Everybody Loves Conspiracy Theories by David Ritchey is practically an encyclopedia of conspiracy theories, grouped by classification. Between the Eye of Providence and the Illuminati/New World Order theories are stories about aliens crash landing at Roswell, mind control, weapons conspiracy theories, 9/11, aviation and much, much more. The theories are grouped together into categories and most of them are presented first with the factual account (or in the case of the JFK assassination, the “official” account) and then are followed by the various alleged conspiracies. Ritchey points out that occasionally there is even a conspiracy theory that turns out to be true. Everybody Loves Conspiracy Theories is a very timely book as the number of people believing in these theories has multiplied in recent years. David Ritchey astutely examines how President Trump uses conspiracy theories to serve his purposes. I found Ritchey’s factual explanations to be logical and even-handed. There are times, though, when he moves so smoothly from the facts to the conspiracy theory that I had to backtrack to figure out whether I was reading the factual or the fictional explanation. My favorite part of Everybody Loves Conspiracy Theories was reading about all the purported UFO sightings. I was also surprised to find stories such as some medical conspiracy theories in which I had absentmindedly believed the conspiracy rather than the facts. Everybody Loves Conspiracy Theories is pretty fascinating reading and a valuable contribution to a world where fake news is prevalent. Recommended for serious readers and anybody who just loves a good conspiracy theory.
