Hate Is My Neighbor [Paperback]

Tom Alibrandi (Author), Bill Wassmuth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 1999

HATE IS MY NEIGHBOR is the true story of a community's response to hate. When the Aryan Nations moved its headquarters to Hayden Lake in North Idaho in the late 1970's, the people of Coeur d'Alene and the surrounding area were faced with blatant racism in its midst. This book tells the story of how a community came together around several leaders to stand strong against bigotry and counter the hate that had become its neighbor.

The book covers roughly the 1980's, telling the story in novel form but using real incidents, names and places.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Arson, counterfeiting, murder, bombings, and more punctuate this powerful story of a courageous community's struggle against the violent Aryan Nations. A gripping account of the hate-filled souls of dedicated white supremacists and the struggle of those who literally put their lives on the line for racial justice. -- Morris Dees Co-founder, Southern Poverty Law Center

For those of us who live the Northwest, this book is an important reminder that environmental degradation comes in many forms. If we are to keep our treasured quality of life, we must fight the pollution of hate in our communities just as we fight pollution in our air and water. Bill Wassmuth, a wise and brave Northwesterner, has shown us how to do that. -- Mindy Cameron Editorial page Editor, Seattle Times

Standing up together against hate - that's what this book is about. It's a message of courage in the face of bigotry, a message that we need to hear frequently in our country. -- Myrlie Evers-Williams, Former Chair of the Board

About the Author

Tom Alibrandi has written widely on issues of true crime and the constitution, substance abuse, and models of education to inspire at-risk youth to succeed in school. Three of his books have been adapted into film. He received his doctorate in International and Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco. He currently teaches at the university and college level in the Bay Area of California.

Bill Wassmuth, an unlikely civil rights activist, was pastor of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Coeur d'Alene from 1979-1988. During that time, his leadership of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations made him the target of an Aryan Nations bombing attack on his home. He served as the founding executive director of the six state Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment from 1989-1999. His most recent recognitions include the Award for Individual Courage and Leadership for Racial Justice from the U.S. Justice Department in Washington, DC, and the 1999 William O. Douglas Award

Product Details

• Paperback: 285 pages
• Publisher: Stand Together Pub (October 23, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967404401
• ISBN-13: 978-0967404400
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,187,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The American Dream turned nightmare, March 26, 2000

By 

Andrea Abrahams (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hate Is My Neighbor (Paperback)

"Hate Is My Neighbor" is a harrowing true story about ordinary Idahoans banding together to fight the Aryan Nations, a neo-Nazi sect which had established a toehold in the Couer d'Alene area. Authors Tom Alibrandi and Bill Wassmuth take you to the town meetings and the clandestine ones in graphic, at times stomach-turning detail. While the book is stunning in its revelations about the virulent hatred which can lie beneath the surface of an innocuous-seeming merchant or housewife, it shows that a brave citizenry can and did conquer it. For the present, at least. The book is written in an unusual style which takes you into the protagonists' minds (Bill Wassmuth being one of them), and this contributes to its spellbinding appeal. I could not stop reading, even at 2 am.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hate is My Neighbor, January 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Hate Is My Neighbor (Paperback)

An extraordinary, but true account of combating hate and prejudice in Northern Idaho, that reads like a novel. I could not put it down! This is Wassmuth's own story of organizing a community against bigotry, and violence. His courage and commitment made him the target of an Aryan Nations bombing attack on his own home, but that did not stop him. He went on to found the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment, and served as its executive director for 10 years.

4.0 out of 5 stars Expanded my world., January 18, 2000

By 

Nancy McPherson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hate Is My Neighbor (Paperback)

"Hate is My Neighbor" has taken its place on the list of books that have changed me. It read like a novel but the thought "This is TRUE!" was always disturbing the ease of my reading. I was pulled out of the comfort of the life I've chosen to feel some of the pain and frustration of victims of hate. Understanding that it was "history" and not "fiction" meant I couldn't shake the knowledge while I was reading it that this book would not end "happily ever after" for everyone involved. But it wouldn't let me sink into feelings of futility as it reinforced the belief that individuals and groups can make a difference in this world that contains too much hate and injustice as long as it contains ANY hate and injustice. An enlightening read for anyone!