Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories

I've researched conspiracy rhetoric for years and have encountered other researchers who suggest every conspiracy theory is antisemitic in some way (an argument that sometimes feels like a stretch). Rothschild takes the same position here, but offers a brilliant history spanning from the 1800s to today while showing that the enemies behind the deep state, new world order, and globalists always seem to take a Jewish form. The title is sort of a gimmick (there's only one chapter on space lasers) while the book is largely about antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories weaponized against the Rothschilds (and thus Jewish people more generally). But it's incredibly well researched, the writing is for a general audience (rather than a limited academic audience), and the organization of the project is clear with each chapter building on the original argument clearly and convincingly. Essential reading for anyone trying to make sense of the tropes of conspiracy theories, or even antisemitism in everyday logics.

Mike Rothschild's overarching argument is that all conspiracy theories are built on a foundation of antisemitism. Once you read "Jewish Space Lasers," you will find it hard to disagree. When you pull the threads of 5G brainwashing, Bill Gates microchips, poison vaccines, water fluoridation, lizards in human suits, CIA assassinations, death panels, and faked moon landings - it all eventually comes back to the same tired tropes about "the Jews" like the Rothschilds or George Soros. These conspiracy theories all have a shiny veneer, promising to expose THE TRUTH and they are effectively repackaged every few years depending on the zeitgeist. But at their rotten cores, conspiracy theories are more or less the same. In this book, sunshine is truly the best disinfectant.My only critique is the jarring incongruity between the hilarious, tongue-in-cheek cover and the more academic, rigorous content of the book. I loved the cover and I learned so much from the book, but the two styles really clash. I thought I was in for a more satirical take on conspiracies but this was a heavy journey.

Well-written, well-researched. Rothschild lore is part of the DNA of modern conspiracism. It's woven into QAnon mythology and countless other conspiracy theories. It's very helpful to have a book like this to separate fact from fiction and to explore the intellectual influence of some very ugly but pervasive ideas about Jews, money, and history.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It is an excellent and well-researched exposition about anti-Semitism over history against the Rothschilds. It also does a great job in reducing the hundreds of years of anti-Rothschild bias to a 276-page book. Plenty of references for further research. My problem is that I like my non-fiction books to at least pretend to be objective, free of judgment. This means few adjectives. My second issue is that the story of Rothschild prejudice, while that family is admittedly one of the most powerful and recognizable of the Jews, is not equivalent to the entire history of anti-Semitism.The following excerpt, from the opening of Chapter 19, titled “Rothschild Conspiracy Theories in the Age of Trump”) illustrates my frustration with the book’s subjectivity:“It was just one angry, incoherent sign in a sea of angry, incoherent signs. Lofted into the sky at a Tea Party rally alongside hand-drawn proclamations about President Barack Obama’s ‘concealed birth certificate’ and “Marxist buddies” was one declaring for all the world to see: “Obama Takes His Orders from the Rothschilds.”“Barack Obama, of course, does not take his orders from the Rothschilds. He couldn’t even get the support of Lynn Forester de Rothschild, the one member of the family who has played any kind of significant role in American politics. But trivialities like ‘the truth’ don’t matter when you’re irrationally angry that the United States had the nerve to elect a Black president who was going to put you on a death panel for not buying health insurance.”Ok. I don’t disagree with the author, but I found that he editorialized too much for a non-fiction history book. I’d prefer that he left analysis and interpretation for the reader.With those caveats, I recommend this book for its historical analysis of the subject matter, up to the present (and future?).

Mike is a well known figure within the misinformation/extremist research community and his knowledge and expertise really comes through in this book. The history of conspiracy theories that surround the Jewish community has a long history and this book does a great job following the development of those theories not just across time but also across place. The fact there is a chapter talking about how the Jewish conspiracy played a role in the formative of narrative within the Aum cult in Japan is something I did not expect to see from a Western author so that was a joy to see. I highly recommend people pick up this book if they want a primer on one of the biggest tropes within the conspiratorial minded communities.

The author tells a well written interesting story of how gross humanity has been and is. The Rothschild are mystified in history and the author does a great job separating fact from fiction, while weaving in some humor into the darker stuff. If you dont mind reliving a little of the Trump era this book a page turner 5/5

This was a difficult read coming as it does just after October the 7th. It brought up deep visceral fear in me - my father fled Nazi Germany - and it stoked my feelings of vulnerability as a Jew, something I had never felt before.The only beacon of light was the last page ...

One of the few authors writing about the current state of conspiratorial weirdness that I have let lead me on more than one outing. Mike's prose feels effortless and his historical literacy is refreshing. We don't need conspiracy theories to explain conspiracy theories, and Mike never stoops to that level.