Cactus Book Club: “Copaganda: How the Police and the Media Manipulate Our News” by Alec Karakatsanis
Start your new year reading goals with Cactus Book Club! We’re delighted to have the Milwaukee Turners lead the discussion on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at 5:30. We’ll read Copaganda: How the Police and the Media Manipulate Our News by Alec Karakatsanis. “In this groundbreaking expose, essential for understanding the rising authoritarian mindset, award-winning civil rights lawyer Alec Karakatsanis introduces the concept of “Copaganda.” He defines Copaganda as a special kind of propaganda employed by police, prosecutors, and news media that stokes fear of police-recorded crime and distorts society’s responses to it. Every day, mass media manipulates our perception of what keeps us safe and contributes to a culture fearful of poor people, strangers, immigrants, unhoused people, and people of color. The result is more and more authoritarian state repression, more inequality, and huge profits for the massive public and private punishment bureaucracy.”
Recommended bookseller: Boswell Book Company. *Mention Cactus Book Club at checkout to receive a 10% discount
“Working for social justice since 1853, the Milwaukee Turners are the oldest civic group in the city, dedicated to strengthening our community based on the ideal of a ‘Sound Mind in a Sound Body’. Their guiding principles are ‘Liberty against all oppression; Tolerance against all fanaticism; Reason against all superstition; and Justice against all exploitation.’ They seek to be the embodiment of a diverse community in practices that confronts injustice; and fosters wellness, community restoration, and civic empowerment to advance the residents of Milwaukee and its neighbors”. Find out more: here
ABOUT US: Cactus Book Club (CBC) meets on the first Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7:30 in the back room at Cactus Club. Each month a different community organization, collective, mutual aid group, or business chooses the book & recommended bookseller then leads the discussion. We read sociopolitical fiction and non-fiction, with a focus on works by women, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and/or otherwise under-published groups. You don’t have to finish reading the book to attend. All book club meetings are free. No registration required. 18+. CBC is part of our ongoing Cactus+ programming. Contact kelly@cactusplus.org with questions or suggestions.