Blood in the Face: The Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, Nazi Skinheads, and the Rise of a New White Culture [Paperback]

James Ridgeway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 1995

Updated to incorporate information on the Oklahoma City bombing and the militia movement, this in-depth study of the rise of white supremacists and religious fundamentalists traces the history of such movements, their tactics, and their impact.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Village Voice correspondent Ridgeway ( Powering Civilization ) traces the evolution of the "racialist right" in American politics up to George Bush's bid for the presidency, which, the author asserts, had the issue of race at its very foundation. With startling detail, this volume sets forth the violent histories of such organizations as the Ku Klux Klan, founded in 1866 by six former Confederate soldiers; the John Birch Society, an anti-civil rights group masquerading as an anti-Communist force; and the Posse Comitatus, whose members gather in posses to "protect" the white race from the scourge of Jews, blacks and other minorities. Examining their influence on the political climate of the U.S., Ridgeway profiles such leaders as David Dukes, the former head of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Louisiana who ran for the Senate in 1990. Readers may feel overwhelmed by the amount of information this fascinating book imparts, and less than smooth transitions give the work a scattered feeling. As a result, Ridgeway's conclusions--including the obvious one that with the Cold War over, race will increasingly define "the social contours of society"--are more general than incisive. Illustrated.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Ridgeway has written a series of compelling reports in the Village Voice on the extreme right in contemporary America, and on the impact of radical racist and anti-Semitic groups on mainstream politics and culture. The articles are here rewritten to present a comprehensive view of racist politics in the United States (with some reference to Western European politics). However, in the book Ridgeway relies on purple prose, unsubstantiated analysis, and superficial background, so the vivid details and acute perspective of the original reports are obscured. Read instead the Voice articles, or James Corcoran's Bitter Harvest: Gordon Kahl and the Posse Comitatus in the Heartland ( LJ 3/1/90).
-Timothy Christenfeld, Columbia Univ.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press; 2nd edition (December 26, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156025100X
• ISBN-13: 978-1560251002
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #652,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very disturbing book, May 10, 2009

By 

Perry A. Threlfall - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood in the Face: The Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, Nazi Skinheads, and the Rise of a New White Culture (Paperback)

Not comprehensive, but informative. I'm interested in the post below by a self proclaimed neo-Nazi, who denounces the book as "uninformed." I think it's worth noting that oftentimes, those who are on the inside have a far less subjective view of a movement than a researcher does. For this reason, I think Ridgeway has provided some great insights. That said, it's certainly not comprehensive, but a very good start. That and the fact that it provides plenty of (disturbing) visuals, I highly recommend the book.

18 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Expect No More Than A Basic Introducton, April 22, 2000

By 

H. M. Barrett "mimereader" (San Francisco, California USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood in the Face: The Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, Nazi Skinheads, and the Rise of a New White Culture (Paperback)

I bought this because there really are very few books on the subject at all, and even this one is only going to give you a general introduction to the matter. What I have learned so far is this: When voters fail to provide places for young people to participate in sports and dancing, they shouldn't be surprised when those same kids - their kids - wander the streets and get into trouble. On the same wavelength, when it becomes routine in the media to criticize only whites for social ills, and to dismiss the value of an ethnic heritage for young whites in forming a positive image of themselves (As it does for the minorities allowed to form a strong self-image that way), it shouldn't surprise parents and nonwhites that more and more white youths are taking an interest in the most notorious and forbidden white leaders of all time. These kids reason that they want the opposite of the powerlessness that comes from accepting a conforming silence about race. They see how it saddles their more easily frightened parents and are determined to throw it off. And young people are often quick to express their resistance when a conformity seems so obviously unfair. Just as the gang mentality grows among blacks and hispanics, expect it to grow among whites. Yes, the kids will be sorry later, as David Duke certainly was when he went into mainstream politics, but society is also suffering because these kids went searching for their ethnic heritage and found no one to learn it from except someone representing their parents' worst nightmare.

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing.com:), October 13, 2009

By 

Marcin Dojnik "jubal" (Rzeszów, Poland) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blood in the Face: The Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, Nazi Skinheads, and the Rise of a New White Culture (Paperback)

Just great! The issue is very interesting itself but apart from the pure facts I received actually more than I had needed. Manifests, pictures, people's profiles were just perfect for writing my diploma thesis: "Active Hate Groups in the USA". I guees very few of us realize the scale of racism in the USA. I just wonder if the movement can in fact take over? what's your opinion?