Raphael "Rafe" Ezekiel wrote this book as a result of his numerous field studies on hate groups and their members. What promises to be an interesting look inside the so-called "far right" ends up being a pretty dull look at a group of punks that try and pass themselves as Nazis.

The book is divided into three sections. The first section is Ezekiel's reactions to his attending several high profile meetings of racial organizations. The first meeting is a KKK rally at Stone Mountain, Georgia. The other meeting is one of the congregations held by the now defunct Aryan Nations in Idaho. He also attended the sedition trial at Fort Smith, Arkansas. All we get from these events is a bunch of psycho babble from "Rafe" about how he feels about interviewing a bunch of racists. He makes sure to talk to the wackiest people he can find, and then make blanket statements about everybody involved as a whole. The second part of the book consists of interviews with national leaders in the Movement, such as Tom Metzger of WAR, and Richard Butler of Aryan Nations. The last part of the book, and by far the largest part, deals with a gang of whites that have taken the name "Death's Head Strike Group", who are located in Detroit. Rafe (I'm not being snide when I refer to him as Rafe. Several people in the book refer to him by this nickname) makes much of his Jewish heritage and how it is constantly insulted by these people. They're racists! Of course a Jew would be offended! I would be too if I were a Jew. You'd think someone of Jewish background would be aware of this before they started. But the point of writing a work like this is to try and present an unbiased account of the subject matter. This topic is by its very nature heated, and strong words have been written on both sides of the fence. This reader wasn't looking for another polemic. I was hoping for some real insights. Instead I get hurt feelings and some really wacked out testimony by sixteen year old high school dropouts on what it means to be a Nazi. At least the interviews of the leaders were worth reading. Especially Tom Metzger, who comes off as pretty intelligent, although somewhat cynical.

Ezekiel should be careful about passing off everyone in the National Socialist Movement as some idiot that can't even spell his name. With the advent of the Internet, there are young, wealthy and intelligent people that are quickly becoming adherents. I remember seeing a news program about Matt Hale, the head of the World Church of the Creator (and a law school graduate) working with another young college grad in his office. They were both listening to Mozart while they prepared flyers. This is the new face of the Movement, not what is presented here by Mr. Ezekiel.

Read this book for the three interviews with the national leaders and skip the rest. This book could have been a lot better. Instead, all we get is pap.

I have known in the past several of the people Mr. Ezekiel spent time on for his book, and despite his tireless (and increasingly annoying) left-wing babble, he paints a fairly accurate picture of the modern "racialism" movement as the unemployable, the troubled, the hopeless... the lost.

This is among the most engaging books I have ever read. What courage Mr. Ezekiel demonstrated in gathering this important information about racists individuals and groups. His respect for those whose words, feeling and attitudes were dispicable and focused directly on his own people was remarkable. The book shed light on what motivates hate and related violence from racists. As an African American who grew up in the south prior to civil rights legislation, I have always been baffled by the intensity of hate these people feel toward African Americans and the violence directed to us. This is an informing book that should be read by anyone seeking to understand and address the issue of intolerance. After reading the Racist Mind, I am more convinced of the need for our country to make sure everyone. black and white, have an opportunity to be educated and empowered to participate in what this country has to offer. It shows the dangerous impact of ignorance.