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Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of QAnon

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A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' PICK / TOP 10 RECOMMENDED READ Two experts of extremist radicalization take us down the QAnon rabbit hole, exposing how the conspiracy theory ensnared countless Americans, and show us a way back to sanity. In January 2021, thousands descended on the U.S. Capitol to aid President Donald Trump in combating a shadowy cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles. Two women were among those who died that day. They, like millions of Americans, believed that a mysterious insider known as "Q" is exposing a vast deep-state conspiracy. The QAnon conspiracy theory has ensnared many women, who identify as members of "pastel QAnon," answering the call to "save the children." With Pastels and Pedophiles , Mia Bloom and Sophia Moskalenko explain why the rise of QAnon should not surprise believers have been manipulated to follow the baseless conspiracy. The authors track QAnon's unexpected leap from the darkest corners of the Internet to the filtered glow of yogi-mama Instagram, a frenzy fed by the COVID-19 pandemic that supercharged conspiracy theories and spurred a fresh wave of Q-inspired violence. Pastels and Pedophiles connects the dots for readers, showing how a conspiracy theory with its roots in centuries-old anti-Semitic hate has adapted to encompass local grievances and has metastasized around the globe―appealing to a wide range of alienated people who feel that something is not quite right in the world around them. While QAnon claims to hate Hollywood, the book demonstrates how much of Q's mythology is ripped from movie and television plot lines. Finally, Pastels and Pedophiles lays out what can be done about QAnon's corrosive effect on society, to bring Q followers out of the rabbit hole and back into the light.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 15, 2021

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Mia Bloom

10 books13 followers

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5 stars
39 (17%)
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66 (28%)
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81 (35%)
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35 (15%)
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8 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
Profile Image for Michele Desoer.
54 reviews
June 27, 2021
I really wanted to like this book more (as non-fiction, there are not really spoilers in here). While it has a lot of interesting information I have three overarching complaints. First, it really could have used some editing. Portions are repetitive and the authors sometimes use undefined abbreviations. Second, and in contrast, this short book would benefit from some concrete examples. As one who has not gone "down the rabbit hole" with Q but has some generalized knowledge, I'd love some examples about how the QAnon folks "interpreted" the cryptic "Q drops." Show us an example or two of the drops and how they were seen by adherents. Third and finally I found the authors' conclusions mostly unhelpful. While noting the urgency of the problem, they suggest teaching critical thinking and how to evaluate internet content, separating facts from fiction. While this education is a lofty and worthwhile goal, it is not a way to affect the immediate problem. Furthermore with the pushback in the states most vulnerable to being caught up in the madness, if CRT has been blocked, I doubt critical thinking would be embraced.
Profile Image for Sophie Juhlin.
134 reviews6 followers
August 23, 2021
It’s disappointing to see a book armed with so much good research and such capable authors attempt to deliver on so many levels and ultimately stumble over most of them. This book’s thesis (theses, really) is nonspecific and multifaceted: it’s a beginner-level basic overview of QAnon, and a history of Antisemitism and Antisemitic tropes and symbols, and a global exploration of QAnon’s reach, and also somehow about American women’s roles and participation in the movement.

Why? Why would you want to try to do so many things at once when any one of these topics could make for a full and more compelling book? The title and some of the language in the introduction led me to believe that the book would mainly be discussing women’s involvement (as the “Pastels” in the title is a nod to a Q subculture made up mainly of women), but this discussion isn’t even given its own chapter—it’s a shorter discussion that happens within /some/ chapters. The book is weirdly organized, moving from the absolute basics and possible Qulprits to January 6th, from a history of radicalizing right-wing movements to Q’s global reach, and then ending in an FAQ chapter that both rehashes information already touched on in the book and offers some advice for dealing with your Q relatives or loved ones. It’s extremely basic first-step kind of psychological advice, which is kind of a let down coming from authors who have specific academic backgrounds in this field. It feels like another failed thesis. This section, like most other sections in this book, would have made an excellent book in and of itself. Giving these qualified authors a chance to deep-dive into the mindset rather than taking on the burden of so many other means of exploration could have been a really cool approach. As it is now, it doesn’t seem useful and doesn’t give the authors’ expertise the full attention it deserves.

I read this book as an ARC, so I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the published version incorporated some thoughtful developmental edits. Maybe in the published version the chart on page 19 makes sense. Because as it is now, I have absolutely no clue what the hell I’m supposed to do with this info. It’s called “Number of QAnons supporting congressional primary candidates”. What is a QAnon? A single person who supports the movement? There are no units on the key! And the color gradient moves from dark to light to dark again! The sequence goes from 1-5-8-14-15… thousands? Hundreds?? Individuals?? I have literally shown this graphic to like eight people and 0 of them could help me understand what it’s trying to convey. Also, I have no idea why it’s in the subheading about the Watkins family. I really hope we’re all just dumdums and there was either a basic error that’s corrected in the final version or that it’s a type of graphic I’m unfamiliar with that is legible to someone more well-read than me. At this point I don’t think I’ll seek out the final version of the book to check.

TL;DR: this book has a vast bibliography of great research and writing that gets lost in a badly-organized structure with too many disparate parts and an unfortunate misuse of the authors’ clear authority on this subject. Too many ideas and not enough book to go around for each of them.
10 reviews
August 31, 2021
I don't normally rate or review books I don't finish, but I feel the need to express my frustration over a book that should have been so much better.
The authors state in the Acknowledgments that this book was rushed to press, and unfortunately, it shows. It's clear that they did their research, but they seem to have had trouble organizing and articulating their thoughts on the subject. Several statements, and in some cases, whole paragraphs, felt out of place, neither tying in with the adjacent information or the subheadings under which they fell. There were also times they referenced historical events or aspects of QAnon without fully explaining them, seeming to assume previous knowledge on the part of the reader. Had I not already read Mike Rothschild's book, I would have been lost within the first five pages. As it is, I couldn't make it past the first chapter.
I expected more from a book written by credentialed authors and published by Stanford. Perhaps the authors will revisit the topic when they can give more time and thought to how they present the content. Until then, there are better resources available for understanding QAnon.
501 reviews3 followers
September 12, 2021
This slim volume, that offers statistics, stories and the various reasons for the rise of Qanon followers in this country and abroad, could be the reading material for a college course. It's dry and rather uninspired and most of the really outlandish theories (lizard people, Jewish laser beams, etc) have already been well documented. It is up-to-date, however, referencing the January 6 uprising and the influence of Trump but, ultimately, it seems like a book rushed to press evident by the typos and repetition throughout. Still, it does shed light on why the "crazies" believe what they do. Be afraid.
Profile Image for Hannah.
40 reviews
July 9, 2021
Solid information but the book was really, really weirdly organized - it ended with an FAQ that just resummarized the entire book? And also began with an FAQ?
Profile Image for Autumn.
Author 2 books13 followers
August 25, 2021
This had the potential to be interesting but the many typos and strange editing decisions were distracting.
111 reviews14 followers
January 18, 2023
I can't stress enough what an absolute pile of flaming garbage this book is. It's a shoddy, poorly written, rushed, unprofessional cash grab.

Pastel Qanon is a subculture predominantly spread by women, but the book is sporadically about women. It's an introduction to QAnon, a history of antisemitism, an overview of the events of January 6th, ideas for psychological treatment for QAnoners, the relationship of QAnon to Christianity, QAnon globally, and then ends in a repetitive FAQ. There is no clear thesis, and it isn't elaborated on. The book is a chaotic mess. They barely even talk about pastel QAnon.

The authors have no idea what this book is supposed to be. Is this an introduction to QAnon, or is this a book about women in QAnon? Is this a serious academic text or a liberal mockery of right-wing conspiracy theorists? Is this for family members of QAnoners, or is this an academic text about women in extremist movements? Are they sympathetic to these women, or do they view them as racist, stupid, entitled, delusional, and antisemitic? They utterly failed to identify an audience, craft a thesis, elaborate on that thesis, organize their book coherently, and choose a writing style.
Their use of citations is completely erratic, such as. "Many women who supported Bernie over Hilary ended up in QAnon." Where is the citation for this? Because it seems they pulled it straight out of their ass. It just reflects the pro-US empire, neo-liberal worldview of these authors.

The authors have no idea how to use commas. There are sentences like, "Hatred of Jews was longer simply a function of them being Christ killers but Germans considered Jews to be a race set apart by genetically different and inferior characteristics." There needs to be a comma before "but." How about "In 1900 during the reign of Czar Nicholas II..." There needs to be a comma after "1900". Bafflingly, in the next paragraph, they do use a comma after stating the year. The book is full of clunky, awkward sentences and grammar issues.

The capitalization is strange and erratic. White as a race is not capitalized, but Jewish, Black, and Hispanic are. The word "subreddit" is capitalized within sentences. They also desperately need to break up run-on sentences and create paragraphs.

They aren't up-to-date on the latest academic research and terminology. They use the term "anti-Semitism" when "antisemitism" is preferred by numerous organizations. They refer to Steve Hassan as an expert and use the word "cult" to describe the Unification Church and Scientology. Academics use the term "New Religious Movement" and not "cult." Steve Hassan is not an actual academic expert on NRMs.

Additionally, they refer to the Protestant Church as a single united entity. This just further proves these authors have no idea what they are talking about.

They devote a large portion of the book to the essentially liberal conspiracy theory Hilary Clinton lost the election because of "Russians trolls" and that our democracy is constantly undermined by nefarious, secretive Russians and the Chinese. The authors have no self-awareness because Russians in this book are written about as some natural and eternal enemy of the West: parasitic, secretive, deceitful, mischievous, causing harm for the sake of it over centuries. It almost exactly echoes ideas about the Jews.

An infographic couched within a section on Russia suggests cognitive therapy, support groups, and mindfulness training for pro-Russian conspiracy theorists. I find the implications of this horrifying. Is support for the Russian or Chinese government a mental illness that requires treatment? It's like political psychiatry; questioning the US empire is a mental illness that requires CBT to overcome your harmful pro-Russia thoughts. They also imply conspiracy theorists are mentally inferior at one point.

Support and trust of the US government are implicitly a sign then of mental stability, intelligence, and well-being. This is literally a book in support of US imperialism, "The added benefits of manipulating people into distrusting the enemies of the Motherland like NATO and WHO is that conspiracy theories provide a distraction." If you don't like NATO, you must apparently be a mentally damaged conspiracy theorist. Forget all the brown kids they murdered.

They use a "guilt by association" approach (AKA logical fallacy) to disregard anything they don't like. People opposed to mask mandates are loony conspiracy theorists, and so are people who think COVID might have come from a lab leak.

They never interview a female QAnon believer or engage with them. They conducted no original research, from what I can tell. A total disgrace of a book, and unbelievable Stanford published this. Their tone is completely inappropriate for an academic and sociological book, and they failed in every way to be objective and respectful to their subjects. They approach these women with arrogance, smugness, and disdain. They deliberately insert words to create bias like saying Dinesh D’Souza is a “disgraced “””historian”””, with the quotations added in the text.
84 reviews2 followers
April 25, 2022
28 pages in, I realized this book is poorly written and suffers from hyper far left bias and paints with an uncomfortably wide brush with regards to claims of anti semitism. 40 pages in, I decided I have come to doubt the ability of the author to share real information instead of wild claims. Reading this book feels like a waste of my time when I have so many other things I want to read.
76 reviews2 followers
June 10, 2022
The book needs some editing to avoid repetition and some typos and grammatical errors. Although it appears to be well-researched and includes references to the sources, the authors could have had a more-nuanced book by interviewing some actual QAnoners instead of relying on the articles written by others about them. Use of primary sources would make it a more compelling read.
Profile Image for BM.
35 reviews
Read
September 15, 2021
It’s in desperate need of an editor to provide a cohesive narrative and smooth it out.
Profile Image for James.
Author 11 books93 followers
December 22, 2021
Substantive and sweeping. The authors analyze the conspiracy theories that make up the roots of QAnon and its appeal to its adherents, including their risk factors in terms of both situation and intrinsic personality traits.
The book focuses strongly, though not exclusively, on QAnon's appeal to women in particular. Here I was not completely convinced; in terms of situational factors, I agree with their arguments, but I question their assumption that women have stronger protective tendencies toward children than men. They make a lot of maternal instincts, without seeming to consider that parental instincts are found in many adults of both genders and are universal in neither.
I do agree with their recommendations, in the closing pages, against trying to mentally strong-arm QAnon adherents into giving up their conspiratorial beliefs. They suggest, instead, telling people that we understand why they would feel the way they do, but asking them how they know the things they are saying are facts.
For anyone concerned about the impact of QAnon, especially if they have family or friends who hvae been caught up in it, I'd recommend this book.
Profile Image for Emma.
223 reviews
January 3, 2022
This is a very short summary of some of the components and motivations of what makes up the QAnon movement. Many corners of society get fingered as vulnerable to the darker corners of the internet: women, the disenfranchised, the post industrial poor, etc etc. There is an attempt to internationalise it, ‘it’s not just America’ they whine. Facebook and the Russians get blamed for making the madness accessible. Lizards also feature deep in the mix.

Batsh!t crazy all round, cults have been around since the dawn of humanity. The book explores the theme that women are more susceptible to the detail of QAnon. This was interesting and something I didn’t know. Is it true? Who knows.

Profile Image for Bertazzo.
147 reviews1 follower
February 15, 2022
Kinda informative and the effort to sound not too academic is commendable, but hell how poorly edited... It is like nobody has reread this to catch redundancies and plain repetition separated by few paragraphs.
Profile Image for lys.
42 reviews
November 11, 2022
i don’t think that this is the most well-written/organized book i’ve ever read, but WOW was i hooked. so disturbing. lizard people???? space lasers???? pizzagate???? crazy fucking shit. i’ve lost all possible hope for america. this is terrifying but everyone should read it
Profile Image for Io.
120 reviews
November 15, 2021
A disappointing read. Overall, the book did contain some interesting information and some thoughtful potential solutions for addressing this ongoing problem. However, it was also needlessly repetitive, poorly organized, lacking in synthesis of any kind, and full of vague pop psychology explanations for the Q-anon phenomenon. It just felt put together in a really slapdash manner. Those looking for a thoughtful, nuanced discussion of this complex topic will not find it here.
Profile Image for Chris Boutté.
Author 7 books204 followers
May 27, 2021
The QAnon conspiracy theorists have been around for the last few years, but mainstream attention really started focusing on them as their numbers grew during the COVID pandemic. A lot of us wonder how people can believe such wild conspiracies, and that’s why I love reading books about some of the psychology behind conspiracy theorists. With Pastels and Pedophiles, I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of the book (coming out 6/15/21), and I really enjoyed it. Although this was my first introduction to Mia Bloom, I’ve been a fan of Sophia Moskalenko’s work and books for a while now. Sophia has this great way of providing a nuanced look at people like conspiracy theorists and terrorists while providing insight from how these people evolved to the point where they seem completely irrational. Although irrational to us, Sophia’s work shows us the journey of how they go from Point A to Point B.

There are a lot of books coming out about QAnon, and with so much coverage about these people and their conspiracies, I was concerned this book would just be a history of QAnon. And I’m not going to lie, at first, that’s the impression I got. In the first part of the book, the authors lay out the groundwork to explain what QAnon is, how it started, and the theories about who Q is. Fortunately, as someone who is well aware of the history of QAnon, this book quickly became what I was expecting, and I couldn’t stop reading it.

In this book, you’ll learn how those who feel isolated and alone are more likely to become a part of groups like QAnon, and the authors explain some psychology behind groupthink and our need to belong. Drawing from the cognitive dissonance work of Leon Festinger, Moskalenko and Bloom explain how QAnon believers could stick around after so many predictions and prophecies from Q never happened. As someone who has created content debunking QAnon conspiracies, the primary question I get is, “What do I do if my loved one has fallen down the rabbit hole and can’t get out?”. Throughout the book, the authors provide useful, therapeutic information and techniques for those who know someone who has conspiratorial thinking. I’ve read quite a few books on the psychology of conspiracy theorists, and this was definitely one of the best.
Profile Image for Maria Zumhagen.
11 reviews1 follower
March 14, 2022
This book is a cursory introduction to Qanon. Many readers likely picked up this book because they have a loved one who's gone down that path, and they are looking for new information on specific theories and how to address "diehards." You won't find much you don't already know if you have even the most basic exposure to followers of Qanon. This book could have been stolen from any mainstream article you've already read about Qanon. The one exception I found helpful was the authors explanation that adrenochrome IS a real chemical (I thought it was completely made up), but can be synthetically made, is used in epipens, and there would never be a need to harvest it from children. These were the kinds of examples I was looking for, but this was the only one I found. I hoped they would jump into the claims regarding pizzagate and debunk them. They didn't.

The authors lump in people who question the origins of covid (lab leak vs wet market) or women who do yoga or prefer natural birth with those who believe in shape shifting lizard people. They chant "baseless conspiracy" (and I do believe it's a baseless conspiracy) over and over without actually spending any time debunking or addressing specific aspects of the Qanon belief. I was hoping for an organized book that systematically addressed and debunked specific theories that could be shared with those entrenched in Qanon. Instead these discreditors discredit themselves by blowing off a huge portion of the population without actually presenting evidence. Extremely disappointing.
Profile Image for Candy Wood.
1,093 reviews
Read
June 1, 2022
This is a short book, under 200 pages plus endnotes and index, and it could have been even shorter. The six chapters often repeat the same information and suggestions: Chapter 6, “FaQs�� (capitalization Bloom and Moskalenko’s, typical of their effort to include Q wherever possible, as in folQlore or Qontagion), is all repetition of earlier explanations. The inclusion of “Pastels” in the title connects to the authors’ focus on the particular appeal of QAnon to women—as they point out, women have not been as involved or even welcome in other extremist groups like the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers. Besides reporting QAnon beliefs and activities, they propose ways that concerned friends or family might help believers to leave the group—not by arguing, they stress. While they insist that adherence to QAnon principles is not a sign of low intelligence, they also point to a link between such adherence and psychological problems, and their repeated references to “falling down the rabbit hole” doesn’t exactly promote respect for believers. The opening acknowledgments admit that the book was produced in a hurry, and it shows—the imprint of Stanford University Press doesn’t seem to guarantee effective copyediting. Most of the cited sources are from the media, both mainstream and less so (Vice News?). At least it’s a quick read.
Profile Image for Leslie.
755 reviews46 followers
January 1, 2022
Actually, I'd give it about a 2.5, but the number of issues keep me from rounding up. Not horrendous and it does have some good info, but I agree with many other readers' criticisms: poorly organized, repetitive, lacking in concrete examples, too short for the amount of material the authors say they want to cover, and I fail to see how their solutions, while they sound good, would be implemented in the real world. In short, as at least one other person said, it feels as if it was rushed into print to capitalize on the interest in the topic after 1/6/21. A much better resource, IMO, is The Storm is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything.
Profile Image for Christina.
5 reviews
November 2, 2021
I was intrigued by this book's title and the idea of learning more about women in QAnon and the ways in which social media has made this conspiracy theory compelling to young women. Unfortunately I learned very little about that, and this ended up being a disorganized collection of chapters covering the basics of QAnon and its supporters.

Normally I would give three stars to a book where I found the structure and content lackluster but still occasionally interesting, but I have to give this two for the terrible quality of the writing. Syntax, grammar, or phrasing errors could be found on basically every page and were incredibly distracting. I would say this needed much stronger editing but it also just needed more time and care taken during the writing process. It read like a first draft.
Profile Image for Paige McLoughlin.
597 reviews32 followers
July 5, 2021
A good primer on the Qanon phenomena. How people get sucked into this destructive conspiracy in a time of Covid and how it is tied to far-right white nationalists to further their political ambitions. How it is linked to the January 6th insurrection and how dangerously widespread this conspiracy theory has spread among the public and help radicalize and swell the ranks of the far-right. The witch craze is not too far under the surface under the thin veneer of modernity.
Profile Image for Fiona.
878 reviews8 followers
September 12, 2021
This book's biggest problem is the complete lack of primary source material; if you're going to write an entire book about women's involvement in QAnon, talking to some of them, or at least thier families, is not just expected but essential, imo. But this is just a regurgitation of information that can be found elsewhere and its not terribly well-organized or -written.
Profile Image for Katy St. Clair.
363 reviews5 followers
October 17, 2021
I'm not sure why the NYT made this a Notable Book, unless there aren't any good books about Q Anon. The writing has little panache and relies on cliches. The definitive story is yet to be told in print... Jon Ronson, this is your cue.
Profile Image for Ilana.
1,010 reviews
July 14, 2023
Following the failed attempted coup at the Capitol lead mostly by Trump supporters, QAnon conspiracy theories received worldwide attention in media reports and analysis. However, they were out a bit longer and they continued to be long after. During the pandemic, supporters of this organisation that melts antisemitic tropes with racist and conspiracy theories, took over the streets in Germany and other countries, to protest against the ´deep state´, a code for the official authorities. Practically, they grew exponentially during those times.

Mia Bloom and Sophia Moskalenko, two academic experts in the field of radicalization and far right theories summed up the history and background of the movement, as well as its main concepts and interpretations.

We may consider QAnon a political cult, without necessarily designated leaders, but nevertheless exploiting isolated individuals. ´Conspiracties like QAnon exploit vulnerable people during times of personal crisis, especially those who lack social support networks´. For an isolated person without contact with real life and sometimes without a lucrative aim, staying at home and following various theories, and ending up by making up their own based on uncritical assumptions may turn into an addictive habit. The repertoire of the American conspiracies is much older than QAnon but in this case, it relies on the access to online resources of all kinds, and was supported during Donald Trump time in the office. Compared to other far right movements though, QAnon has a significant amount of women among its supporters due to its focus on ´pedophiles´ and sexual predators, but also due to their relative isolations, especially in some remote parts of America.

Although Pastels and Pedophiles is well documented and is written in an academic tone, it feels as rushed out gathering facts and summing up only once in a while with some conclusions that do resonate, but sometimes are too general. I would have expect more theoretical background and throughout mentality analsysis in order to help us better understand the roots and the possible evolutions.

The recommendation to include critical thinking as part of the school curriculum is a very good idea but would have expect more details about the content and eventually the methods.

The FAQ at the end of the book is an useful summary of the most important questions regarding this movement, but maybe would have been better to use this space for more details and considerations about the movement.

The book was published two years ago, when QAnon was frequently in the media and therefore, it aims at offering to journalists and curious people some important timelines and concepts. For someone knowing nothing about this topic, it is a good start although this book could have been much much more.

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
435 reviews
January 10, 2023
Written by an international security expert and a psychologist, this book explains how so many Americans (and others) have been seduced by conspiracy theories. The theories seem bizarre at best and have no basis in fact and include a mysterious person (Q) who is exposing "deep state" conspiracies and a supposed cabal of Satan worshiping pedophiles which include Democrats and Hollywood elites.

How did supposedly rational folks dive into this intellectual hole?

The authors suggest a few reasons. Apparently those most influenced are people who are relatively
isolated, a condition exacerbated by Covid 19.
Many "believers" found conspiracy information on right wing web platforms, 4 chan, and later 8 chan.
From there , information moved to other message boards.

The most outlandish claims are not new but have existed for hundreds of years. Some originate in centuries-old anti-Semitic books and teachings. One example is the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" a widely read anti Semitic tract actually written in 1902 by czarist secret police.
According to "Q", "adrenochrome" is a chemical produced in childrens' blood when they are stressed. Thus the evil cabal tortures children to drink their blood! (wow)
Meanwhile, adrenochrome is a real chemical substance (C9H9NO3), a metabolic by-product of adrenalin. It has some limited pharmacological use, is easily synthesized, widely available and inexpensive. So... no need to drink the blood of tortured children.

Q-Anon, seems to appeal to women, partly because of the "save the children" aspect.

The authors point out that many (not all) of the Q-anon believers and activists have been shown to have histories of drug abuse, trauma and mental health issues. They seek like-minded "influencers" and are comforted to have answers and to be "in the loop".

Q people tend to believe in overlapping conspiracies, distrust science, and are anti-vaxxers.

These types of cults tend to increase in response to social instability, such as changing gender roles,an increasing wealth gap, covid, layoffs and financial stresses.

What to do:
1. Change algorithms on "alternative" social media platforms
2. have more posts questioning the Q theories
3. offer alternatives to increase knowledge and self-esteem; cognitive therapy, support groups; encourage social engagement such as volunteering; mindfulness meditation.

What not to do:
Direct confrontation, criticism; ignore them

A very insightful and engaging book!

Profile Image for Pamela Conley.
442 reviews8 followers
April 9, 2022
This is a good explanation and analysis of the collective conspiracy theories of QAnon sometimes referenced as just "Q". The content is well researched and well organized. It could do with a bit of editing but I guess if you are trying to explain how reasonable people can believe that lizard aliens are taking over people's bodies you want to provide every bit of documented explanation you can.
I also appreciated the author tried to structure this in a problem solution format by attempting to provide ways to help you friend or loved one escape the cult of Q.

The overarching message I got from this is Q is simply old wine in new bottles. It is every cult trope ever used rolled into one and dealing with it is just like dealing with any other cult, except this is cult à la carte, where each person picks and chooses the parts that work for them. You think the Earth is flat and or/we never landed on the Moon? Q has that. You think children being trafficked for their blood or to make the drug, Adrenochrome (that is easily produced synthetically)? Q has got you covered. You think there are lizard people pretending to be humans introduced by The Deep State? That is on the table via Q. You think Hillary Clinton is running a child sex trafficking ring in the basement of a DC pizza restaurant (that doesn't have a basement)? Q has that as an option. You think George Soros is running a Jewish cabal? Q has has that on the menu. You think Donald Trump was specifically sent from God to save the world? Q is here for you. You believe JFK Jr. is still alive and going to run for office with Donald Trump? Q says you are our people come on in. You think Bill Gates is killing your children, giving them autism, and tracking them with 5G from vaccines? check, check, and check. QAnnon is simultaneously everything and nothing.

The most informative part of the book for me is the last few chapters. The author provides some research on the personality types and often mental illnesses that are drawn to cults. The author explains it isn't about being uneducated or even unintelligent. It is about feeling isolated, having a high level of anxiety, or feeling a lack of control over your life.

If you are looking for a comprehensive overview of the rise of the collective conspiracy theories known as QAnnon with some possible options to disentangle a loved one you will appreciate this book.
Profile Image for Jamie.
158 reviews
April 28, 2023
*sigh* I'm usually pretty forgiving with my reviews. I try to be fair in as many ways as I can without going too far into one direction or the other (unless, of course, the book really nails it where I'll gladly go 5 stars and fawn over it). This book, while the potential was surely there, is not one of those books I'll treat nicely. First, as most people I've seen review it have noted, this book was basically taken from initial manuscript to print without anyone looking at it. If someone did look at it they simply took the money and ran. It is TERRIBLY edited, if edited at all. There simply is no excuse for saying the same sentence twice in a single paragraph. Or going through a paragraph of detail on a particular subject and then starting the next chapter with the same paragraph. It reads like someone wrote the details down into a rough timeline, shoving things here and there they wanted to reflect on in a different narrative way, then submitted the 1st revision instead of 5th or 6th for print. I honestly found about 3 things that were new knowledge where the rest of the book was basically scraped from public sources. The "I'm going to focus on the women" aspect was about 1/10 or 1/15 of the book's actual facts and gave us such gems as QAMoms... which is just silly. I wish this book had been better because there is a space for aggregating this group's rise and fall into a single book. This book is not that book. I do not feel any more informed about QAnon than I was before opening it and I finished it only because I desperately dislike putting down a book once I've started it. Unlike this editor, apparently.
Profile Image for Michael.
141 reviews8 followers
November 26, 2022
It had a format problem, and there were too many printing problems to ignore. Only a small number of editing errors showed themselves. It waited until the last four pages in the summary to connect the dots, but I'm glad I held on and read it through.

It was informative, but not perfect. No book is, but this one waited a long time in its 196 content pages to take off and fly. Pastels and Pedophiles tried very hard to be academic but placed its notes in the rear rather than down below each page. I found that bothersome, and obstructive to comprehension. P&P was a very good idea, but probably a bit rushed. It could've been better. The last four pages elevated it four stars from the three it cruised with for quite a while.

My depressed frame of mind might not have been the best for reading. There were two deaths in the family, recently.

Several pages suffered a bit from extra ink in grids. Distracting. Not good, but not totally a disaster, either.

Your friends only slightly interested in Q Anon could skip the majority of the content, and just read those last four conclusion pages.

I'm glad I read it. I was personally motivated to research this topic. I will probably recommend those last four pages to some close to me. They can read the rest if they like. I marked nine pages for personal reference.
1 review1 follower
October 6, 2021
HOW MUCH OF THE INFORMATION U WROTE ABOUT DID U ACTUALLY SOEND TIME INVESTIGATING. U USED MY NAME FOR PROFIT AND NEVER ONCE SPOKE TO ME. ACCUSATIONS THAT I WAS NOT CONVICTED OF BUT U CLAIM THAT I, JESSICA MARIE PRIM WAS OUT TO MURDER SOMEONE WHICH IS SO VERY FRAUDULENTLY AND MASSIVE LIES. I WAS NEVER GIVEN ONE SINGLE FOLLOW UP FROM ANYONE AS SO MANY DECIDED TO RUN WITH A PRETEND STORY TO FIT HATEFUL STRIPPERS JEALPUS AGENDAS. UNDERSTAND THIS.... THERE IS PROOF OF A STRIPPER CALLING SECRET SERVICE AND PRETENDING TO BE ME. THERE IS PROOF MY CHILDREN HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO CHILD PEDOPHILES WHOM STILL HAVE THEM THIS DAY!!! I LITERALLY HAVE VIDEO EVIDENCE, EMAILS, AND TEXTS WITH SO MANY OFFICALS AND GOVERMENT CHILD WORKERS NAMED FULLY ATTACHED WITH THE SEAL OF ILLIONOIS. HOW ABOUT U WRITE THE TRUTH. LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR FOR ALL TO READ.... I WAS CHARGED WITH DISORDERLY CONDUCT FOR CRYING AND HAVING MARIJUANA IN MY TRUCK!!! I WILL BE SUEING UR FACES FOR PROFITTING OFF OF THE ABUSE THROWN AT MY FAMILY!!! WHO WRITES A BOOK AND DOES NOT FOLLOW UP ON WHOM THE PUT IN THE BOOKS.... LET ME TELL U WHO POWER, MONEY HUNGRY RATS. TIA MARIE HOOVER IS JESSICA MARIE PRIM ALSO KNOWN AS THE GHOST BABY NIKITA STEELE. HOW'S THAT FOR REAL TRUTH.
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