Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

This book accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do: informs, infuriates, and inspires action. I had to set this book down more than once because I was literally shaking with anger at these women. Darby provides enough historical, sociological and scientific background for the reader to understand how the three women she interviews came to behave in a certain way. She does not completely strip the women of their humanity, despite the vitriol each of them spread. At times, the background information was a little heavy-handed, but otherwise this is an excellent nonfiction read. I often found myself making "mind blown" gestures at my husband while I was reading. This is a much-needed addition to a list of books which can be used to understand the current political climate in the United States.

Seyward Darby has unquestionably done her homework.

The Atavist Magazine editor in chief spent three years corresponding with three women involved in the alt-right/white nationalist sphere. "Sisters in Hate" tells their story -- of trying to find a sense of belonging in a hideous realm.

Corinna Olsen is a woman of many passions, but a consummate outsider. She fell into white nationalism because she thought it would help her understand her recently-deceased skinhead brother. By the time she meets Darby, she's exited the life, having become disillusioned with the violence that has become de rigueur for too many of its members.

Alya Stewart found similarities between her outlook as a "traditional wife" and the white nationalist's aim to reproduce as many white babies as possible. Lana Lokteff has learned that her hate can be monetized; she and her husband run a popular alt-right platform whose videos garnered millions of views before YouTube shut it down. (The site still exists, as Darby reminds us that efforts to eradicate hate is like a bad game of Whac-A-Mole.)

"Sisters of Hate" has interesting stories to share, but it can occasionally get bogged down with Darby's voluminous research. Several times Darby gives us the historical context for the three women's actions and this can lead to many tangents. It's too easy to get lost in. the footnotes and citations, regardless of how important they are for an accurate accounting.

I'd definitely recommend this book for those who are trying to understand why there are people in this world who purposefully foment intolerance, hate and racism. I think Darby easily proves the answer is much more complicated than "there are just a bunch of dumb white people in this world."

Focusing on the women in the white nationalist groups, Darby presents the argument that women have always been a part of this movement. She tells the story of three women who were active in it. She seems skeptical as she wonders if they are telling the truth. More work needs to be done on this subject, but it provided me insight into the movement.

Sisters in Hate is a powerful and terrifying read, a look at the women in the alt-right women. I won't lie: this isn't an easy read (who wants to hear insights from people who spread fear and hate and violence?) but I think books like Sisters in Hate exist to help us understand what drives the anger and hate these women hold so we can think about ourselves and the role we play, the things we do and the things we should do to insure that hate like this can be challenged and changed. Deeply disturbing but important and one of the best books I've read in 2020. Very highly recommended.

My colleagues and friends keep coming to me for recommendations for anti-racist reading, and I, of course, want to keep educating myself. So I was chuffed when Little, Brown offered me a review copy of Sisters in Hate: American Women on the Front Lines of White Nationalism. Now, I’m trying to mostly read anti-racism books written by people of colour—white people writing such books is fairly problematic, but Seyward Darby has seized on the correct vantage point. Sisters in Hate isn’t about the racism that people of colour experience but rather it’s about the racism that white people (particularly white women) promulgate and perpetuate. It’s a white, female journalist’s look at how white women prop up, propel, and propagate the white nationalist movement in the United States. Through profiles of three white nationalists (1 former, 2 current), combined with historical context, Darby seeks to understand, and to help us understand in turn, why white nationalism is so attractive to white women, particularly white women in their late twenties and early thirties.

Darby is upfront that the profile structure of Sisters in Hate is meant to humanize these figures. This is, in and of itself, a controversial practice when applied to white nationalism and the alt-right. A few years back, Laurie Penny caught flak for ostensibly doing the same with a piece about Milo Yiannopoulos and his ilk. I didn’t agree with the pushback then and I don’t agree with it now: neither Penny nor Darby romanticize or otherwise portray their subjects in a way that would be described as flattering. Nor do I think it renders these subjects as objects of laughter and derision rather than objects of concern. I agree with Darby when she says in her conclusion that we need to understand the white nationalist movements as they are, not as we think they are. We don’t do the cause of anti-racism any favours by assuming we know, without actually asking, what makes people succumb to the siren call of these movements.

Like Darby does herself in her intro, let me provide some positionality for those not familiar with my reviews heretofore: I’m a white woman in my thirties. I’m not American; I’m Canadian. While Sisters in Hate is inextricably tied to American history, and particularly the fallout from the Civil War, of course, this book is still relevant to those of us north of the 49th. Canada has its own problems with racism and with white nationalism—from Rebel Media to Gavin Innes/the Proud Boys to farmers like Gerald Stanley who not only think they can kill Indigenous kids without reprisal but have literally demonstrated such impunity in practice … yeah, Canada has problems. So while the precise historical antecedents of white nationalism in Canada are far more connected to our British forebears, the modern versions of white nationalist movements here, and the ways in which they recruit members and spread their messages on the web, are very closely related to the American versions of these movements.

I’ve read or listened to interviews with former members of white nationalist groups before. So some of what Darby covers here is not new to me: the people drawn to these movements often feel isolated or vulnerable, much like the potential recruits of any cult or target of any abuser. White women in particular feel disillusioned by what they perceive as feminism’s failure to provide “it all” (career, kids, partner)—never mind the dismal failure of white feminism to look out for the interests of women of colour. White nationalism’s twin selling points are an appeal to a mythological better time coupled with the presentation of non-white people as the source of all America’s troubles. To outsiders, this rhetoric might seem patently flimsy, incredible. Yet as Darby shows us, to people with the right combination of vulnerabilities, it is powerful and persuasive. A great many people believe in conspiracy theories of one sort or another, so it makes sense that at least some of them believe in white nationalism.

Each of the three women chronicled in this book reveals interesting glimpses into white nationalism. All three women begin as feminists, support fairly progressive and liberal ideas including LGBTQ+ issues, but eventually all three reject feminism and progressive politics because the backbone of white nationalism is that progressivism is degenerate. Corinna (when she was a white nationalist), Ayla, and Lana champion “traditional” life wherein women are subservient to men, and this is natural and good because it is the way nature/God/the universe intended it to be.

This is the essential paradox Darby seeks to untangle within white women in white nationalism: why reject a philosophy (feminism) that is about liberating your own group? Why embrace a philosophy (white nationalism) that ultimately works against your own interests when it comes to autonomy, that positions you primarily as a breeder to preserve racial purity and a helpmeet for a husband who does the real tough business of rebuilding society? Assertive women like Lana Lokteff acknowledge this paradox; she admits that she is an outlier. Darby questions whether Lokteff, like Serena Joy from The Handmaid’s Tale , would actually enjoy living in the world she wants to see established.

Whatever the resolution to this paradox, we must accept that some women do internalize the tenets of white nationalism. The vectors are various, although Darby points out that it really all goes back to social networking. Most chapters end with some historical context: Darby draws parallels between present-day movements and movements from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I found these parts some of the most interesting, although I think if the whole book had such a focus I’d probably grow bored—the use of profiles is a great way to keep us interest and focused on the fact that these people who promulgate hate are, in fact, people. They Other people of colour, and we should not Other them in return—if we do, we miss the chance to dismantle and deplatform these movements.

Sisters of Hate would have benefited from digging deeper into the platforms on which these movements proliferate. Darby does mention, multiple times, the ways that YouTube’s recommendation algorithms aid the spread of hate. Somewhat tangentially she also mentions that YouTube has banned some white nationalists, including Ayla and Lana, while other platforms like Twitter might have not done. Yet I would have liked more analysis into how women participate in social media platforms in ways that spread conspiracy theories and other misinformation. From time to time, Darby touches on the fascinating cognitive pysch ideas behind the credulity we humans often have for these theories. Yet she never quite digs into what special circumstances might be created by our current climate of social media.

Where this book excels, however, is reminding us that humans and our beliefs are far more mutable than we like to think. Corinna has been a feminist, a sex worker (which is not mutually exclusive with feminism at all I want to stress), a white nationalist, and now a Muslim. Ayla was a radical Mormon feminist until she wasn’t; Lana was one half of a sibling musical duo and then she married a racist Swede and now she’s a virulent white supremacist. People change, and they change because they are exposed to certain ideas at certain times.

What do we do about white nationalism? Darby doesn’t have all the answers, and I guess it’s not fair to expect that she would. She makes a persuasive call to support groups that help people exit these movements. More education would help, of course. But I think her ultimate theme is that the only defense is a strong offense: we can only combat the intimidatingly tenacity of white nationalist movements by working together, all of us, white people and people of colour, men and women, cis and trans, straight and ace and gay—our diversity, the very thing white nationalists decry as the weakness of the nation, is our strength. Because the one thing they cannot match is the mosaic of experiences that we can call upon. That’s what will make our society, American or Canadian or whatever country you live in, better. (This is, of course, all empty unless we actually work to dismantle the white supremacist institutions that most of our countries are founded upon. Give back the land.)

Sisters in Hate fills a gap in the conversation around white nationalism and hate movements. It’s a good complement to more practical anti-racist reading. Moreover, I hope, as my last paragraph expresses, it inspires people to take action, because the last thing we need is a bunch of white people thinking they’re not racist anymore because they’ve read a lot of anti-racist books! Sisters in Hate reminds us that white nationalism and white supremacy does not comprise solely violent or overt racists and bigots. It might include some of your neighbours, some of the people you follow on social media, or some of your colleagues. The phone call is coming from inside the house, and once we pick it up, we need to know how to put it down.

The author provided background information on how women have long been involved in hate groups. This offers insight into how these women are involved in the current White Nationalism movement without being biased. This fact based read is definitely worth checking out.

This was a fascinating dive into the values of the American alt-right. It's equal parts chilling and illuminating.

Sisters in Hate by Seyward Darby

What an intense and interesting book! I had to look up some of the words for the meaning because it is definitely written for someone who has an extensive vocabulary. I believe that the average reader will gloss over because the forward and throughout the verbiage is very highbrow.
The book follows the trek of three women who claim they are “white supremacists”. The authors journey was three years and by the tone of her writing it had to have been a self discovery while not only interviewing the three people, but also other sources and the hours of research and reading! I am sure some of it was disturbing material because this is a controversial topic!
The first women Corrinna got into Neo-nazism by chance because of the death of her brother. Her brother, Harley drowned and he was a beginning skinhead and who knows if he would have stayed that way. Corrina had a rough upbringing and she had a form of autism which made her ripe for the group. Her journey of hatred is just unbelievable and so sad! However, she has now found solace and acceptance by converting to the Islam religion. She has shed all the hate and indifference to other races for structure and prayers. She is trying to mend her relationship with her two children. This is one person who needs God’s redemption and love!

Ayla- a mom of six kids. Started out being totally the other way and was a believer in abortion and felt women should have a say in the world! However, something flipped her light switch and she decided that women should let men make all the decisions and women should be nurturers! Eventually, they came across the polygamy sect of Mormons and they decided to join. However, the sharing of her husband didn’t set right with her and the church put out a news release that they would not condone a separation of “whites” and she had come out in her blog that she was In favor of the White Nationalism Movement. She started a blog “tradlife” be a traditional wife and mother like leave it to beaver June Cleaver! She had other accounts such as wife with a purpose!
By the end of this interview she was telling everyone that the author misrepresented herself and lied about her statements!

Lana- At the very beginning you could tell it was going to be a rough interview because she brought her spouse and had him setup a video camera to record the whole thing. It tells me already she has issues! They have a group Red Ice and belong to the group Alt Right which use extreme tactics to get their opinions and point across. They are so known they moved to a town and purchased a home that the couple next door immediately after discovering who it was that purchased the home put their own home up for sale!

The author was extremely factual and documented all her sources and gave each lady an opportunity to speak again after she got the book to the closing end. I think that there are people in these groups who are not as extreme, but if they are exposed to rhetoric on this level they can be enticed to have these same opinions.
I received a advanced copy from netgally and willingly give my words thoughts and opinions.

Darby provides an insightful look into the views and actions of three women formerly or currently associated with the white nationalism or white supremacist movement within the United States. She provides a wealth of relevant historical context to show that women have always been drivers of hate and ethnonationalism in this country, right from the beginning. Her lucid prose and clear-eyed assessment of her subjects provide an accessible way to stare directly into the face of hate.

A timely scary look at women in the nationalist movement.With all the race issues dividing our country I was curious to find out what brought women to this movement their lives their beliefs full of such hate& anger. Well written in depth study .#netgalley #littlebrown

Actual rating: 3.5

An interesting, depressing (as one would expect) look at the role of women in the American far right, told via a close examination of three specific women who are (or were) visible in the community. I'm not sure I really learned anything new from reading it, but particularly given the increasing power of the far right today, a glimpse inside the movement -- particularly at the leadership of women inside it -- is both informative and alarming (again, as one would expect).

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC.

Seyward Darby has written a devastating and eye-opening book about the women in the white nationalist movement. She talks about how their beliefs evolved and how they convince others to follow along with those beliefs. At a time when the reaction to racism is hitting a boiling point, this title is more important than ever.