{"product_id":"chasing-aliens-faith-and-conspiracy-in-the-ufo-heartlands-9780241744161","title":"Chasing Aliens: Faith and Conspiracy in the UFO Heartlands","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom Orwell Prize-winning journalist Daniel Lavelle comes a wild road trip chasing aliens through the UFO heartlands into the soul of America    ARE WE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE? Daniel Lavelle sets out on a wild road trip through the UFO heartlands to find out.  'So interesting and beautifully written' JON RONSON  'A hugely entertaining, gonzo-style examination of UFOs, ufology and ufologists' NICK POPE  'Echoes the documentaries with which Louis Theroux made his name' DAILY TELEGRAPH  'Lavelle mixes sardonic wit with genuine curiosity . . . he hears about secrets that should never be made public' INDEPENDENT, NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH  The US government has been investigating unidentified aerial phenomena in a secret division of the Department of Defence. A former intelligence official urged the US to disclose evidence of UFOs after saying the government possesses 'intact and partially intact' alien vehicles. And what about those sightings of Tic Tac, Gimbal, Go Fast and the infamous Oumuamua?  Danny Lavelle, our charming, borderline-bewildered investigator, sets out on a road trip through America's UFO heartlands to get some answers (thankfully 41% of Americans believe aliens have made contact so he has plenty of sources to choose from). Talking to those in the know in government and the UFO scene - often the same thing - Danny follows Lue Elizondo, Jeremy Corbell, attends sky watches (sometimes falling asleep in the desert), listens to alien abductees and has coffee with Starseeds (human beings who claim to be actual aliens).  Whether he's smoking weed whilst holding dumortierite crystals to access his interdimensional past, or discussing 'space beads' with the Harvard astrophysicist who's convinced he's found evidence of alien life, Danny's journey becomes a deeper story about our unshakeable fascination with little green men - and our deepest wishes not to be alone in the universe.  Encountering a fair amount of religiosity, conspiratorial thinking and magical thinking, Chasing Aliens is a wild journey into the soul of America - where aliens are as American as George Washington and warm apple pie. This is a book for anyone interested in our (possible) neighbours in the universe, and our ongoing search for meaning and answers to life's great mysteries, trapped as we are in the uncertainty of our short, mortal lives.  'Hilarious, humane and quietly devastating' ELIOT HIGGINS  'Enthusiasm, deft writing and an attention to the strange, fascinating details of ordinary lives' DAILY TELEGRAPH, BOOKS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2026\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9780241744161\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 19 May 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Penguin Books Ltd\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: London, United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 23.2(H)x15.4(L)x2.5(W)378\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 378\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003eDaniel Lavelle is an Orwell Prize-winning freelance feature writer from Manchester. His first book, Down and Out, was published in 2022 and won a Royal Society of Literature award for non-fiction writing. He has covered topics such as mental health, homelessness, and culture for the Guardian (for whom he co-authored the series 'The Empty Doorway'), New Statesman and the Independent. He received the Guardian's Hugo Young award for an opinion piece on his experience of homelessness. 'The Empty Doorway' won Feature of the Year at the British Journalism Awards 2019 and was nominated for the same award at the National Press Awards 2020.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cb\u003eLavelle’s travelogue echoes the documentaries with which Louis Theroux made his name, by inquiring into the dotty beliefs of maverick Americans . . . \u003ci\u003eChasing Aliens . . . \u003c\/i\u003espeaks eloquently to an age in which airy nothings and weaponised lies predominate\u003c\/b\u003e -- Stuart Jeffries * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eA highly enticing . . . sleeper tour through “America’s superstition and conspiracy belt”. \u003cb\u003eLavelle mixes sardonic wit with genuine curiosity as he . . . hears about secrets that should never be made public\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eabout an encounter near RAF Woodbridge in Rendlesham Forest in Suffolk that believers claim is “more significant than the infamous Roswell incident”, and former intelligence officer David Grusch’s revelation that the US government possesses UFOs “the size of football fields”\u003c\/b\u003e -- Martin Chilton, Non-fiction of the Month * Independent *\u003cbr\u003eShould we believe that the universe is full of creatures with advanced technologies and a lively interest in the behaviour of humans? Lavelle takes this on with the wit and scepticism of a true journalist . . . \u003cb\u003eWhat follows is as funny as it is strange . . . Lavelle amusingly and doggedly pursues the story . . . He concludes with a moving farewell to us and the aliens\u003c\/b\u003e -- Bryan Appleyard * Spectator  *\u003cbr\u003eLavelle is careful to treat everyone he interviews with respect, being as neutral as possible in testing the evidence. \u003cb\u003eIndeed, he admits that part of him wants to find proof of alien visitors – it would be the biggest journalistic scoop ever . . . the book’s value lies in what it reveals about the people who believe\u003c\/b\u003e -- Mark Mason * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003eDaniel Lavelle dives headfirst into America’s UFO fever dream and comes back with something rarer than alien wreckage: clarity. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChasing Aliens\u003c\/i\u003e is hilarious, humane and quietly devastating, a road trip through sky watches and Skinwalker Ranch that becomes a deeper reckoning with belief, loneliness and the stories we tell to make the cosmos feel less empty\u003c\/b\u003e -- Eliot Higgins, author of WE ARE BELLINGCAT\u003cbr\u003eMany of us have questions about aliens. Are they real? Have they visited? Who's covering them up? \u003cb\u003eI\u003c\/b\u003en \u003ci\u003eChasing Aliens\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003eDaniel Lavelle tackles all of these with the relish of a believer and the diligence of a sceptic. \u003c\/b\u003eBut beyond that he answers the question that really matters: \u003cb\u003ewhat is it we're talking about when we're talking about aliens?\u003c\/b\u003e -- James Ball, winner of the Pulitzer Prize\u003cbr\u003eLavelle's quest for the truth about the UFO phenomenon involves a fascinating journey across the United States where he meets a colourful cast of characters who are at least as interesting as the UFO mystery itself. \u003cb\u003eA hugely entertaining, gonzo-style examination of UFOs, ufology and ufologists\u003c\/b\u003e -- Nick Pope\u003cbr\u003eA wild trip into the unknown and the surreal with Oldham’s answer to Hunter S. Thompson, except with more laughs, more heart and less bullshit. \u003cb\u003eAn essential book from one of the best non-fiction writers in the UK\u003c\/b\u003e -- Lanre Bakare, author of WE WERE THERE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChasing Aliens\u003c\/i\u003e is an exhilarating adventure into the dusty heart of American conspiracy land\u003c\/b\u003e, where Daniel Lavelle tries to parse alien myth from government secrecy from captivating lunacy. Lavelle’s investigation is, at the same time, \u003cb\u003eutterly serious and totally berserk\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cb\u003eHis rip-roaring, edge-of-your-seat narration is injected with as much serious research as there is joy, humour and intrigue. I’m recommending this book to everyone I know\u003c\/b\u003e -- Cara McGoogan, author of THE POISON LINE\u003cbr\u003eWith equal measures of sincerity and scepticism, Daniel Lavelle takes us into the UFO heartlands of America. \u003cb\u003eBut what begins as a journalistic quest for extraterrestrial evidence develops into a tender exploration of the question: are we alone?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eI loved going on this road trip to find 'the little green men' in Lavelle's funny, heartfelt and clear-eyed book\u003c\/b\u003e -- Katie Goh, author of FOREIGN FRUIT","brand":"Daniel Lavelle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48852125581529,"sku":"9780241744161","price":36.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9780241744161.jpg?v=1782390753","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/chasing-aliens-faith-and-conspiracy-in-the-ufo-heartlands-9780241744161","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}