Year of the Rat

WINNER OF THE SUNDAY TIMES YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD 'A tense account of going undercover inside Britain's far-right groups. At times it reads like a novel... only the stakes are real' Sunday Times ‘Important and courageous’ James O’Brien Harry Shukman led a double life. Friends and family knew him as a journalist, but unbeknownst to them he was secretly infiltrating the British far right. Equipped with a hidden camera, he posed as 'Chris' and set out to expose right-wing extremists. From canvassing with Britain First to befriending Holocaust deniers, neo-Nazis and a Silicon Valley-backed race-science organisation, Shukman again and again risked his safety and sanity to remove the far right’s terrifyingly everyday mask. Now, we must ensure it stays off. 'Boldly and bravely, Shukman achieves something only the best novels manage. He sits with far-right activists long enough to understand them, and in doing so, makes the movement far more frightening and far more human than any polemic ever could' Lea Ypi 'Brave and humane, Harry Shukman delivers a nuanced and insightful portrait of a world many of us would prefer not to see' Graham Norton ' Year of the Rat reads like the perfect thriller. Nail bitingly tense, darkly funny, unexpectedly compassionate and urgently important. I was caught up with it from the first page' Esther Freud 'The rise of the far-right is one of biggest and most challenging stories around, and Harry tells it with clarity, compassion and humour. There are episodes in the book that could be set pieces in a fine novel, they really stay with you. And I found his personal bravery humbling and inspiring' Sathnam Sanghera ' Year of the Rat is that rare thing: investigative journalism with the nerve of a thriller and the wit of a great piece of reportage… Courageous, sharply observed and very timely' Johanna Thomas-Corr

WINNER OF THE SUNDAY TIMES YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD 'A tense account of going undercover inside Britain's far-right groups. At times it reads like a novel... only the stakes are real' Sunday Times ‘Important and courageous’ James O’Brien Harry Shukman led a double life. Friends and family knew him as a journalist, but unbeknownst to them he was secretly infiltrating the British far right. Equipped with a hidden camera, he posed as 'Chris' and set out to expose right-wing extremists. From canvassing with Britain First to befriending Holocaust deniers, neo-Nazis and a Silicon Valley-backed race-science organisation, Shukman again and again risked his safety and sanity to remove the far right’s terrifyingly everyday mask. Now, we must ensure it stays off. 'Boldly and bravely, Shukman achieves something only the best novels manage. He sits with far-right activists long enough to understand them, and in doing so, makes the movement far more frightening and far more human than any polemic ever could' Lea Ypi 'Brave and humane, Harry Shukman delivers a nuanced and insightful portrait of a world many of us would prefer not to see' Graham Norton ' Year of the Rat reads like the perfect thriller. Nail bitingly tense, darkly funny, unexpectedly compassionate and urgently important. I was caught up with it from the first page' Esther Freud 'The rise of the far-right is one of biggest and most challenging stories around, and Harry tells it with clarity, compassion and humour. There are episodes in the book that could be set pieces in a fine novel, they really stay with you. And I found his personal bravery humbling and inspiring' Sathnam Sanghera ' Year of the Rat is that rare thing: investigative journalism with the nerve of a thriller and the wit of a great piece of reportage… Courageous, sharply observed and very timely' Johanna Thomas-Corr

'Anyone who wants to understand British politics has to read this book.' Grace Blakeley, author of Vulture Capitalism ‘Important and courageous’ James O’Brien The British far right is working to dismantle our democracy. This shocking, eye-opening first-hand account reveals who they are, how they operate and how they are normalising extreme ideologies including eugenics. In summer 2024, riots swept England in the biggest wave of far-right violence in the post-war period. But far-right activity takes many other forms as well, all of them dangerous. Journalist Harry Shukman knows the dangers all too well: he’d gone undercover to infiltrate these groups. For over a year, he carefully attached his hidden lapel camera and pretended to be an extremist named Chris. We follow Shukman as he hangs out in the pub with a secretive community network, canvasses with political party Britain First and attends a neo-Nazi conference. We meet a circle of Holocaust deniers, a race science organisation with a major Silicon Valley investor and right-wing think tanks supported by Conservative policymakers. What we witness is hard to believe, or stomach. Year of the Rat is a gripping and urgent exposé – nail-bitingly tense, darkly absurd and utterly chilling. Risking his safety and sanity, Shukman has removed the far right’s terrifyingly everyday mask. Now, we must ensure it stays off.

'Anyone who wants to understand British politics has to read this book.' Grace Blakeley, author of Vulture Capitalism ‘Important and courageous’ James O’Brien The British far right is working to dismantle our democracy. This shocking, eye-opening first-hand account reveals who they are, how they operate and how they are normalising extreme ideologies including eugenics. In summer 2024, riots swept England in the biggest wave of far-right violence in the post-war period. But far-right activity takes many other forms as well, all of them dangerous. Journalist Harry Shukman knows the dangers all too well: he’d gone undercover to infiltrate these groups. For over a year, he carefully attached his hidden lapel camera and pretended to be an extremist named Chris. We follow Shukman as he hangs out in the pub with a secretive community network, canvasses with political party Britain First and attends a neo-Nazi conference. We meet a circle of Holocaust deniers, a race science organisation with a major Silicon Valley investor and right-wing think tanks supported by Conservative policymakers. What we witness is hard to believe, or stomach. Year of the Rat is a gripping and urgent exposé – nail-bitingly tense, darkly absurd and utterly chilling. Risking his safety and sanity, Shukman has removed the far right’s terrifyingly everyday mask. Now, we must ensure it stays off.