An interesting look into the life and times of one of America's modern conspiracy theorists.

The author managed to make the life of someone on the fringe interesting whole at the same time showing how a small time book reached millions of people and influenced at least one music scene.

Definitely a missy read for people interested in conspiracy theories regardless of whether you believe them or not.

Pale Horse Rider (2018) by Mark Jacobson is a well written book & biography of the "Father" of the Truther movement Bill Cooper. Author Jacobson was able to mix in many of the social ills during the time of Coopers life to make for an interesting read. The book shows how Coopers life was flawed but when it came to his research and analysis he was on target. Highly recommended if you have an interest in the Truther movement...-BUT...I really think this is a 5 Star book...but...Jacobson kind of blew it in the very last paragraph stating "People call Cooper "the father of the Truth Movement," which now includes nutbag stories like Pizzagate..." -????!!!!! Mr. Jacobson, Where did this come from and why would you write such a viewpoint after completing this entire book??? I've researched Pizzagate, there's a lot behind it...it only slid away from the public eye due to the bogus Russiagate...but the main point to you is why are you scoffing at the harm to children? I thought this was a great book until the very end and the inclusion of that sentence...Sorry dude but you went from an excellent writer to an idiot in a heartbeat...

Really enjoyable read (or, in my case, an enjoyable listen). I've always had a passing interest in Bill Cooper. I've owned "Behold a Pale Horse" for ~20 years now and was happy to pay for it with a debit card at Barnes & Noble. I still remember walking out of the bookstore and chuckling to myself that I had probably been put on a watch list because of my purchase. The reality though is that the book is less a prophetic tome and more of a curiosity; not quite entirely fiction but also not absolute fact.

If you don't know anything about William Cooper or his radio program "The Hour of the Time" then this is a really interesting story about a really odd and interesting man.

If you're like me and you know a moderate amount about the man and what he represents in conspiracy theory circles, then there is plenty here that you probably have never heard before.

If you happen to know absolutely everything about the man and all the stories surrounding his life and death, then I think this book is a great tribute and realistic dipiction of Cooper's legacy. It's just an honest look at both man on and off air while still being respectful. I didn't know anything about his family or his children. The chapter about his older daughter in particular was pretty interesting, reminded me a bit of my father and my sister's relationship even.

Personally, I highly recommend this biography for anyone who has a tangential interest in conspiracy theories, or anyone who simply just likes reading about interesting and eccentric people.

Utterly fascinating for me. This was the main guy to kickoff the 'everything the mainstream media tells you is a lie' movement. Seems like he was a nutbag but like the author says "even a broken clock is right two times a day." Dude called out enough stuff accurately that some of his more out there proclamations gained a sheen of "maybe". Bill Cooper is the forefather of Alex Jones and offered a viewpoint that is often effectively utilized by the current POTUS. In the end it seemed to me that he was a troubled dude with some legit concerns but his conspiracy theories ultimately became a crutch for him to deal with (as Jacobson puts it) an 'imperfect world'. Lack of transparency by the powers that be and the accepted voices of the media during the Vietnam War, Kennedy Assassination and (I guess) Roswell sowed the seeds for the general distrust in the government, media and basically anybody with power. In a vacuum of facts, conjecture and paranoia can thrive, especially when delivered by a savvy presenter. Which evidently Bill Cooper was.

This books was so far up my alley I couldn't sit down for a day and a half due to soreness. Only reason for the 4/5 was the unnecessary name-dropping of the Wu-Tang Clan and ODB. Yeah those dudes read Cooper's book but it felt superfluous and added nothing to understanding the man or his ideas.

"Read everything. Listen to everybody. Believe nothing till you can prove it with your own research."

Out,

Mitz

Fascinating look at the life and career of the man Alex Jones modelled his career on, one of the most extreme conspiracy theorists of the 1990s, and a vicious poisoner of the well of public discourse in America. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2018/10/03/all-my-friends-know-the-pale-rider/