AUDIO

White American Youth: My Descent into America's Most Violent Hate Movement—and How I Got Out

by Christian Picciolini
digital download. 6:47 hrs. Hachette Audio. Jan. 2018. ISBN 9781549197529. $24.98. MEMOIR
COPY ISBN
Picciolini, a wayward teen born and raised in Illinois, is drawn by the authority and righteousness of a local skinhead gang, the Chicago Area Skinheads, and easily recruited by its leader. Through the medium of music, Picciolini is slowly indoctrinated into the extremist ideology and urged to protect the white race from extinction by whatever means necessary. Slowly rising through the ranks of the white power movement, he eventually becomes a national (and perhaps international) figure and recruiter; however, he is jarred into recognizing the effects of the movement (and of his own actions) by a tragic loss. Picciolini narrates his work, and listeners can truly hear his emotions as he relives his often heartbreaking story.
VERDICT This is a difficult listen (owing to explicit descriptions of violence and hatred), but it's well worth it for those curious about the origins of hate.
Reviewed by Jeremy Bright, Georgia State Univ. Lib., Atlanta , Apr 15, 2018
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