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  • Rising out of Hatred

  • The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist
  • Written by: Eli Saslow
  • Narrated by: Scott Brick, Eli Saslow
  • Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (28 ratings)

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Rising out of Hatred

Written by: Eli Saslow
Narrated by: Scott Brick, Eli Saslow
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Publisher's Summary

From a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, the powerful story of how a prominent white supremacist changed his heart and mind

Derek Black grew up at the epicenter of white nationalism. His father founded Stormfront, the largest racist community on the Internet. His godfather, David Duke, was a KKK Grand Wizard. By the time Derek turned 19, he had become an elected politician with his own daily radio show - already regarded as the "the leading light" of the burgeoning white nationalist movement. "We can infiltrate," Derek once told a crowd of white nationalists. "We can take the country back."

Then he went to college. Derek had been homeschooled by his parents, steeped in the culture of white supremacy, and he had rarely encountered diverse perspectives or direct outrage against his beliefs. At New College of Florida, he continued to broadcast his radio show in secret each morning, living a double life until a classmate uncovered his identity and sent an email to the entire school: "Derek Black...white supremacist, radio host...New College student???"

The ensuing uproar overtook one of the most liberal colleges in the country. Some students protested Derek's presence on campus, forcing him to reconcile for the first time with the ugliness his beliefs. Other students found the courage to reach out to him, including an Orthodox Jew who invited Derek to attend weekly Shabbat dinners. It was because of those dinners - and the wide-ranging relationships formed at that table - that Derek started to question the science, history, and prejudices behind his worldview. As white nationalism infiltrated the political mainstream, Derek decided to confront the damage he had done.

Rising out of Hatred tells the story of how white-supremacist ideas migrated from the far-right fringe to the White House through the intensely personal saga of one man who eventually disavowed everything he was taught to believe, at tremendous personal cost. With great empathy and narrative verve, Eli Saslow asks what Derek's story can tell us about America's increasingly divided nature. This is a book to help us understand the American moment and to help us better understand one another.

©2018 Eli Saslow (P)2018 Random House Audio

What the critics say

“This is a double portrait: of a worse America, and of a better one. Neither of them has yet come to pass, but each of them might. Thanks to reporting that is both truthful and humane, we see in one young man's decision a guide to the choices that face a generation and a country." (Timothy Snyder, New York Times best-selling author of On Tyranny and The Road to Unfreedom)

“The story of Derek Black is the human being at his gutsy, self-reflecting, revolutionary best, told by one of America’s best storytellers at his very best. Rising Out of Hatred proclaims if the successor to the white nationalist movement can forsake his ideological upbringing, can rebirth himself in antiracism, then we can too no matter the personal cost. This book is an inspiration.” (Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award-winning author of Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America)

"No one can match Eli Saslow's skill at telling the most improbable, humane, and riveting tales of our time. Anyone despairing at the hate that has fueled so much of America's politics ought to read this unforgettable story." (Jane Mayer, New York Times best-selling author of Dark Money)

"This is a beautiful and important book. I am a changed person for having read it. If my father were still alive, there would be no book I’d rather discuss with him than this. There are gorgeous, brilliant souls at work in this powerfully told story, and they are everything that’s right and promising about our future.” (Elisha Wiesel, son of Elie and Marion Wiesel and chairman of the WVN Elie Wiesel Award)

What listeners say about Rising out of Hatred

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Compelling and sobering

Derek Black is an impressive person whose intrinsic desire to understand what is moral led him to think critically about his own upbringing and the role he played in strengthening the White Nationalism movement in the U.S.. If it weren’t for his incredible intellect and genuine curiosity, he would likely never have left the movement, which makes me sad and somewhat disheartened, because most people who are in that movement don’t have his incisiveness or courage. How will we be able to influence these people to rejoin a civil pluralistic society?
Regardless of this concern, it is nonetheless a fascinating story and I hope Derek Black continues to speak publicly about his experiences because I think he has great insight into what attracts people to immoral ideologies, and what it takes to change someone’s mind.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • TC
  • 2021-02-12

Really interesting story

This was a great book. The story was very interesting . It was a gut wrenching reminder of the racist movement that is still very much at work throughout the United States and elsewhere in the world. It is also a story that gives hope for change. The introduction by the author was a nice touch. I wouldn’t have minded if he performed it himself but Scott Brick’s performance did the book justice as well. Overall a definite recommend!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

love it

it's a good read for everyone no matter your political affiliation!
go into the mind of a white nationalist

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • RJ
  • 2021-12-25

Eye opener, excellent story , easy to read

excellent factual story , great illustration of a life of white nationalist ideology with a good list of key factors of events

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Story is interesting...but

The valuable message this audiobook is supposed to portray is sullied by the author and his radical left leaning politics. The story of Derek Black is interesting and I applaud him for leaving the WN movement. I did however find it almost laughable in some parts of where they try to make the democrats look like they are an honest party. I wondered while reading while Derek was in college if he ever had his new found ideas challenged by anyone? Who am I kidding? I already know the answer. It is common knowledge how these "higher" learning institutions operate, they rally against any opposing ideas and call anyone that opposes them a racist, nazi, or a bigot. Overall, the story of Derek Black is an interesting one despite the addition of the authors politics.

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