Harmon Leon

When the red states trumped the blue states in the 2004 presidential election, many Democrats were left wondering just what makes the conservative mindset tick. Wonder no more. Join self-described "infiltration journalist" Harmon Leon as he goes undercover to explore what being conservative really means. A flaming liberal in real life, Leon has been called "a cross between Michael Moore and South Park." He shares with readers his hilarious misadventures as he dons the persona of a "pissed-off convenience store clerk" at the Knob Creek Biannual Machine Gun Shoot in Bullit County, Kentucky. Next, he’s working security in southern California at an "Arnold for Governor" rally, where he has several memorable encounters with the Terminator himself — and finds himself constantly promoted! But this is only the beginning. Leon reports on his zany experience at a Christian wrestling extravaganza, where the scantily clad wrestlers toss opponents into the stands in the name of Jesus. Taking a different tack, he paints on temporary tattoos, wears a black T-shirt reading "Kill ‘em all. Let God sort ‘em out!" and then entertainingly describes the reactions he gets when he tries to purchase a condominium in an exclusive gated community. Uncertain about whether his inspiration is Jane Goodall or journalist John Howard Griffin, author of the 1950s’ classic Black Like Me, Leon nonetheless perseveres from one adventure to the next, hoping not to be found out and get his head broken. Leon’s daring anthropological romps into finding out how the other half lives are by turns outrageous, disturbing, and hilarious, yet always illuminating. Don’t be surprised to find yourself laughing out loud as you turn each page!

Infiltrating Red-state, White-ass, and Blue-suit America

Republican Like Me

From the author of "Republican Like Me" comes an expos of the harrowing and hilarious reality of living in red-state America.

My Undercover Exploits in Right-wing America

The Infiltrator

Called a cross between Michael Moore and South Park, gonzo journalist Harmon Leon shared his undercover exploits among fringe right-wingers in the riotously funny book Republican Like Me. Now, in The Infiltrator, Harmon exposes more of the harrowing and hilarious reality of living in red-state America.· Desperate for a job in the no-new-job Republican economy, Harmon becomes O.J. Simpson's sidekick helping him to pull off hidden-camera tricks on O.J.'s budding reality show.· Harmon joins a civilian vigilante group of senior citizens called the Minuteman Project and helps them patrol for illegal aliens along the Mexican border by sitting in a lawn chair.· He becomes a Promise Keeper at one of the group's weekend stadium events, where he gets pumped up about Jesus but finds that women are clearly not welcome.· Harmon infiltrates the Protest Warriors (who vehemently oppose liberal protestors) and meets a right-wing Warrior who boastfully confides to Harmon that he's infiltrated leftist protests. Harmon rises to become president of the local chapter.· Harmon shows his flair for drama when he trains to be a teen abstinence educator and makes an unforgettable impression using mime.· At a faith healing extravaganza, Harmon throws away his crutches and walks again-before being assisted to the ground.And there's much, much more in this twisted sampler of infiltration journalism. Follow Harmon on each mission impossible as he dons various ingenious disguises, goes undercover, tries various ways to eke out a living, and then just barely escapes to report on the shocking and very funny truth about surviving in conservative America.Harmon Leon (San Francisco, CA) is an award-winning journalist who has appeared on The Howard Stern Show, Penn and Teller: Bullshit!, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, E!, and NPR's This American Life, and in The San Francisco Chronicle, Cosmopolitan, Maxim, Details, Spin, Wired, The Guardian, and more. His first book, The Harmon Chronicles, won a 2003 Independent Publishers Award for humor. His second book, Republican like Me: Infiltrating Red-State, White-Ass, and Blue-Suit America, is widely enjoyed by blue-staters and others who possess a wicked sense of humor.

Leon is kind of like Tom Green, except that Leon is smart, and funny, and should have his own TV show. -- Malice Inc. This hilarious collection of anecdotal essays explores the absurdities of modern American life. Harmon Leon is a cutting-edge prankster who infiltrates one lifestyle after the next, takes each to the absolute extreme, and reports back with his findings. From attending the regional semifinals of "America's Most Beautiful Baby Contest" to getting a job at a fast-food restaurant with the sole goal of getting himself fired in three hours or less, Leon exposes the day-to-day ridiculousness of the American Way. This book drags the highs and lows of contemporary American existence into the light for public scrutiny.

The Harmon Chronicles

In Tribespotting: Undercover Cult(ure) Stories, Harmon Leon dives directly into the eye of the tribal storm, drastically changing his look and attitude as he goes undercover in an exploration of tribalism and its manifestations in modern culture. Employing the same inimitable style that he honed while infiltrating extremist groups, Leon introduces readers to a series of vastly different tribes, including machine gun lovers and white supremacists, freegans and squatters, pickup artists and trophy bride seekers, and furries and viral video stars. Some of these tribes engage in harmless, hobby-loving fellowship while others revolve around the adulation of charismatic celebrities. Some of these tribes strive to uplift the individual via religious enlightenment and a few are actually full-blown cults. But at the root of all these different tribes lies the same psychological need—the desire to be around like-minded people. Gentleman cartoonist Keith Knight provides popular comics that enhance Leon’s enlightening narrative.

Undercover Cult(ure) Stories

Tribespotting

Ted Rall

Ripped from the headlines, Meet the Deplorables: Infiltrating Trump America ventures deep into Red State territory and explores the current shape of our divided country, providing a fresh, first-hand perspective of right-wing subcultures and the mindsets of the so-called “deplorables” who helped propel Donald J. Trump to the Oval Office. In his inimitable Gonzo-style, infiltration journalist HARMON LEON—whose stories have appeared in VICE, Esquire, The Nation, and National Geographic—dons a variety of disguises and goes undercover into the heart of Trump America where his exploits include canvassing door-to-door as a Trump supporter, hanging out with Trump fanatics as they receive free Donald tattoos, demonstrating how easy it is to purchase an assault weapon on Facebook, visiting an anti-Muslim hate group on the same day as a mass shooting, spending time with anti-choice protesters in front of Planned Parenthood, joining a conversion therapy group that tries to “turn” gay men straight, and many, many more. Adding an innovative extra dimension to the book, two-time winner of the RFK Journalism Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist TED RALL enhances the carefully crafted narrative—and connects Leon's audacious accounts to the greater Trump phenomena—with his own distinctive full-color cartoons and insightful analysis, including a poignant epilogue. A necessary read in the time of Trump, this unique collaboration by 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.

Harmon Leon

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