Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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!

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.

I am not a white racialist. I say this not because I feel the need to issue this disclaimer for Political Correctness, or out of fear that I may be considered such, but to explain my perspective on the life of William Pierce, head of the National Alliance.

My father was an undergraduate student under Dr. Pierce in the early 1960s and to this day doesn't understand how someone who impressed him as the most intelligent man on campus could have gone on to head an organization such as the Alliance.He did, however, feel that Griffin did a thorough and fair job of setting forth Pierce's belief system. I presented him with this book after having read it three times myself, out of sheer fascination with Griffin's superb, elegantly and straightforwardly written text on this enigmatic figure who my father had spoken of many times in our household. Astonishingly, as my father was describing him in awestruck admiration, Pierce was in the thick of conducting a political and organization-building activity that my father-and many if not indeed most educated Americans-would consider repellent and loathsome.

The formation of Pierce's belief system and the process he followed in translating these concepts into action are well described, as is the genesis of the National Alliance, the white racialist organization Pierce founded and which is considered by anti-racist and civil rights organizations to be the most intellectual and the most dangerous of all such outfits. Along the way, I gained an insight into the working of Pierce's mindset, and I think I understand him and his ideas, his worldview, his sense of life as well as one possibly could without having actually known him.

Although I cannot accept his fundamental thesis of White Supremacy for intellectual reasons, I think that to some extent one has to admire the courage of his convictions, because it is incredibly difficult for a bright young academic with early tenure to leave academia and go forth to promote an idea that obviously will make him an absolute pariah among his former colleagues, students, the media, and society in general. Griffin neither makes apologies for Pierce's views, nor the acts of members of Pierce's Alliance;however, he reports them without clouding them with his judgment. The reader understands fully the facts of life about the National Alliance, including the actions of Robert Mathews and his "Order",which apparently made possible much of the National Alliance's access to facilities.

My only complaint is not with the book's content, but with its physical form: my copy had its covers curl up and fray at the edges within days after it arrived, and the spine split shortly thereafter. I had my copy professionally hardbound, but readers should expect that a book will not disintegrate within a few readings.I hope future printings will be bound with a more durable softcover.

Robert Griffin has done an amazing job at writing what will likely be the definitive biography of William L. Pierce, Ph.D., the late Chairman of the National Alliance.

Until his recent death, Dr. Pierce was primary known as the writer of "The Turner Diaries," a fictional work he wrote under the pseudonym of "Andrew Macdonald" and which was credited with inspiring Timothy McVeigh, convicted and put to death for the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, OK.

Griffin devotes only two chapters to the "Turner Diaries," however, and properly devotes the bulk of his book to a proper biographical treatment of a complex man who went from being a professor of physics to the leader of the largest nationalist organization in the United States. Griffin is a biographer, not a polemicist, and allows Pierce's words to speak for themselves (the author spent a month with Pierce at the National Vanguard's compound in West Virginia; and Pierce is unabashed in his views).

This is very much an intellectual biography, with the author tracing the development of Pierce's views and his involvement with organizations from early years in the John Birch Society, to George Lincoln Rockwell's American Nazi Party -- later called the National Socialist White People's Party -- to the National Alliance. Along the way, he references not only Pierce's radio broadcasts and writings but other writings which influenced Pierce.

There should be no mistake about it: Pierce was a fierce nationalist, racist and anti-Semite and he does not dodge these issues in his interviews with the author. Individuals who hated Pierce in his lifetime, and/or regarded him as a dangerous figure, will not change their minds on the basis of this book (nor is that the author's intention). Those who praised Pierce as a heroic champion of the white race will continue to adhere to that position. This is the nature of individuals and events which tend toward achieving polarization.

All of this notwithstanding, it cannot be denied that Griffin has done a first-rate job as a biographer and those individuals who want to gain a greater understanding of a controversial figure on the radical finges of American politics, whatever their own personal feelings about the man, will not be disappointed.

The main reason I decided to pick up this book is because I had heard so much about it. Essentially what I had heard was the William Pierce and his biographer, Robert Griffin had an immense problem finding anyone to publish it. And, once published, had an even harder time finding anyone to distribute it. This intrigued me because it would seem to confirm much of what Dr. Pierce has said in the past - namely that through subterfuge and censorship, a few special interest groups were trying to silence him. I work in the publishing industry and I decided to read the book and find out for myself. The book itself is a fascinating read. Dr. Pierce is a highly intelligent, highly articulate and extremely motivated individual. Even if you don't agree with the views of Dr. Pierce and his organization, the National Alliance, you will probably find him fascinating as an individual. Griffin approaches his subject matter objectively and fairly, and the reader is treated to a rare insiders look into the workings of a modern day National Socialist. What disturbed me most after reading this book, was that so many people and organizations would go to such tremendous lengths to keep this book out of the public eye. You have to ask yourself, "why"? Read the book and decide for yourself.

Two types of people should read this book: white racists and those who oppose white racism. The former will gain a cognitive understanding of Dr. Pierce and his world view, a view they have often come to by intuition and instinct alone. The latter will gain an opportunity to oppose what white racists actually believe rather than wasting their intellectual resources refuting the straw men fabricated by their enemies.

Sun Tzu wrote, "know thy enemy," and I believe he did not mean "know the propaganda picture of thy enemy." During and after World War 2, the propaganda about Adolf Hitler convinced Americans that the Germans had fallen under the spell of a lunatic who threw himself on the floor in carpet-chewing tantrums of frustration. Historian David Hoggan records an anecdote about the 1943 Tehran conference between Stalin and FDR. When FDR foolishly suggested to Stalin that Hitler was insane, Stalin roared, "You idiot; could an insane man have come within a hair's breadth of destroying once and for all a great leader like me?" FDR obviously believed he could patronize Stalin with the propaganda Hitler, but Stalin knew better. When one reads the OAS file compiled on Hitler for Churchill's and Roosevelt's eyes only, a totally different picture from the propaganda version emerges. In other words, both FDR and Churchill knew better, too.

There is no doubt in my mind that the secret ADL files contain a completely different profile of Dr. Pierce than the one disseminated on the ADL website and in the mass media. And the difference will be as great as the one of the carpet-eating Hitler and the highly intelligent and brilliant enemy leader kept secret from the public in OAS files. I doubt that the life and beliefs of Dr. Pierce, as recounted by Dr. Griffin, contain few surprises for Abe Foxman of the ADL or Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), but will be news to many of those who get their information from those gentlemen.

Professor Robert Griffin, the author of this remarkable book, neither acts as an advocate for his subject nor sits in judgment on him. He writes from the perspective of a neutral observer trying to understand a fascinating natural phenomenon and permits the reader to do the same. Griffin allows Dr. Pierce the opportunity to respond and elaborate expansively to the most common objections made to his views, rather than limiting his responses to carefully edited sound bites. And although one may feel that the author is not wholly unsympathetic to Pierce and his views, Griffin will often confront Pierce as a devil's advocate. Of course, Griffin's approach to dealing with his subject was not sufficient to please those whose agenda is to disseminate a slanted view of Pierce. Objectivity, truth, fairness, and giving the subject ample time to respond to his detractors' arguments is not what the ADL, SLPC, and other Pierce opponents are looking for, as Griffin quickly discovered when he tried to find a publisher for his even-handed biography of Dr. William Pierce.

Those who hope to discover evidence for Pierce, the southern redneck racist driven by a pathological, irrational hate for all non-whites, will be disappointed. Racist, yes; pathological and irrational, no. Griffin introduces his readers to the literature and the individuals who have influenced Pierce in his metamorphosis from tenured physics professor to self-appointed savior of the Aryan race. George Bernard Shaw's "Man and Superman" comes alive under Griffin's pen as he explores with Pierce his understanding of Shaw's idea of the "life force." Oswald Spengler, the author of "The Decline of the West," was a warning voice that Pierce took seriously. Griffin brilliantly examines Nietzsche's philosophy of the superman, as well as how Pierce understands that concept. How a highly intelligent mind was led to admire an individual with Hitler's reputation, while defending Hitler's policies, should be of interest to friend and foe alike. Of course, the Hitler that Pierce admires is not the cartoon Hitler that the TV-educated are taught to loathe. How about Pierce's relationship with American Nazi party leader George Lincoln Rockwell? Classics professor Revilo Oliver? Terrorist and former National Alliance member Bob Mathews? What is "Cosmotheism," a religion whose disciples regarded Pierce as a minister?

Those who have read "The Turner Diaries" may wonder what goes on in the mind of an individual who created a novel so full of animosity toward other ethnic groups. Professor Griffin wondered, too, and asked some hardball questions.

I believe you get the picture: this is a fascinating read about a fascinating individual with a fascinating world view. What you discover is the real Dr. Pierce and his views rather than the caricature disseminated by his enemies. Hate him or love him; after reading this book, at least you will be responding not to Pierce, the imaginary bogeyman in the attic, but to Pierce, the living, breathing, thinking man.

I purchased this book to get a better idea of what made Dr. Pierce 'tick'. I can honestly recommend this book as it is fair and balanced. Dr. Griffin comes across as impartial and spends no time attacking the character of his subject - probably because Dr. Pierce was a thoughtful, dedicated and honest man.

Dr. Griffin asks the same question that I wanted to know - what makes a family man who could have been extremely rich and successful leave it all to fight for beliefs that are currently scorned at? What motivates a man to leave his job as a tenured professor (later a senior research scientist) to become the writer of the Turner Diaries? Anyone who has listened to ADV knows but it is explained again in this book with interesting personal details. Dr. Pierce has recently passed away and to millions around the world he is dearly missed.

Glad that Amazon offers this book to the public.

I read this book over two years ago, and it remains one of my favorites.
Professor Robert Griffin does a great job and an invaluable service to the Late Dr. William Pierce by portraying him in an unbiased way, and without any kind of sarcastic arrogance which characterizes most other works on the topic of white racialism. Dr. William Pierce was not a violent fanatic nor evil racist nut who hid in the hills armed to the teeth with guns and missiles as the controlled media and certain jewish 'human rights' organizations want you to think: Dr. Pierce was a spiritual person who was not corrupted by the stale materialism and diversity of American society. He was incorruptible and actually lived by higher principles that do our present 'leaders', if you can call them that.
Dr. Pierce saw straight into the soul of Western civilization and realized it's successes, failures, potential, and the danger in which it is in today. He strived to reach as many Europeans with his message and inspired them to regain their pride, self-esteem and dignity by removing the blinders of apathy, ignorance and multiculturalism from their eyes and opened them to the naked truth of nature, history and the will to start on the upward path.
Dr. William Pierce's untimely death has been a very sad and shocking occurrence, but he has made us all proud white European men and women much more stronger, and his message will undoubtedly be carried on by those who have the strength, foresight and intelligence to listen. Without Dr. William Pierce, we would surely be in a much worse situation today.
All people of European ancestry should read this book and learn the ultimate truth that to be white and proud is natural, healthy and right, no matter what others say.

Of course, given that Dr. Pierce has been a monumental figure in my life, I carry no pretension of objectively portraying the value of the book. However, as a writer Professor Griffin, who teaches at the University of Vermont, presented a book that is thoroughly readable and well-expressed. In it he writes about the life of Dr. Pierce and delves into details hitherto unknown to many of Dr. Pierce's biggest admirers, and gets into Dr. Pierce's past and his political influences, and ultimately into his transformation into one of the key political figures (albeit non-mainstream and unknown to many) of the 20th-century, as well as into his views on numerous issues crucial to him.

Professor Griffin spent plenty of time interviewing Dr. Pierce at his West Virginia compound in order to write the book. He notes that Dr. Pierce, who eventually earned a doctorate in physics, was pretty much apolitical while an undergraduate at Rice University and as a graduate student at the University of Colorado. Following his graduation from Rice, Dr. Pierce worked at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in New Mexico for a few months, where he assisted in attempts to develop controlled nuclear fusion. Later on, and about a year after obtaining his bachelor's, Pierce worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where much of America's space program was started, and did work in rocket instrumentation. Dr. Pierce's dream was to become an astronaut, but he was told his eyesight was too poor and that, standing at 6'4", he was too tall. As an avid reader of Pierce's political material, his towering height was something of which I was unaware.

While a graduate student, Pierce was enamored with George Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman, where the theme of serving the Life Force -- that is, the will of Nature -- and a grander purpose than oneself, and of working to create a superior being in man so that this Life Force can reach complete self-realization, had him smitten. It also shaped his pantheistic outlook. This Nietzschean play came to influence his philosophy of Cosmotheism -- a modern White Nationalist version of Shaw's pantheism -- wherein the White race is to work to create superior beings through a plan of eugenics in order to fulfill the Universe's will. It is notable that in Man and Superman Shaw portrays the Devil as a Jew.

At the age of 29, Pierce obtained the position of assistant professorship at the Oregon State University. In just three years he rose to the position of associate professor and then obtained tenure, whereas in most cases it might take as long as six years to obtain tenure. Having the status of tenure ensures a lifetime of employment at a university, with complete job security and benefits. Yet, like many notable figures throughout history, Dr. Pierce left the comfortable life to live a life of activism, so that he could bring about change and ultimately a realization of his political goals.

It was while a professor that Dr. Pierce began to take notice of the political changes taking place. The protests against the Vietnam War, in addition to the Civil Rights struggle, had him worried as to the future that lay ahead for America. For some time Pierce joined up with the John Birch Society, an organization dedicated to fighting communist subversion. He was disappointed with what he felt to be its mealy-mouthed nature over the role of Jews in communism, and thus began a search for alternatives.

Soon thereafter Dr. Pierce saw George Lincoln Rockwell, who served as a naval commander and was a preeminent Nazi figure in post-World War II America as leader of the American Nazi Party, on TV getting heckled in front of a university audience, speechifying openly about Jews and the dangers of multiculturalism. Dr. Pierce wrote a letter to Rockwell, and received a lengthy response from him. This touched Dr. Pierce deeply. Eventually he began working with Rockwell, and it was with his time with Rockwell's organization -- whose membership he was not too fond of -- that he learned such valuable things as printing and publishing political material.

Some time after Rockwell's [demise], Pierce saw a man on television running an organization called the National Youth Alliance aimed towards college students and opposing the growing counterculture. The organization was founded by Willis Carto -- the man who also founded the Institute for Historical Review, a revisionist organization based in California -- and it was heavily in debt. Pierce eventually took over the operations of the organization, which later came to be known as the National Alliance. While working with the National Youth Alliance, Pierce met a professor of the classics from the University of Illinois by the name of Revilo Pendleton Oliver, who encouraged him to reach out to new people through the medium of fiction. This inspired Pierce to write The Turner Diaries and Hunter. While he felt the latter to be a better-written book, the former has become an internationally famous underground book due to its association with Timothy McVeigh, who is said to have conducted the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing with the inspiration of Pierce's book.

There are many other interesting details of Pierce's life, ones that I cannot cover in a mere review. For those who would like to learn more about the life and times of Dr. Pierce, as well as the National Socialist movement in America after World War II, I would strongly urge them to read the book. Given the timing of Dr. Pierce's [demise], the book and its title take on a whole new meaning.

I will never forget Dr. Pierce. I will never forget his Saturday morning broadcasts on the internet. Having a former physics professor share your truthful yet unpopular political perspective, and guiding you toward the proper path, gave one a very special feeling, a special attachment to him. There will never again be another Dr. Pierce. He lives on as a giant in Western civilization, equal to any intellectual great in its history. That is the personal significance of the book for me.

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