American Madness: The Story of the Phantom Patriot and How Conspiracy Theories Hijacked American Consciousness
By Tea Krulos |AVAILABLE NOW

Q-Anon. Fake News. Bohemian Grove. False flag attacks. Deep State. Crisis actors. Whatever Gate.
Is any conspiracy worth the life of a believer?
The mainstream news media struggles to understand the power of social media while conspiracy advocates, malicious political movements, and even foreign governments have long understood how to harness the power of fear and the fear of power into lucrative outlets for outrage and money. But what happens when the harbingers of "inside knowledge" go too far?
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Author Tea Krulos tells the story of one man, Richard McCaslin, whose fractured thinking made him the ideal consumer of even the most arcane of conspiracy theories. Acting on the daily rants of Alex Jones and his ilk, McCaslin takes matters into his own hands to stop the unseen powers behind the world's disasters who congregate at conspiracy world's Mecca— The Bohemian Grove. It all goes wrong with terrible consequences for the man who styled himself--The Phantom Patriot.

McCaslin is not alone, as conspiracy-driven political action has bubbled its way up from the margins of society to the White House. It's no longer a lone deranged kook convinced of getting secret messages from a cereal box, now its slick videos and well-funded outrage campaigns ready to peddle the latest innuendos and lies in hopes of harnessing the chaos for political gain. What is the long term effect on people who believe these barely believable stories? Who benefits, and who pays the price?

Krulos investigates and explains the power of conspiracy and the resulting shared madness on the American psyche.​​

About the author

 Tea Krulos  is a freelance journalist and author from Milwaukee, WI. Some of his favorite subjects to explore include subcultures, weird news, and strange personalities. He writes about local art and entertainment, lifestyle, and food/drink for publications like Milwaukee Magazine, Shepherd Express, and Milwaukee Record.  His previous books, Heroes in the Night, Monster Hunters and Apocalypse Any Day Now explored the driving beliefs and lives of the people who choose to reject accepted reality and substitute their own. 
​Tea writes a weekly column called “Tea’s Weird Week” on teakrulos.com.
“Tea Krulos has forged a fascinating collection of work by immersing himself in various sub-cultures that exist on the fringes of society.” — Cult of Weird

“For some reason, though some of his observations are alarming, whenever I read Tea’s work I feel better because of his level-headed reportage and humor.” — Lee Gutowski, editor, Riverwest Currents

​“No one knows strange times better than Milwaukee author Tea Krulos.” — Milwaukee Record

“Journalist Tea Krulos has made a curious and enlightening career out of examining groups of people with odd beliefs.” — ​Skeptical Inquirer