Rising Out of Hatred
Gearing up to discuss this one tomorrow with a handful of high school classmates. Yes, I read Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist by Eli Saslow over Thanksgiving break, which feels inappropriate for some reason, i.e. it’s not exactly a sweet or #blessed tale. Yes, as the subtitle explains, Saslow’s well-reported book chronicles the transformation of onetime white nationalist Derek Black from the movement’s “darling” and assumed successor to someone who actively disavows it all as a young adult. So, right: In the broadest of senses, Rising Out of Hatred is certainly a “triumphant” story. But what Saslow does so well is probe into his subject’s relationship with his father (Don Black, former Klan member and founder of popular web forum Stormfront), his godfather (David Duke), and his entire “family” (the white nationalist “community”) to illustrate what it means to completely break free from everyone who has loved and nurtured you, to abandon the only belief system that you’ve known, to force yourself to confront ideas that terrify you. It’s compelling and page-turning storytelling…but it’s also very tender.
Bonus points for Saslow’s deft way of parallel-tracking Trump’s rise to the presidency and connecting the dots to the ways he courted white nationalists — in both blatant and subtle ways. I lived out of the US from 2011 to 2015 and feel like I missed a lot of the pre-official-campaign Trump story, and this book filled in a lot of holes for me. Btw, this is a perfect book for high schoolers to read — not just for the historical significance, but for a crystal-clear demonstration of why intellectual curiosity, genuine friendship, and a willingness to explore new ideas are so important.
originally published on instagram