Customer Reviews

Willis Carto and the American Far Right

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In view of the fact there are so many American concepts concerning what's "right", what's "left," what's "conservative" and what's "liberal," it is with much appreciation that many readers will welcome George Michael's analysis.

Historical research plays a prominent role in his book, and this gives it the credibilty and subsequent value it deserves. In an American century that endured the 9/11 crisis toward the beginning, and is only now beginning to see governmental decisions declassified, I am reminded of a statement given by C.P. Snow in 1960: "It is very easy, in an atmosphere of crisis, in the midst of secret decisions, for men to surrender both their reason and their will."

Small wonder, then, that Rush Limbaugh doesn't appear in the index, but Willis Carto and Francis Parker Yockey do. I doubt many Limbaugh-schooled conservatives have ever heard of Carto and Yockey. Michael offers them an opportunity to expand their education. But, with Snow's wisdom in mind, is there any reason to believe they will?

This is a very good, surprisingly objective biography of one of the "far right's" most influential figures. With assistance from Carto himself, Michael gives a very detailed overview of Carto's life and the events in history that surrounded it. He does an excellent job of tracing the unities and disunities of the right for the past century, using Carto's activities as a sort of framework to give shape to what can be a very confusing subject. Despite poor editing (sometimes it reads like a collection of magazine articles and essays than a cohesive book...not the author's fault, I am sure) it is a page-turner for anyone interested in the subject. Most readers, I imagine, will come across at least one name that they have never heard of before. Highly recommended.

Having first met Willis Carto in 1985 or '86, and with my advertising agency later representing Liberty Lobby/SPOTLIGHT from 1994-98, I spent much time with Mr. Carto and got to know him extremely well. Professor Michael, whom I met around 2002, has done an excellent job of compiling this complete and analytical biography of the leading figure of the U.S. Far Right, who not only dominated the scene from the 1950s until Liberty Lobby's 2001 downfall, but who still, in a diminished yet still influential way, plays an important role in the racist Right movement. It had to have been difficult for a highly respected academician to take on the biography of such a complex subject, even with the cooperation of Carto, himself, but Michael comes through at every turn. Whether you're a journalist, a student, a Professor, or someone who is simply interested in a great read about a truly fascinating (yet, often - in my view - sinister) individual and his politics, this is your book. Take it from one who knows firsthand: George Michael has nailed his subject, warts and all, and done it fairly and squarely. To understand this towering figure of the postwar American Far Right, you need go no further than this book.

- TODD A. BLODGETT