting childish, cruel in ways I never was taught, but seemed to come natural to many. This is what draws many to conspiracies, the understanding that there has to be a reason for things. Something that makes is easy to question everything, even the questions themselves. Uncover Up: How to Think Clearly in an Age of Conspiracies by Lee Kuhnle and Nathan Radke is a look at conspiracies not for what they are, but what they tell us about life in this modern age, how easy it is to believe, the science behind our belief, and what we can do to look at the world as it really is.
The book is a book about conspiracy thinking, and the science of why humans tend to believe these what can be considered odd ideas. The authors go into some conspiracies, but use them more as examples rather than filling pages with more conspiracy thought. They look at conspiracy and how we think through politics frameing, philosophy, theology and propaganda. The authors explain the bias that is bult into many humans, their wanting to believe, as in X-Files, and the need to understand the world around themselves, a world that is getting harder and harder to deal with. They look to the past, and to the future with AI slop making things even harder to know what is true. Messages that can be aimed right at a person, triggering secret fears, even secret desires for being controlled.
A very fascinating book, one that was both scientific, and yet realistic about the world we have made, and that many continue to shape, to make money, to keep control, and to have people afraid to ask questions. The writers are both professors, Kuhnle is a professor of political science, Radke a philosophy teacher, and share a podcast, so can communicate their ideas well and clearly. The authors are quick not to judge about people's believe in things, something that is rare in many books on this subject. Joking about a person believing in say Pizzagate, is an easy joke, but these authors prefer to explain why the person got to that point. Something they do quite well. The authors use clear examples, and make everything relatable and understandable. There is humor, but it is actually more funny, than cruel.
A book that is critical to how we as a society got to this point. A very well-written one, and I book that I quite enjoyed. I will be looking for more by these authors, as well as checking out their podcast.
Read
August 20, 2026Throughout history, there have been what could be referred to as conspiracy theories, when someone takes an event and adds sinister connotations to it. The sad fact of all this is the fact that people believe the speculation rather than looking at the facts. In the book UNCOVER UP—HOW TO THINK CLEARLY IN THE AGE OF CONSPIRACIES, the authors take a deep and fascinating dive into events and situations where there has been far-out thinking, adding a more clandestine notion to simple events. They also look at rumors that have been mistaken for solid fact. It has gotten much worse over the fact few decades, and now it is full blown especially in political circles and with the spread of media sites and Podcasts, a simple observation even those solidly outlandish, are soon heralded as fact not fantasy.
The authors take us back to the Salem Witch Trials, and how people were branded as witches for the flimsiest of reasons and excuses. If someone’s cattle died, it would be thought a next door neighbour perhaps used witchcraft to curse and animal and be the reason for the death. People were hung as witches or drowned, because of perception and not reality of the situation. In the 1950’s there was the Red Menace and how Russia after World War Two caused a paranoia in America that caused people to be afraid of talking to associating with anyone who might be Russian. There was also the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas in 1963. So many conspiracy theories took hold, that even today are discussed as possibilities. The man on the hill with an umbrella on a sunny day was challenged as a person who when the umbrella was opened, may have been the moment to pull the trigger.
The authors offer dozens of conspiracies that have been accepted as truth, even the most absurd of notions. There is the definition early on in the book of conspiracy and that is “what happens when a group of people collaborates against the public good, in secret, for their own gain.” There are an abundance of absurd notions throughout the book such as the 5G Network was somehow responsible for the beginning of COVID. There is also talk of how the HIV/AIDS epidemic was created by the government inside a lab. One of the more absurd conspiracies involved American jeans imported into the Soviet Union. According to theory, small glass capsules were sown into the material of the jeans. When the Soviet buyer put them on the first time the capsule would break. And inside the capsules were fleas infected with syphilis. They would bite the wearer and each person the wearer was intimate with, would spread syphilis like wildfire.
Many of the conspiracies noted in the book we are familiar with and are laughable, but they still are trusted as fact. It makes UNCOVER UP a most enjoyable book, but what should worry readers the most is the fact many theories mentioned are accepted as fact, rather than dismissed as folly.
The authors take us back to the Salem Witch Trials, and how people were branded as witches for the flimsiest of reasons and excuses. If someone’s cattle died, it would be thought a next door neighbour perhaps used witchcraft to curse and animal and be the reason for the death. People were hung as witches or drowned, because of perception and not reality of the situation. In the 1950’s there was the Red Menace and how Russia after World War Two caused a paranoia in America that caused people to be afraid of talking to associating with anyone who might be Russian. There was also the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas in 1963. So many conspiracy theories took hold, that even today are discussed as possibilities. The man on the hill with an umbrella on a sunny day was challenged as a person who when the umbrella was opened, may have been the moment to pull the trigger.
The authors offer dozens of conspiracies that have been accepted as truth, even the most absurd of notions. There is the definition early on in the book of conspiracy and that is “what happens when a group of people collaborates against the public good, in secret, for their own gain.” There are an abundance of absurd notions throughout the book such as the 5G Network was somehow responsible for the beginning of COVID. There is also talk of how the HIV/AIDS epidemic was created by the government inside a lab. One of the more absurd conspiracies involved American jeans imported into the Soviet Union. According to theory, small glass capsules were sown into the material of the jeans. When the Soviet buyer put them on the first time the capsule would break. And inside the capsules were fleas infected with syphilis. They would bite the wearer and each person the wearer was intimate with, would spread syphilis like wildfire.
Many of the conspiracies noted in the book we are familiar with and are laughable, but they still are trusted as fact. It makes UNCOVER UP a most enjoyable book, but what should worry readers the most is the fact many theories mentioned are accepted as fact, rather than dismissed as folly.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
We have a responsibility—to ourselves, to our community, and to our future—to try to see clearly through the noise and nonsense. from Uncover Up
First of all–what a great cover!
This is an incredibly timely and important book. Ok, sadly, it is a timeless book since conspiracy theories have always been with us. But in today’s world, news (fake and real) spreads like wildfire across the world. Regardless of how crazy the fake news, the dangerous theories, the illogical thinking, people fall for them.
…people can always, regardless of their belief system, find an online community to help them through moments of cognitive dissonance that might otherwise shake their certainties. from Uncover Up
Uncover Up looks at the reasons why we embrace these theories with examples from across history. It is a wake up call reminding how many times we have been led astray by our own bad thinking.
The book considers ways we are manipulated, how magic tricks work, the peer pressure pushing into conformist thinking, the appeal of simplistic disinformation. It explains why people become Flat Earth Society members, Antivaxxers, reject that man landed on the moon but are abducted by aliens, and the appeal of a world divided into evil and good.
Historical examples included one that I researched when I first heard about it in a college class: In 1534, a group of radical Anabaptists took over Munster, intent on forcing the second coming of Christ by creating a pure Christian society. It didn’t end well.
It wasn’t the last Millennium movement; the Nazis “was literally a millennial movement,” with Hitler proclaiming “the arrival of the Nazi millennium.” The QAnons combine conspiracy theories and millennialism, believing that Trump’s election would “lead to the extermination of evil, in the form of Democratic politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and wealthy Jewish families (all of whom are secretly cannibalistic Satanist child abuses.”
Throughout this book, we have looked at the psychological, sociological, historical, and philosophical factors that increase the changes well believe things that aren’t true. from Uncover Up
Conspiracies will never go away. Some of the same ones have been around for centuries, and new ones pop up constantly.
This book should be in classrooms. We need to educate our children in media literacy and critical thinking. We all need to educate ourselves. We need to think clear.
Thanks to ECW Press for a free book.
First of all–what a great cover!
This is an incredibly timely and important book. Ok, sadly, it is a timeless book since conspiracy theories have always been with us. But in today’s world, news (fake and real) spreads like wildfire across the world. Regardless of how crazy the fake news, the dangerous theories, the illogical thinking, people fall for them.
…people can always, regardless of their belief system, find an online community to help them through moments of cognitive dissonance that might otherwise shake their certainties. from Uncover Up
Uncover Up looks at the reasons why we embrace these theories with examples from across history. It is a wake up call reminding how many times we have been led astray by our own bad thinking.
The book considers ways we are manipulated, how magic tricks work, the peer pressure pushing into conformist thinking, the appeal of simplistic disinformation. It explains why people become Flat Earth Society members, Antivaxxers, reject that man landed on the moon but are abducted by aliens, and the appeal of a world divided into evil and good.
Historical examples included one that I researched when I first heard about it in a college class: In 1534, a group of radical Anabaptists took over Munster, intent on forcing the second coming of Christ by creating a pure Christian society. It didn’t end well.
It wasn’t the last Millennium movement; the Nazis “was literally a millennial movement,” with Hitler proclaiming “the arrival of the Nazi millennium.” The QAnons combine conspiracy theories and millennialism, believing that Trump’s election would “lead to the extermination of evil, in the form of Democratic politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and wealthy Jewish families (all of whom are secretly cannibalistic Satanist child abuses.”
Throughout this book, we have looked at the psychological, sociological, historical, and philosophical factors that increase the changes well believe things that aren’t true. from Uncover Up
Conspiracies will never go away. Some of the same ones have been around for centuries, and new ones pop up constantly.
This book should be in classrooms. We need to educate our children in media literacy and critical thinking. We all need to educate ourselves. We need to think clear.
Thanks to ECW Press for a free book.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Uncover Up: How to Think Clearly in an Age of Conspiracies by Lee Kuhnle and Nathan Radke would not be out of place in a university level sociology classroom, but it is written in a very engaging way and I recommend it to those who are interested in the topic. It is scheduled to be published on July 28, 2026.
As someone who has studied sociology, I was familiar with several of the people, concepts and examples discussed in the book, but I still learned a lot. The authors took great pains to define terms precisely and explain historical events and studies in detail. There are also a lot of citations included for further research.
Another thing the authors do very well is encourage empathy for those who believe in false conspiracy theories by showing how it is possible for anyone to start believing in seemingly outlandish things if the conditions are right. One of the most useful distinctions they make is between misinformation (unknowingly wrong info) and disinformation (deliberately wrong info). They also make the strong point that false conspiracy theories have thrived in the wake of the pandemic because the lockdowns cut us off from community.
In Uncover Up, the authors detail many conspiracy theories, even a few that turned out to be true. There is a lot to learn about the origins of everything from the Salem Witch Trials to Qanon. They explain some truly horrific events in history that came about because of honestly held beliefs or the exploitation of them in others.
While the book does talk a little bit about how to avoid conspiratorial thinking, it does not do so as much as I was expecting. As mentioned previously, a great strength of this book is how precise it is with definitions and careful it is to be as accurate as possible. However, this strength also causes the book to take long tangents into history and fully explaining origins and historical details instead of allowing the citations to do that. As a result there is too much detail about historical events that readers may be familiar with and it's easy to go into rabbit holes while explaining the nuance of a small detail and then not have enough time to fully discuss how to avoid the line of thinking that leads to conspiracies. I found that the chapter on millenarism did this in particular. On the other hand, I definitely prefer a book to over explain something as opposed to just glancing over an idea.
Overall, I think Uncover Up is a very good book that not only informs, but also explains and encourages empathy. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in this topic.
Thank you very much to ECW Press for providing a digital copy of this book for possible review. All opinions are my own.
As someone who has studied sociology, I was familiar with several of the people, concepts and examples discussed in the book, but I still learned a lot. The authors took great pains to define terms precisely and explain historical events and studies in detail. There are also a lot of citations included for further research.
Another thing the authors do very well is encourage empathy for those who believe in false conspiracy theories by showing how it is possible for anyone to start believing in seemingly outlandish things if the conditions are right. One of the most useful distinctions they make is between misinformation (unknowingly wrong info) and disinformation (deliberately wrong info). They also make the strong point that false conspiracy theories have thrived in the wake of the pandemic because the lockdowns cut us off from community.
In Uncover Up, the authors detail many conspiracy theories, even a few that turned out to be true. There is a lot to learn about the origins of everything from the Salem Witch Trials to Qanon. They explain some truly horrific events in history that came about because of honestly held beliefs or the exploitation of them in others.
While the book does talk a little bit about how to avoid conspiratorial thinking, it does not do so as much as I was expecting. As mentioned previously, a great strength of this book is how precise it is with definitions and careful it is to be as accurate as possible. However, this strength also causes the book to take long tangents into history and fully explaining origins and historical details instead of allowing the citations to do that. As a result there is too much detail about historical events that readers may be familiar with and it's easy to go into rabbit holes while explaining the nuance of a small detail and then not have enough time to fully discuss how to avoid the line of thinking that leads to conspiracies. I found that the chapter on millenarism did this in particular. On the other hand, I definitely prefer a book to over explain something as opposed to just glancing over an idea.
Overall, I think Uncover Up is a very good book that not only informs, but also explains and encourages empathy. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in this topic.
Thank you very much to ECW Press for providing a digital copy of this book for possible review. All opinions are my own.
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!
August 2, 2026
Happy pub date to Uncover Up by Lee Kuhnle and Nathan Radke! Thank you ECW Press for the advanced copy!
I’m really enjoying this read! Uncover Up explores various different conspiracy theories, how they spread, and how we can identify truth through it all. This has proven to be a well-researched, well-written, to-the-point book. Both Kuhnle and Radke organize their ideas in approachable ways, and lay out their arguments with care as well. I’m just starting to get into non-fiction, but I feel that this book is great for many different types of readers. Overall, this is a fun, knowledgeable read! 4/5 ✨!
I’m really enjoying this read! Uncover Up explores various different conspiracy theories, how they spread, and how we can identify truth through it all. This has proven to be a well-researched, well-written, to-the-point book. Both Kuhnle and Radke organize their ideas in approachable ways, and lay out their arguments with care as well. I’m just starting to get into non-fiction, but I feel that this book is great for many different types of readers. Overall, this is a fun, knowledgeable read! 4/5 ✨!
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.
August 25, 2026
this would’ve been 4 stars if it were ~50 pages shorter. but all in all, quite interesting and enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews