The Fame of a Dead Man's Deeds: An Up-Close Portrait of White Nationalist William Pierce [Paperback]

Robert S. Griffin (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: 1st Book Library (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0759609330
• ISBN-13: 978-0759609334
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #203,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars William Pierce Up Close, February 19, 2002

By 

Jeffrey Leach (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fame of a Dead Man's Deeds: An Up-Close Portrait of White Nationalist William Pierce (Paperback)

While I was reading this book, I happened to catch a program on VH-1 about White Power music. Several clips of an interview with William Pierce were shown, and this book was clearly visible on the bookshelf over Pierce's shoulder. The author, Robert Griffin, spent a month at National Alliance headquarters and read numerous writings and books in order to compile this encyclopedic account of William Pierce, the chairman and driving force of the National Alliance. Most books concerning Pierce or the larger White Nationalism movement are hopelessly biased or just plain inaccurate. This book is different because Griffin goes out of his way to provide a fair account of the topic. Griffin is a university professor in Vermont, and it is refreshing to see that at least some academics are still capable of doing unbiased work. I think that out of all of the books I've read concerning the White Nationalist movement, this is the best one available. Most accounts are extremely hostile to the movement because they are grinding ideological axes.

This book is huge, running over 400 pages in length. Griffin not only conducts interviews with Dr. Pierce, he makes sure to read books that have influenced Pierce throughout his life. Griffin provides exegesis on several books and prominent figures of the movement. George Shaw's Man and Superman, Adolf Hitler and Mein Kampf, Revilo Oliver, Savitri Devi, George Lincoln Rockwell and William Gayley Simpson are all examined in minute detail by Griffin. Griffin shows how these influences are reflected in Dr. Pierce's writings and lectures. Specific chapters devote much space to Pierce's views on World War II and, of course, the Jews. Several legitimate questions are raised in the course of the book. Why do we not hear anything about how many Germans were killed after the war? About the treatment of German POWs in Allied prison camps? About the horrible mass murders in Katyn and Vinnitsa? Griffin himself realizes that he knows nothing about the number of deaths in WWII except the six million figure concerning the Jews. He had to go look up the estimates. Over 12 million Germans, 18+ million Russians, and one million Americans were killed or maimed in the war. Why is it that we don't hear about this? Pierce says that this is because the Jews control the mass media outlets in America, and that it is more important for the Jews to proclaim their victim status in order to extort money from Germany, the U.S. and other Western countries. Whether or not anybody believes this, the questions raised about WWII are interesting and will make you think. In short, the book details every aspect of Pierce's philosophy.

The book also shows us the personal side of Dr. Pierce. Griffin shows us the dedication of Pierce to his cause, his marriages, his upbringing and education as a physicist, and his life on his compound in West Virginia. Griffin reveals how Pierce interacts with others and even talks about Hadley, Pierce's cat. Pierce admits that he is a loner and likes working on his own schedule and at his own pace. The guy is pushing seventy and still works 12+ hours a day. That is what comes across most strongly: Pierce believes in what he is doing and still has passion for his work. The book shows that Pierce, regardless of what anyone thinks of him, cares deeply for his race and devoted his life to that purpose. Pierce threw away a career as an academic for his battle. Not many people are willing to do what Pierce has done, no matter what the movement or issue.

I'm glad to see this book got published. Griffin had so much trouble finding a publisher that he eventually had to make this available as an ebook. It was a bestseller on the Internet. Of course, once someone saw that a buck could be made, it got published. My only problem with the book itself is that there are a fair amount of grammatical errors and awkward sentences. At times, I had to reread a sentence to understand what Griffin was trying to say. Still, anyone with even a remote interest in this subject will find this book explosive. I suspect this will go through several printings and will be an authoritative volume for years to come.

72 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Engaging, September 1, 2001

By 

W. Scott Wilson "Novelist and Avid Reader" (North Central Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fame of a Dead Man's Deeds: An Up-Close Portrait of White Nationalist William Pierce (Paperback)

Make sure you start "The Fame of a Dead Man's Deeds" on a Friday, because you won't want to do anything for a couple of days except read this book.

A journalist decides to allow Dr. Pierce to present his case to the world and the result is this fascinating read. The author, Robert Griffin, is not on Pierce's payroll, neither is he a National Alliance fellow-traveller. But he is objective. And that's something almost NEVER seen in matters of presenting the arguments and personages of the racialist right. The work is half biography and half rendering of Pierce's philosophy.

My only criticism is that Griffin's attempt to distance himself from Pierce in his writing makes the reading a little awkward. What I mean is that every other sentence contains phrases like "Pierce argues", "says Pierce", "Pierce contends", "maintains Pierce", "Pierce states", etc., etc. But in all that's a small complaint and should not keep anyone from reading this book.

If you truly want to make an attempt to understand the mindset of those on the far right, read this book. If you're satisfied by brain-dead polemic labels (racist, bigot, hate-monger) when considering the right then don't bother.

The book is well-written and edited. Especially for a small-time publishing house.

Buy it!

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, fair, and interesting., May 31, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fame of a Dead Man's Deeds: An Up-Close Portrait of White Nationalist William Pierce (Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading this book. I had always
been curious about Dr. Pierce and didn't know that
much about where he'd come from or how he'd gotten
to be the man he was. This book answered all those
questions and more, and upon finishing it I had
a deeper respect for him.

I like the fact that he comes across as a man with
a sense of humor and a sort of worldliness that often
goes missing in men who take on the issues he took on
in his lifetime. He did not oversimplify things nor
did he work at making things complex in ways that weren't
necessary. I came to appreciate the *way* he thought
about things and the *way* he proceeded with his life
because of reading this book. Because of these things,
I found the book to be personally inspirational.

I was also delighted to find that Robert Griffin did
neither demonize nor glorify Dr. Pierce. I think he
portrayed Dr. Pierce as a man, the personal man being
the source for the public figure; faults and all.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is
curious about Dr. Pierce and doesn't want to read
something that is either fawning or villifying.
Well done, Mr. Griffin.