Rating: 
Summary: Fiction writting
Review: Anyone can say or write anything this book is highly fictional. No real facts are mentioned in this book but mostly hearsay.
Rating: 
Summary: An Encyclopedia of Conspiracy Theories
Review: Author Devon Jackson is not here to tell you whether the theories are right or wrong. He does no analysis along those lines. His book is a lighthearted look of all the theories. Sometimes he seems serious and sometimes he's silly. He seems to be liberal, so he has no trouble recording the supposed misdoings of right wingers, but sometimes he soft peddles when dealing with groups protected by political correctness, to keep himself out of hot water, I suppose.He has a flow chart drawn by hand on the proverbial crumpled piece of notebook paper showing how all the conspiracy groups are interconnected. I think the funniest conspiracy was the one in which it is said that mercury fillings are used to transmit messages for NASA to the Aliens. Now that's creative! However, I do believe that mercury filling could possibly be poisonous and its better to get the more expensive plastic ones to avoid health problems. The most interesting conspiracy is how some prominent Americans were Nazi sympathizers, like Allen Dulles. They helped some prominent Nazis get out of Germany after WWII under the CIA's Operation Paperclip and helped them get jobs working for places like NASA. I think I would like to read more about this one. The book presents theories and if your interested you can seek out a more in depth coverage elsewhere. However, the book does not have a bibliography, so you're on your own trying to find them. The book also lists quotes from prominent individuals confirming or denying a grand conspiracy and they are loosely documented to some source, but without a page number. What I'm trying to say is the book is not well-documented. The book is a fun read, if ultimately frivolous. Doing an analysis on whether the conspiracy theories are true or false is really where the attraction lies with conspiracy theories. Maybe he should have played the theories up more for laughs, because if the theories aren't true and it's just paranoia, paranoia does have its very funny side. Perhaps some clever film maker will come up a funny film about paranoia one of these days.
Rating: 
Summary: Conspiranoia! The Mother of all Conspiracy Theories
Review: Conspiranoia! The Mother of all Conspiracy Theories If you enjoy an amusing, funny, intellectual tome, then Devon Jackson's new book, Conspiranoia! The Mother of All Conspiracy Theories, is just for you. This factual yet connective book is entertaining and well flourished with great theories. Conspiranoia (ken - spir - e - noi' - e): The tendency on the part of an individual or group toward rational or irrational, justifiable or excessive suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others based on the belief that others have joined in a secret agreement to commit an unlawful or wrongful act, or to keep the truth, as the believer sees it, secret. (from the introduction to Conspiranoia!) The format is ingenius because after five minutes the reader falls into its trap of collectiveness. Creatively formed as an encyclopedia of conspiracy theories, Conspiranoia!, can be used as a short or long read. Jackson's innovative design is dividing the theories into sub-divisions, which are then incorporated into larger conspiracies, known as "the master plan." Would you ever think that George Bush would some how be linked to aliens, and the JFK assassination? What do Dalai Lama, Bill Gates, the Mafia, and the CIA have in common? How about the New World Order, Los Alamos National Lab, the Internet and John Tesh? Conspiranoia! connects all the dots and is logical at the same time. You can turn to any page and pick up information easily. If only five percent of the information was true, the book would still be worth reading. Jackson has assembled serious as well as humorous data into theories you never would have imagined. The book starts with "the Master Plan" and the theory topics follow it. There is a large variety of conspiracies such as the KKK, Socialist, Church, Zionist, Dark Knights, and Master Race. The book closes with religion as a fundamental conspiracy. Jackson intentionally does not include any footnotes in the book. This was strategically thought out because it is perfect for a conspiracy theme as it leaves the reader thinking about its truth (it also leaves the author room to be sloppy!). Instead of source citations the book is sprinkled with various phrases like, " insiders say..." Devon Jackson really came through this time, after writing for the Village Voice, Outside, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, Worth and People. I rate Conspiranoia! with five stars out of a possible five. It is a great book for all those conspiracy freaks out there, and an interesting index and read for everyone else. If you would like to read similar types of books other recommendable ones are Conspiracies, Lies, and Hidden Agendas; Mick Farren, Conspiracy Theories: Secrecy and Power in American Culture; Mark Fenster, Secrets, Plots & Hidden Agendas : What You Don't Know About Conspiracy Theories; Paul T. Coughlin, Empires of the Sand : The Struggle for Mastery in the Middle East, 1789-1923; Efraim Karsh, Inari Karsh (Editor).
Rating:
Summary: Conspiranoia! The Mother of all Conspiracy Theories
Review: Conspiranoia! The Mother of all Conspiracy Theories If you enjoy an amusing, funny, intellectual tome, then Devon Jackson's new book, Conspiranoia! The Mother of All Conspiracy Theories, is just for you. This factual yet connective book is entertaining and well flourished with great theories. Conspiranoia (ken - spir - e - noi' - e): The tendency on the part of an individual or group toward rational or irrational, justifiable or excessive suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others based on the belief that others have joined in a secret agreement to commit an unlawful or wrongful act, or to keep the truth, as the believer sees it, secret. (from the introduction to Conspiranoia!) The format is ingenius because after five minutes the reader falls into its trap of collectiveness. Creatively formed as an encyclopedia of conspiracy theories, Conspiranoia!, can be used as a short or long read. Jackson's innovative design is dividing the theories into sub-divisions, which are then incorporated into larger conspiracies, known as "the master plan." Would you ever think that George Bush would some how be linked to aliens, and the JFK assassination? What do Dalai Lama, Bill Gates, the Mafia, and the CIA have in common? How about the New World Order, Los Alamos National Lab, the Internet and John Tesh? Conspiranoia! connects all the dots and is logical at the same time. You can turn to any page and pick up information easily. If only five percent of the information was true, the book would still be worth reading. Jackson has assembled serious as well as humorous data into theories you never would have imagined. The book starts with "the Master Plan" and the theory topics follow it. There is a large variety of conspiracies such as the KKK, Socialist, Church, Zionist, Dark Knights, and Master Race. The book closes with religion as a fundamental conspiracy. Jackson intentionally does not include any footnotes in the book. This was strategically thought out because it is perfect for a conspiracy theme as it leaves the reader thinking about its truth (it also leaves the author room to be sloppy!). Instead of source citations the book is sprinkled with various phrases like, " insiders say..." Devon Jackson really came through this time, after writing for the Village Voice, Outside, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, Worth and People. I rate Conspiranoia! with five stars out of a possible five. It is a great book for all those conspiracy freaks out there, and an interesting index and read for everyone else. If you would like to read similar types of books other recommendable ones are Conspiracies, Lies, and Hidden Agendas; Mick Farren, Conspiracy Theories: Secrecy and Power in American Culture; Mark Fenster, Secrets, Plots & Hidden Agendas : What You Don't Know About Conspiracy Theories; Paul T. Coughlin, Empires of the Sand : The Struggle for Mastery in the Middle East, 1789-1923; Efraim Karsh, Inari Karsh (Editor).
Rating:
Summary: A lucid account
Review: First can I confess to my grudging admiration at Jackson's effort; the guy almost pulls it off. The narrative and style give precedence to the theory itself as if it had an independent life from the content. Clever stuff, and his paymasters will be pleased at the smokescreen he has managed to erect. Let's hope they'll remember this when the ballon does go up.
Rating:
Summary: A lucid account
Review: First can I confess to my grudging admiration at Jackson's effort; the guy almost pulls it off. The narrative and style give precedence to the theory itself as if it had an independent life from the content. Clever stuff, and his paymasters will be pleased at the smokescreen he has managed to erect. Let's hope they'll remember this when the ballon does go up.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for beginners
Review: This book is full to the top with interesting information, especially about hidden connections between various conspiracy theories. I had a strongly mixed reaction to the book. Whenever he was talking about a theory I knew about prior to reading the book, he seemed lucid, fluent and knowledgeable. Whenever he talked about a theory I had never seen before, I found him confusing and oblique. Moreover, the format ofthe book, which had seemed so useful when we were on familiar ground, suddenly became an obstacle to understanding. My advice: if you already know a lot about conspiracy theories and are looking for a good reference guide, buy this book. If you are familiar with many conspiracy theories and are looking for a book which will tease out the connections between them, buy this book. But if you are just getting started learning about conspiracies, or if you are feeling mildly curious, start somewhere else.
Rating:
Summary: Not for beginners
Review: This book is full to the top with interesting information, especially about hidden connections between various conspiracy theories. I had a strongly mixed reaction to the book. Whenever he was talking about a theory I knew about prior to reading the book, he seemed lucid, fluent and knowledgeable. Whenever he talked about a theory I had never seen before, I found him confusing and oblique. Moreover, the format ofthe book, which had seemed so useful when we were on familiar ground, suddenly became an obstacle to understanding. My advice: if you already know a lot about conspiracy theories and are looking for a good reference guide, buy this book. If you are familiar with many conspiracy theories and are looking for a book which will tease out the connections between them, buy this book. But if you are just getting started learning about conspiracies, or if you are feeling mildly curious, start somewhere else.
Rating:
Summary: The new Joseph Campbell
Review: This book is the ultimate guide to conspiracy theory and paranoia. Devon Jackson lays it out for us encyclopedia style with a serious look at conpiracy theory and yet with a good deal of humor. Not tongue in cheek, make no mistake, this is a well crafted, non-judgemental overview. There are twenty-one "maps" in Conspiranoia! showing us how it all connects: who, what and where. Seeing the web of conspiracies is worth the book alone. No,I am not a conspiracy theorist, maybe not even a gifted amateur, but I think this is the best book of it's kind. Oh, and why Joseph Campbell? This is the new mythology and if JC were alive today he would be talking about this book!
Rating:
Summary: more of a joke book
Review: This is not a book for someone looking for serious conspiracy theories and/ or good solid information. The dictionary type format is also very hard to follow. This book should be called "Conspirannoying".
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