This book affirms the following facts about the human condition:
1. Hatred and racism are taught principles. People are not predisposed to hate, but rather are bred to be this way.
2. Just because a person is a bigot, does not mean that they are unintelligent. It is easy to dismiss a bigot by questioning their intelligence or gullibility or pack mentality, but the example of Derek Black shows that some of these individuals are quite intelligent and charismatic.
3. Empathy is important. We are not all going to come face to face with the heir apparent to the white nationalist movement in America, but we are going to face other hateful, intolerant people. Responding to the hate of others with more empathy and less hostility is probably a better tactic.

I found the journey of Derek black to be incredible and improbable. Derek was charismatic, intelligent, articulate, and bigoted. The dichotomy of his personality was unfathomable to me prior to reading this book. His journey from hate to understanding is truly remarkable, and attests that there is the ability to love and understand in all of us.

I received a free Kindle copy of Rising Out of Hatred by Eli Saslow courtesy of Net Galley  and Doubleday, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as  the description sounded interesting and it is an subject on which I have not read about before.  This is the first book by Eli Saslow that I have read.

This is a well written and engaging read. It was hard to put down. The subtitle accurately describes the content of the book. If follows Derek Black, who is raised to be the successor to his father Don and David Duke (his godfather). Over time and exposure to other people he gradually sees the faulty logic in the website his father developed (Stormfront) and with white nationalist ideals. It also addresses how they have managed to successfully infiltrate our political system and now current leadership is using it to maintain a base of support. It is unfortunate that with the passing of John McCain the Republican Party has lost one of the few who will stand up to a President who embraces the ideals of white nationalism for political gain.

I strongly recommend this book for those who are looking for insights into the workings of white nationalism. Unfortunately, the enlightenment of Derek Black is the exception to the rule. We will not see many conversions such as his.

The first thing that shocked me most about the story of Derek Black -- a born-and-raised white nationalist who renounced his ways not long before the rise of Trump -- was how such an intelligent young man could actually believe what was coming out of his mouth. His ability to manipulate facts and encourage white nationalists to use tactics like "changing up the vocabulary" to make their movement more mainstream showed he was no idiot. But as I read Saslow's reporting on Derek's upbringing, I began to understand how he had come to his beliefs. He was the godson of KKK Grand Wizard David Duke, his dad created a popular white nationalist website, and from an early age Derek was attending white nationalist conferences alongside his father. In many ways, white nationalism was like Derek's religion -- something that most people don't start to question or critically evaluate until their teens or 20s.

The second thing that shocked me about the story of Derek Black was that he actually was able to see the error of his ways and completely denounce white nationalism. It took years of being around liberal-minded college students, some of whom were empathetic enough to see Derek as a human and challenge him about his views while remaining his friend. He resisted hearing the other side many times and made excuses for his beliefs. But really, I'm surprised it only took a few years for him to see the light. He was up against 20+ years of essential brainwashing, and he had built his entire life around the tenets of white nationalism. To turn away from it would be to turn away from everything he knew. Saslow meticulously covers the moments leading up to Derek's conversion, which mainly consisted of emails and conversations with his friend Allison (who is a saint, by the way. Her patience with Derek was unbelievable at times). Even with all of these reproduced conversations to pave the way, I just couldn't believe it.

Which brings me to the third thing that shocked me about the story of Derek Black. Maybe it wasn't so much a shock as a reminder. This book reminded me that the white nationalist movement isn't composed of a bunch of zombie neo-Nazis, which it is sometimes easy to think. It's easy to write off the marching men with torches as hopeless, evil people. Some may be beyond talking to, but if someone like Derek, who was once called "The Great White Hope" of the movement, can see the light, I'm sure many others can too. Their beliefs are wrong - there is no doubt about that, and not once did Derek's friends concede that point. But by their willingness to listen, and to empathize, and to prove their points through facts and examples as opposed to hate and vitriol, they changed a man who seemed unchangeable. We could all learn a lot from that.

We’ve all seen the debate about ‘Nature vs. Nurture’. Are parts of our personalities hardwired into our DNA or is everything about us determined by how we’re raised? Reading 'Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a White Supremacist' by Eli Saslow puts hefty weight on ‘Nurture’. Even more, this isn’t just any white supremacist, this is the once and future king of the White Power movement.

'Rising Out of Hatred' details a lot of information about the White Power movement. The birth, growth, and momentum right up to today, but it all ties into the poignant story of Derek Black. A disarmingly polite, stunningly intelligent young redhead, Derek was born into hate. His father, Don Black, is a former KKK Grand Wizard and creator of the largest online hate site, Stormfront.org. As Derek grew up, he followed in his fathers footsteps, but quickly surpassed Don’s computer and technical know-how. 11-year-old Derek had already created two websites, one was family friendly, in contrast the other was kids.stormfront.org, full of racist songs and cartoons for kids to soak up. Well, only white kids, that is.

It was readily apparent as Derek grew up, he would be the face of the movement. He would help transition it past the nationally unappetizing days of cross burnings and vulgar epithets to the camera-ready, well dressed faux-intellectual “White Rights Movement.” Now their messages of hate were spouting on TV broadcasts, news and politics shows, and national college speaking tours. If you weren’t listening closely, you might even begin to agree with them. Instead of saying “Get the *&#!@ out of our country!”, now they were saying “Multiculturalism creates friction between groups and society would be better served if the groups were completely separated.”.

Derek delivered the hateful and noxious party line from the extreme right, but was soft-spoken, attentive, and patient. He never debated in a way to make the other person look dumb. He always sounded as if he was doing a community service educating the unknowing masses. It was all pseudo-scientific facts supporting the same decades old racist message. Eli Saslow captures it all in an effortlessly readable narrative. Even the most ardent supporter of the most vile and violent hate group could question those beliefs by just talking to the people they’re supposed to hate.

Then Derek decided to attend New College in northern Florida, far outside his white sheet-covered bubble. He found hating outright the people he met there was tougher than he thought. He became friends with people from all walks of life. Plus his first dating experience there was with a Jewish girl, which also led to his first heartbreak. A magazine interview got published outing his racist thoughts and roots and his girlfriend couldn’t stomach it. Saslow relates this nicely, "In the past, the victims of his rhetoric had always been out of sight on the other side of the curtain, imaginary enemies nursing imaginary wounds, but now he had seen the injuries firsthand."

After it went viral on campus, it was the beginning of the end for the future hate leader. Many people taunted him, screamed in his face, and debated in all caps on the campus online forum. The question was whether the school should kick him out.

This specific point is one to remember. New College at the time was as left as left could get. Yet an overwhelming amount of the students did not want to debate Derek. They did not want to try and reason with him to change his heart. They wanted him gone. An upperclassmen began pointing out that complete exclusion of Derek was against their stated core beliefs. Friends he made before the interview went out made a specific effort to invite Derek to a weekly Shabbat dinner. It included a rotating guest list, all of whom wanted nothing to do with Derek at first. After weeks upon weeks of Derek showing up, some of the ice began to crack. Matthew, who hosted the dinners, had long discussions into the night about Derek’s views and why they were harmful.

A new girlfriend came into the picture. She stuck by Derek through everything, persistently challenging him to read studies, lectures, and books. All the material was pushing back against all the “facts” he was repeating from memory. Like a tenacious drill instructor, she refused to back down. Finally, he not only changed his beliefs, but also quit Stormfront.org and left the White Nationalist movement. Eventually he took the final and biggest step by publishing an open letter on the New College forum once and for all renouncing everything.

Derek thought long and hard on this because his family, which he loved and cares deeply for, were likely going to banish him as a result. He was absolutely on point with that fear. His father was one of the very few who reached out at all. Don was heartbroken and reeled in a delusion for months thinking he could talk Derek back into the fold.

'Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist' by Eli Saslow shows the power of humanity and persistence in the face of one of the most powerful hate groups in the country. One conversation led to more conversations and more beyond that until truth overwhelmed fear. It’s a lesson everyone on any side of an issue should take to heart.

*Reviewer’s Note: This book was sent to me for the purpose of writing a review, but neither the publisher or the book being sent to me affected the outcome of the review.*

Such thought provoking book. A look at the other side and the power of redemption and possibility of change.
Well written, but sometimes hard to read, a true look into the alt-right movement and consequences of beliefs.

If you're at all interested in how White Nationalism became so mainstream, you need to get your hands on this book.

If you think people can't change? Also, read this book.


I feel like this book gave me so much more insight to "the other side", the alt-right, in a way I didn't before. Not in a sympathetic way (far from), but in a "I now understand how you could think these views are okay" kind of way.

I implore people of all political extremes to keep an open mind, read this book, and let it sink in.

Through his portrait of Derek Black’s transformation from White Nationalist to an open-minded liberally bent young man Saslow provides readers with insights into the great divide America is currently experiencing and the deep hatred, built on incorrect information and fear, that permeates so much of our contemporary society. Derek’s gradual change of mind, though, may be more of a one-off situation than an exemplar for how most minds are, or more salient,y, are not changed. Derek has an unusually keen intellect that eventually opened his mind to the possibility that he was wrong and an even more extraordinary set of people among his classmates at New College who helped the process along. And while Saslow leaves us with some hope that reason and facts can prevail, he also leaves us with a sense that the effort to open minds on all sides of the divide is an uphill battle. Spike Lee’s new movie BlacKkKlansman hits us over the head with this theme and suggests more aggressive strategies. Rising Out of Hatred takes a much more nuanced approach. We need both approaches, and more, to breach the gaps and close the wounds of this real battle.

Imagine being born into a terrible ideology, to parents who are not just believers but leaders of the movement, and being surrounded by nothing but believers for your entire life. Now imagine having the courage to walk away. That is the story of Derek Black, told here by Eli Saslow: Derek's father, Don, created Stormfront. His godfather (and his mother's ex-husband) is David Duke. He was pulled out of school and isolated from "outsiders" when he was a child. He grew up as the heir-apparent to the White Nationalist movement, speaking at conventions, hosting a radio show, and giving calm and terrifying interviews to major media outlets as a child and teenager. And then, he moved away to college. Through his interactions and conversations with friends at his college that decided to engage with him rather than ostracize him, Derek had a gradual awakening not only to how his beliefs were wrong, but also to the incredible damage they have done.

This was a very interesting book and it included views from a variety of vantage points: Derek's, his friends, his family. I'm not sure I always agreed with the lengths his friends went to in order to "understand" his beliefs, but ultimately they did succeed in changing his mind, so maybe they were right. I also felt that the writing was pretty "flat" (is that the word I'm looking for?) or clinical, and it sapped some of the power out of the story: we're TOLD often about the emotions of everyone, but rarely SHOWN.

Ultimately, the last few chapters were the most terrifying (and yet the most unsurprising): describing how the rise of the Tea Party and the election of Donald Trump dovetail alarmingly with the White Nationalist agenda, beliefs and talking points, and the sheer elation of racists at this turn of events. While Derek's story is interesting and important on its own, it's this environment which makes Rising Out of Hatred a must-read for all.

This book was truly phenomenal. It will be one of the most influential books of the year, without a doubt. Rising out of Hatred could not be a more well written book about an important topic at a truly turbulent time in our history.

So... Wow. The content is powerful, the writing is exceptional, and I would love for everyone to read this book.

I've been derisively called a "bleeding heart liberal" by people who believe tolerance and open-mindedness are weaknesses. Over the past few years, I've been reading a lot about the growing chasm between the political left and right, trying to understand this division, but no article or book I've come across lays it out as clearly as this one. The art - and yes, it is an art - of hate politics is stripped bare, so we're shown exactly how and why it works as probably the most effective manipulation tool.

I could go on about this book for hours, but those discussions are best saved for after you've read it. I'll sum up my thoughts this way: I am deeply moved and impressed by Derek Black. His willingness to explore new ideas, his open-mindedness, his bravery in stepping out on his own, and his ability to break away from what is essentially a cult mindset inspired me and gave me hope. And I'm grateful to Eli Saslow, one of only a handful of writers with the kind of immense talent necessary to pull this off.

I just finished reading "Rising Out Of Hatred" by Eli Saslow. I found it to be a fascinating story of the transformation of a man born into a white nationalist family. His father is very active in the white nationalist movement and David Duke is his godfather. He was involved in the movement from a very young age and was being groomed to take over. He decided to attend New College of Florida and as a student there, he was exposed to minorities. When the student body discovered his background and that he was hosting a white nationalist radio show , even while attending college, he was ostracized by many. But there were others who befriended him and hoped to change his beliefs. This book is about the story of his transformation. I found it very interesting and would definitely recommend it to others. A real eye opener!

The topic covered within the pages of Rising Out of Hatred (by Eli Saslow) is definitely not my norm. It doesn't make for lighthearted summer reading. It does make you uncomfortable and I think that serves a much needed purpose.

The beginning of this book was a hard one. It was extremely difficult for me to opt to read this book for a review to begin with and the first chapter exemplifies that very reason. I have no desire to read the propaganda of a mentality I cannot tolerate. It does, however, lay down the backstory as to from where Derek Black grew.

Coming from a place of zero-tolerance for hate, like I said, this was a very tough read for me. Actions and words of third-parties that help tear down and then rebuild Black's ingrained thinking were what kept me reading this.

I guess for me Derek Black's story boils down to #knowbetterdobetter. Once he was away from his upbringing and family and friends who clung desperately to evil thinking Black was able to breathe on his own and think for himself.

It is still a really hard sell for me, admittedly, as I have no frame of reference (aka no space in my brain for hatred) as to how one even ever thinks of self-superiority and hatred. That said, if for no other reason than to glean knowledge of this continued era of racial divide, this is a must read. Each reader will take something different from the text. If we don't address the wrongs of the world they'll continue to be wrong.

I really wanted to reas this book. Unfortunately, it was really slow going. I would have liked the story better if it was from the neos point of view, or at least some of it. Not a horrible story though.

This book was a fascinating look into people born into this insane level of hatred. The intricate levels they go to to keep people in the ranks of the white nationalist organization is scary. I only wish they had followed up more on his life now but I guess that could be a second book.

There is no one better at deep reporting and immersive writing in contemporary journalism. This is a masterpiece.

I'd read Eli Saslow's profile, "The White Flight of Derek Black," shortly after it was published. This book is largely an expansion of that article, one that digs more deeply into the story of Derek Black and how he came to renounce the white nationalist ideology in which he was raised. (His father, Don Black, is the founder of Stormfront, one of the most popular online forums for white nationalists of all stripes, as well as a good friend of David Duke.)
As a librarian and occasional teacher, it's heartening to see someone like Derek Black: strong in his convictions, but not so strong that he is unwilling to consider other perspectives or to shift his views when confronted with overwhelming, incontrovertible evidence. It's also a testament to the students of New College in Florida who chose to engage with Black rather than run him off campus - and, in doing so, managed to thoroughly change his views.
It's frightening to encounter familiar names in this story - Richard Spencer, Milo Yiannopolous, Matthew Heimbach, and David Duke - but even more terrifying is Derek's recognition of white nationalist talking points in the speeches of Donald Trump and his supporters, and his dismay at the damage he's already done.
This is a biography of Derek Black and the way his views evolved throughout his time in college, so if you're looking for solutions to the rise of white supremacy as a whole, you won't find them here. If you are interested in learning how one individual can change so drastically for the better, however, this is the book for you. I really can't say enough good things about it.