Harry Shukman

[A] courageous and diligent book… a close and gripping inspection of the character of the far right and threat it poses… Shukman’s reporting is bold and assiduous, and provides rare documentary insight

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

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

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

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

'Anyone who wants to understand British politics has to read this book.'

[An] excellent investigation into the underworld of the British far right… There is…an immense value in the intimacy of Shukman’s account

‘This undercover expose of far right extremism in the UK is truly gripping. Unputdownable.’

Compelling… [Shukman] is to be commended for his efforts, which must have taken courage and determination

Shukman’s brave delve into the dark recesses of Britain’s Far Right feels especially timely… The strength of Year of the Rat is…the inferences to the shady puppet-masters who continue to shape world politics for the worse

[An] illuminating and disturbing portrait of today’s British far right

A horribly compelling account… What he exposes is both petrifying and sometimes surprising, and is related with admirable compassion, humanity and even humour

Undercover in the British Far Right

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 
 
'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

Harry Shukman

Praise for Year of the Rat

‘Important and courageous’

[A] courageous and diligent book… a close and gripping inspection of the character of the far right and threat it poses… Shukman’s reporting is bold and assiduous, and provides rare documentary insight

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 h ...

‘Important and courageous’

[A] courageous and diligent book… a close and gripping inspection of the character of the far right and threat it poses… Shukman’s reporting is bold and assiduous, and provides rare documentary insight

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 h ...

‘Important and courageous’

[A] courageous and diligent book… a close and gripping inspection of the character of the far right and threat it poses… Shukman’s reporting is bold and assiduous, and provides rare documentary insight

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 h ...

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter