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The Secret War Against Hate

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What to expect

From the author of Pulitzer Prize finalist Hitler in Los Angeles, the definitive story of the intrepid activists and spies who fought against a resurgent movement of hate in America—a book that "should be read by every American who wants to know how courageous men and women can resist hatred." (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

Americans today like to believe that the end of World War II brought a new era of tolerance in the United States. But antisemitism and racism went up—not down—after the war’s end. Violence broke out in cities across the country, and the number of organized hate groups more than doubled from 1940 to 1946. In this shocking account of a resurgence of White Supremacy in America, celebrated historian Steven J. Ross reveals how four key leaders—Emory Burke, J. B. Stoner, James Madole, and George Lincoln Rockwell—worked together to “finish the job Hitler had begun,” launching deadly attacks on Jews and African Americans and building a network of terrorists across the U.S. In response to this “war of hate,” three men—Arnold Forster of the Anti-­Defamation League, George Mintzer of the American Jewish Committee, and James Sheldon of the Non-­Sectarian Anti­-Nazi League—along with dozens of men and women, launched a multipronged effort: They infiltrated, monitored, and undermined these hate groups, putting their own safety on the line and scoring important victories that, today, have been all but forgotten.

Tracing the extraordinary work of these unsung heroes, The Secret War Against Hate provides a groundbreaking reconsideration of the legacy of the “Good War,” and essential reading on how America today can beat hate once again and build a just and united nation.

Critics Review

Richly researched, impressively annotated, burningly bright . . . this book takes readers through familiar times and places with fresh research and a vivid narrative style . . . Personality and media strode hand in hand then, much as now, and Ross alerts us to the deep and ugly history behind today’s trolls and truants . . . This book should be read by every American who wants to know how courageous men and women can resist hatred.
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Well-researched and at times shocking . . . Ross weaves the timelines of these figures together in an easy-to-follow way, showing how they gained power but also highlighting the people and organizations who actively fought against them in public and in spy rings, who each had their own motivations for resisting fascism. Readers will get sucked into the story and want to know what happens next . . . An excellent ‘hidden history’ book that gives additional context to modern political movements.
Library Journal, starred review
At a time of renewed interest in America's previous fights with fascism, no one has done more than Steven J. Ross to unearth the epic conflicts and characters at the heart of that history. In The Secret War Against Hate, Ross has found a startling new chapter of our history, surfacing villains worthy of any Hollywood horror franchise, and intrepid heroes whose exploits could be written into a national anthem. This book will be taught and read for decades; the more we learn from it, the stronger we will be for the fights ahead, and for the fights already at hand. A brilliant history, a brilliant story. Bravo
Rachel Maddow, New York Times bestselling author of PREQUEL
With power and deep insight, Steven Ross has given us the harrowing story of postwar domestic fascism—dripping with racism and antisemitism—and the determined organizations and people who sought to expose its ambitions and defeat it. Eye-opening in content, The Secret War Against Hate is a must-read for anyone interested in the roots of today's radical right and the prospects for resistance to it.
Steven Hahn, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A NATION UNDER OUR FEET and ILLIBERAL AMERICA
Steven Ross’s timely and impressively researched book draws a through line of the anti-Semitism that emerged in America in the wake of the Holocaust, continued in various iterations, and has reemerged in our day. He paints vivid portraits of the fanatics, dupes, scoundrels and blood-thirsty loonies who peopled the American fascist movements and of those who worked courageously to defeat them. This history of hate and heroic resistance to hate is chilling, inspiring, and vital reading.
Lillian Faderman, author of NAKED IN THE PROMISED LAND and THE GAY REVOLUTION
Steven Ross’s narrative about the Americans who fought to expose and defeat the neo-fascist right in the decades after World War II is highly original, full of insight, and an utterly compelling read. Anyone who wants to understand the roots of the hatemongers who befoul our politics today should read this book.
Michael Kazin, author of WHAT IT TOOK TO WIN: A HISTORY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
In his gripping new book, Steven J. Ross unflinchingly examines American Hitlerism and efforts to expose it. Recent events bring home tragically the pertinence of Ross’s instructive narrative.
Randall Kennedy, Michael R. Klein Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
In this revelatory study, Steven Ross brings out of the shadows a series of far right agitators who have remained largely unknown to both professional scholars and the general public. He convincingly reveals that a fascist tradition has always existed in the United States, while compellingly showing how ordinary Americans have worked to counteract it. Combining original research and sober analysis, the book could not be more timely.
Gavriel D. Rosenfeld, author of THE FOURTH REICH: THE SPECTER OF NAZISM FROM WORLD WAR II TO THE PRESENT
Set against the backdrop of postwar America, Steven Ross’s meticulously researched and engaging narrative illuminates the increasingly pernicious development of White Supremacy and rightwing extremism, and those few organizations and individuals who worked to limit the impact of illiberal forces. He outlines, like few before him, the precedents that frame many of the present-day debates on whether the US should remain an inclusive democracy or revert to atavistic society that limits opportunities for those outside the majority. Despite heroic efforts by civil society to keep these forces at bay after 1945, Ross notes rightly that extremist leaders might pass, “but ideas persist forever.” Understanding the origins of today’s extremisms, the approaches that proved successful in resisting them, and how this past shapes our future make The Secret War Against Hate an indispensable and important contribution to the field
Robert J. Williams, CEO and Finci-Viterbi Chair of the USC Shoah Foundation and UNESCO Chair on Antisemitism and Holocaust Research

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