Strange People on the Hill

A gripping narrative that reveals what happens to a small American town when an influential white nationalist group relocates its headquarters there, vividly illustrating how radical changes in American politics impact our psyches and divide our communities
When the white nationalist group VDARE used dark money to purchase a historic castle overlooking Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, America's "cold civil war" spilled into the scenic tourist town living underneath.
From behind the imposing stone walls of their castle, VDARE's Peter and Lydia Brimelow spread propaganda focused on the great replacement conspiracy, while the once-friendly neighbors on the streets below turned on each other. In an attempt to restore civility, a group of neighbors banded together to oppose their presence.
Strange People on the Hill provides an urgent glimpse at how extreme reactionary ideology, and the national politics that embody it, disrupts the lives of everyday Americans, and vividly illustrates the intimate relationship between violent, racist radicalism and what now passes for mainstream conservatism.
Renowned researcher and investigative reporter Michael Edison Hayden employs extensive on-the-ground reporting to show how the politicized culture wars manifest in deeply personal dramas and conflicts, crafting a moving narrative about how the people of Berkeley Springs are standing up against hate and division and bravely forging a community built on inclusivity, respect, and neighborliness.

Michael Edison Hayden is a former senior investigative reporter with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). As a reporter, in the last decade he has broken some of the biggest stories on the radical right, and his analyses have helped shape perspectives on the authoritarian, anti-democracy movement actively taking over the Republican Party. He resides in New York.