Legendary infiltration journalist HARMON LEON is at it again, this time teaming up with ferocious political cartoonist TED RALL to answer the question most of America has been asking: "What the hell happened in 2016?" In their new book, Meet the Deplorables: Infiltrating Trump America, Leon goes deep undercover into the heart of Trump America, and Rall--two-time winner of the RFK Journalism Award and a Pulitzer Prize finalist--adds an innovative extra dimension to the book with his own essays and full-color cartoons.
Running throughout Meet the Deplorables, Rall's distinctive artwork enhances the insightful and often irreverent tone employed by Leon--an award-winning New York journalist whose stories have appeared in VICE, Esquire, The Nation, and National Geographic. In his inimitable Gonzo-style, Leon's carefully crafted narrative is designed to help us understand (and humanize) the "deplorables," a word used by Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign to describe the racist, sexist, homophobic, and xenophobic supporters of Donald J. Trump.
For the sake of humor and satire, Leon ventures where elite coastal journalists dare not: deep into Red State territory, where his audacious accounts vicariously take readers on a journey of enlightenment by providing a fresh and first-hand perspective of right-wing subcultures and those most adversely affected by Trump's appalling policies on immigration, healthcare reform, and race relations. His exploits include:
- visiting an anti-Muslim hate group during the height of Islamophobia
- knocking door-to-door as a canvasser for the Trump campaign
- joining a conversion therapy group that tries to "turn" homosexuals straight
- attending a gun store wedding where couples seal vows by firing assault rifles
- watching fanatics receive free Trump tattoos
- participating in a Christian purity ring ceremony in Ohio.
This unique collaboration between 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 always 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
