Depends What You Mean by Extremist by John Safran

Expecting skinheads, John Safran rocked up to a far-right rally in Melbourne. What he found led him into the mad world of misfits who helped propel the second coming of Pauline Hanson and foreshadowed the era of Trump.

No one turns up where they’re not wanted quite like John Safran. In this hilarious and disorienting adventure he gets among our diverse community of white nationalists, ISIS supporters, anarchists and more, digging away at the contradictions that many would prefer be left unexamined. Who is this black puppet-master among the white nationalists? And this Muslim fundamentalist who geeks out on Monty Python? Is there a secret radicalisation network operating in John’s own Jewish suburb? And ultimately – is hanging with all these radicals washing off on John himself?

Populated by an extraordinary cast of ‘ordinary’ Australians, Depends What You Mean by Extremist is a startling, confronting portrait of contemporary Australia. We all think we know what’s going on in our own country, but this larger-than-life, timely, and alarmingly insightful true story will make you think again . . .

Drinking shots with nationalists and gobbling falafel with radicals, John Safran was there the year the extreme became the mainstream.

'Totes recommend John Safran's latest. Deplorable in the best sense.' Louis Theroux

'An original, insightful, frequently deadpan-funny read . . . John Safran confirms that he's a major writing talent with his second book . . . Like his professional doppelgangers, Jon Ronson and Louis Theroux, Safran has a gift for eliciting information from his subjects by way of his unthreatening yet relentlessly unquestioning persona.' Jo case, Readings Monthly

‘Safran has always had an unusually receptive antenna for the fraught collision of racial, cultural and religious difference . . . This is an Australia where as soon as you draw a cultural, racial or religious battle line somebody strolls up to smudge it.’ James Robert Douglas, The Guardian (Australia)

John Safran

Reviews

“ Totes recommend John Safran's latest. Deplorable in the best sense. ”

Louis Theroux

“ Safran has always had an unusually receptive antenna for the fraught collision of racial, cultural and religious difference . . . This is an Australia where as soon as you draw a cultural, racial or religious battle line somebody strolls up to smudge it. ”

James Robert Douglas, The Guardian (Australia)

“ [Safran’s’ subjects know in their bones he is going to make them look a bit ridiculous, but he is so non-confrontational that they open up like flowers, and the amusing contradictions pour forth. ”

Peter Kenneally, Sydney Morning Herald

“ Safran’s latest sees him almost match the ‘gonzo nice’ style of his English peers Jon Ronson and Louis Theroux . . . He’s like the sarcastic punk rock kid of the trio, and the funniest . . . Full of cracking one-liners and Safran’s honest-to-a-fault self-deprecation. ”

Christopher Sanders, Adelaide Review

“ An original, insightful, frequently deadpan-funny read . . . John Safran confirms that he's a major writing talent with his second book . . . Like his professional doppelgangers, Jon Ronson and Louis Theroux, Safran has a gift for eliciting information from his subjects by way of his unthreatening yet relentlessly unquestioning persona. ”

Jo Case, Readings Monthly

“ The cast of this book – the ‘deplorables’ – is as fascinating as any true crime story. But what might shock you most is the fact that they live in your suburb . . . By understanding these people a little better, hopefully we're gaining the tools to counter them with wit, not weapons. ”

Rachel Wagner, mamamia.com

EBook

9781760142421

May 1, 2017

Penguin eBooks

304 pages
Online retailers
Paperback

9780143789895

August 20, 2018

Penguin

304 pages

RRP $22.99
Online retailers
Or

Find your local bookstore at booksellers.org.au
Trade Paperback

9781926428772

May 1, 2017

Hamish Hamilton

304 pages

RRP $34.99
Online retailers
Or

Find your local bookstore at booksellers.org.au