"History, Disrupted" goes global
From Argentina to Lithuania, people around the world are reading
Scene I
I was at the National Building Museum in June for the opening of a new exhibit about architecture in Brussels. (The Building Museum is a terrific place, by the way. Worth a visit when you’re in Washington.) There were hors d’oeuvres and small talk, and during the reception I struck up a conversation with a gentleman from the U.S. Department of State. He asked me what I do for a living:
“I’m an author,” I said.
“What’s your book?” he asked me.
“It’s called History, Disrupted: How Social Media and the World Wide Web Have Changed the Past,” I said.
Suddenly he became very serious. “Wait a minute,” he said. “I’ve heard of this book.”
“I did recently speak to the State Department about it,” I said.
“No,” he continued. “Your book has been reviewed. I read about it somewhere...”
“People have written about it,” I added. I wasn’t quite sure what he was referring to.
“This book is well-known. I’ve heard about this book,” he continued. “You’re famous.” He pointed at me as if he’d just uncovered a movie star in disguise.
I didn’t really know what to say. So, I simply said, “Thank you.” Then I told him he should read the book; he’d find it very interesting.
Scene II
Fast-forward a few weeks later.
I was having dinner with my friend Bob in Pennsylvania. (Bob subscribes to this newsletter; hi, Bob). We sat on the patio, catching up after a few years separated by the pandemic.
“I was flipping through the paper,” Bob told me, “and I saw this book. Then I saw the name: Jason Steinhauer. I said, I know Jason Steinhauer.”
I told Bob that I was flattered, though I wasn’t sure which review he was referring to. I asked him which paper; he couldn’t recall, it had been a few months ago. But he said he only reads a few papers: The Wall Street Journal, the Philadelphia Inquirer, etc. Maybe it was one of those? I asked him if maybe he could track it down. Then I told him he should read the book; he’d find it very interesting.
(Update: I can confirm that Bob has now ordered the book).
Scene III
Back in Washington, D.C., we host AirBnB guests from time-to-time. One of our recent AirBnB guests was a flight attendant from Miami. After getting to know each other during the week, she asked me what I do for a living.
“I’m an author,” I said.
“Have you published anything?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said, “I published a book at the start of this year.”
“What’s it called?” she asked.
“It’s called History, Disrupted: How Social Media and the World Wide Web Have Changed the Past,” I said.
“I think I’ve heard of this book!” she exclaimed.
“Really?” I asked. I thought maybe she was just being nice. But she Googled it and, sure enough, she was familiar with it. She recognized the cover. She had not read it, she confessed, but she’d heard of it. I told her she should read it; she’d find it very interesting.
Scene IV
Recently, over email, I’ve been talking to my friend and colleague in Lithuania, Ignas. (Ignas also subscribes to this newsletter; hi, Ignas).
Along with other friends and colleagues, Ignas has been kind enough to brainstorm with me about a potential return to Europe next year for more book-related events.
He told me that he suggested my book to someone in the Lithuanian parliament. The person in Parliament was already aware of it. “Congratulations,” he added.
Scene V
On Twitter last week, I received a notification that I’d been mentioned in a tweet. It was an account based in Buenos Aires.
Apparently, Argentina’s second largest newspaper, La Nación (with more than 3 million followers), had profiled my book:
I reached out to the journalist to thank him. He’d read the book; a “powerful and interesting approach,” he called it.
Scene VI
Scrolling through Twitter, I found a notification I had previously missed.
Springer Nature, one of the largest publishers in the world (by revenue) held a gala in late May honoring their most inspiring titles (Springer has more than 300,000 books in their catalog). History, Disrupted was among the titles honored. In fact, CEO, Frank Vrancken Peeters actually cited the book as one of his favorites.
A flight attendant in Miami. A newspaper in Argentina. A friend in Pennsylvania. A parliamentarian in Lithuania. An employee at the U.S. Department of State. A CEO in Germany.
News of History, Disrupted has spread around the world. It has done so despite the fact that I do not have an agent, I do not have a publicist, and I do not have millions of followers on Twitter, Instagram or YouTube.
What I had was an idea for a book, and a belief that it revealed something about our world that no one had yet identified. I took that belief, shared it, and I’m so grateful that it has resonated.
Most importantly, though, I have YOU, the readers of this newsletter. The supporters of History Club. My friends, family, and colleagues. You have shared the book. You have posted about it. You have invited me to speak about it (more on that below). Your support has enabled the book’s successes. Your voices have raised the book to people’s attention.
For this, I can only say: THANK YOU!
Thank you for your belief in this book, and for your belief in me. It means so much to me. I am truly grateful.
And, btw, if you haven’t yet, you should really read History, Disrupted. I think you’ll find it very interesting 🙂
Looking ahead
After more than 60 events this year—with more to come—I’m in the process of booking next year’s lectures and talks around History, Disrupted.
These events are the best way for me to spread the word about the book—and to talk about how it informs our broader challenges around misinformation, disinformation, social media, history, technology, democracy and politics. It’s also one of the ways by which I support myself, enabling me to do this critical work.
So, let’s plan something. The readers of this newsletter are some of my biggest supporters, as well as my dearest friends and colleagues. Let’s do an event together:
Want to organize an event around social media and disinformation? Let’s chat.
Want to arrange a conversation about how the Web has affected our politics, media and our history? Let’s chat.
Want to set up a discussion or workshop in your community about media and historical literacy, and how we build a better future of the Web? Let’s chat.
Want engage in conversation around how we tell the American story in an era of partisan politics, media fragmentation and fierce political battles over our history? Let’s chat.
Send me a note, and let’s see get something on the calendar. I’d love to see you in 2023!
In seven short months, we’ve spread History, Disrupted around the world. Let’s work together to spread it even further.
Have a good week.
Want to see examples of prior events? There’s a list on my website, and videos are on my YouTube channel.
You can also view my lecture slides.