Strange People on the Hill

“Strange People on the Hill chronicles an America in flux, as a small town is thrown into chaos by the arrival of a notorious white nationalist family. Michael Edison Hayden has written an admirably candid and remarkably intimate account of the toll that extremism exacts on ordinary people—not least on the author himself.”

“Michael Edison Hayden has written a harrowing account of how extremist forces can infiltrate communities—and how new networks of solidarity and defense of the truth can emerge to resist them. A timely and engagingly written account by an expert on extremism and hate groups.”

“Michael Hayden is one of the leading reporters covering far-right extremism in America, and he’s got the scars to prove it. Now, in Strange People on the Hill, he’s written a gripping thriller about a white supremacist takeover of a small town—a battle over a castle, and the heart of America itself.”

“A brave book that lays bare the grim reality of our times: the fascist tide that threatens to drown us all, the pernicious role of extreme wealth, and the hubris-fed failure of the institutions that we have all relied on as guardrails of our democracy. Most of all, it exposes the unbearable weight borne by the people who are fighting against that tide and the high price they pay. An utterly riveting and heartbreaking read.”

“A truly remarkable achievement. One of the most intimate, gripping journalistic accounts to date of this fascist moment in our politics. A deeply reported, and deeply American, descent into madness, chronicling a small town at war with itself, and a writer coming undone as he grapples with what that war means for the future of his country. Strange People on the Hill is a rare and brave book, not only for the evil it boldly confronts, but for the confessional honesty of its author, who throws himself into darkness to help show us all how to find the light.”