Ripped from the headlines, Meet the Deplorables: Infiltrating Trump America ventures deep into Red State territory and explores the current shape of our divided country, providing a fresh, first-hand perspective of right-wing subcultures and the mindsets of the so-called “deplorables” who helped propel Donald J. Trump to the Oval Office.
“A rollicking ride through Trumpland." –Harriet Alexander, The Telegraph
In his inimitable Gonzo-style, infiltration journalist HARMON LEON—whose stories have appeared in VICE, Esquire, The Nation, and National Geographic—dons a variety of disguises and goes undercover into the heart of Trump America where his exploits include canvassing door-to-door as a Trump supporter, hanging out with Trump fanatics as they receive free Donald tattoos, demonstrating how easy it is to purchase an assault weapon on Facebook, visiting an anti-Muslim hate group on the same day as a mass shooting, spending time with anti-choice protesters in front of Planned Parenthood, joining a conversion therapy group that tries to “turn” gay men straight, and many, many more.
Adding an innovative extra dimension to the book, TED RALL, two-time winner of the RFK Journalism Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist, enhances the carefully crafted narrative—and connects Leon's audacious accounts to the greater Trump phenomena—with his own distinctive cartoons and insightful analysis, including a poignant epilogue.
A necessary read in the time of Trump, this unique collaboration by the formidable team of Harmon Leon and Ted Rall holds up a mirror to modern conservative life and reflects a reality that is outrageous, entertaining, and illuminating.
Industry Reviews
“A rollicking ride through Trumpland; Leon takes you on a tour of the stranger side of the States. By turns laugh-out-loud funny and poignant, it’s a vital guide to understanding what is happening in America today.” –Harriet Alexander, US Correspondent for The Daily Telegraph
“If you’ve had the courage to peek out of your asshole and take a gander at our devolving America, you won’t be shocked the evils and inequities that Harmon Leon takes to task in this book. But you’ll be amazed how Leon’s hilarious subterfuge of a collapsed system can make us laugh as we slowly swirl down the muddy toilet.” –Doug Stanhope, author of This Is Not Fame: A “From What I Re-Memoir”
“Anyone can mock their ideological enemies, but Harmon Leon does something revolutionary here-he actually gets to know them. A natural, endlessly engaging storyteller, Leon’s forays into Trump America are fascinating, funny, and incisive. Gonzo journalism at its finest.” –Davy Rothbart, creator of Found Magazine, author of My Heart Is an Idiot
“I got more of a sense of Trump’s voters from this than from a lot of other reporting.” –Nancy Updike, producer of This American Life
