Join SSB & author Mike Rothschild to discuss his new book, Jewish Space Lasers in conversation with Andy Kroll.
Please reserve a copy of the book & a seat on Eventbrite here.
This event will be at the H St. location of Solid State Books.
The strange tale of how one Jewish family—the Rothschilds—became a lightning rod for conspiracy theories over the course of the last 2 centuries.
Mike Rothschild (no relation), author of the bestselling Q-Anon conspiracy bestseller The Storm Is Upon Us, sorts out myth from reality to find the truth about these antisemitic conspiracy theories and their spreaders.
In 2018 Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene took to social media to share her suspicions that the California wildfires were started by ‘space solar generators’ which were funded by powerful, mysterious backers. Instantly, thousands of people rallied around her, blaming the fires on “Jewish space lasers” and, ultimately, the Rothschild family.
For more than 200 years, the name "Rothschild" has been synonymous with two things: great wealth, and conspiracy theories about what they're "really doing" with it. Almost from the moment Mayer Amschel Rothschild and his sons emerged from the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt to revolutionize the banking world, the Rothschild family has been the target of myths, hoaxes, bizarre accusations, and constant, virulent antisemitism. Over the years, they have been blamed for everything from the sinking of the Titanic, to causing the Great Depression, and even creating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories is a deeply researched dive into the history of the conspiracy industry around the Rothschild family - from the "pamphlet wars" of Paris in the 1840s to the dankest pits of the internet today.
Journalist and conspiracy theory expert Mike Rothschild, who isn't related to the family, sorts out myth from reality to find the truth about these conspiracy theories and their spreaders.
About the author: Mike Rothschild is a journalist and conspiracy theory expert whose work has examined scams, frauds, moral panic, conspiracy theories, and how their impact has gone from the online world into everyday life. He has written two previous books, including The Storm is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything, which examines the roots and the impact of the QAnon movement. Rothschild has been interviewed by CNN, MSNBC, NPR, the BBC, the Washington Post, and the New York Times among many others to discuss conspiracy theories; has testified to Congress on the threat of election disinformation; and appeared in numerous documentaries and podcasts.
In conversation with: Andy Kroll is an investigative reporter for ProPublica where he covers politics, the courts, and elections. He is the author of A Death on W Street: The Murder of Seth Rich and the Age of Conspiracy.