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The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements (Perennial Classics) Paperback – January 19, 2010

by Eric Hoffer (Author)

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“[Eric Hoffer] is a student of extraordinary perception and insight. The range of his reading and research is vast, amazing. [The True Believer is] one of the most provocative books of our immediate day.”—Christian Science Monitor

The famous bestseller with “concise insight into what drives the mind of the fanatic and the dynamics of a mass movement” (Wall St. Journal) by Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Eric Hoffer, The True Believer is a landmark in the field of social psychology, and even more relevant today than ever before in history. Called a “brilliant and original inquiry” and “a genuine contribution to our social thought” by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., The True Believer is mandatory reading for anyone interested in the machinations by which an individual becomes a fanatic.

The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements (Perennial Classics)

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From the Back Cover

A stevedore on the San Francisco docks in the 1940s, Eric Hoffer wrote philosophical treatises in his spare time while living in the railroad yards. The True Believer -- the first and most famous of his books -- was made into a bestseller when President Eisenhower cited it during one of the earliest television press conferences.Completely relevant and essential for understanding the world today, The True Believer is a visionary, highly provocative look into the mind of the fanatic and a penetrating study of how an individual becomes one.

About the Author

Eric Hoffer (1902 -- 1983) was self-educated. He worked in restaurants, as a migrant fieldworker, and as a gold prospector. After Pearl Harbor, he worked as a longshoreman in San Francisco for twenty-five years. The author of more than ten books, including The Passionate State of Mind, The Ordeal of Change, and The Temper of Our Time, Eric Hoffer was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983.

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Product details

Series: Perennial Classics
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (January 19, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060505915
ISBN-13: 978-0060505912
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.4 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (429 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #12 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Compulsive Behavior
- #23 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Political
- #290 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Sociology

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Top Customer Reviews

This book, while somewhat dated (written while Stalin still ...

ByBillon March 30, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book, while somewhat dated (written while Stalin still ruled), is still frighteningly accurate and applicable to events unfolding even now. I found it difficult to read only in the sense that I did not want to believe that words written a few years before I was born could still so accurately portray the world and events that I see today.

0Comment 32 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

As Relevant Today as it Was in 1951

ByRichard B. SchwartzTOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICEon October 24, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is a 60+ year-old book that retains its fascination because the varieties of ‘true believers’ persist, along with the results of radical actions. Essentially, Hoffer looks at multiple, seemingly heterogeneous movements, from Christianity to National Socialism and observes their leadership and, more important, their followers. He identifies the traits of those leaders and followers and records them in a succession of discussions—125 numbered divisions in a book of approximately 170 pp.

While he has done his homework in examining the movements he does not discuss one or a handful in depth. This is not historiography. It is more a collection of observations that flow from his own readings in history. With the large number of separate discussions the result is something like reading Pascal or Wittgenstein. One is presented with many unified discussions but the most powerful aspect of the book is the manner in which it breaks into single, quotable sentences. These are the rocks polished by the river of thought which preceded them.

For example:

p. 14: “Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves.”

p. 24: “. . . the character and destiny of a group are often determined by its inferior elements.”

p. 29: “It is not actual suffering but the taste of better things which excites people to revolt.”

p. 33: “Those who clamor loudest for freedom . . . often . . . want to eliminate free competition and the ruthless testing to which the individual is continually subjected in a free society.”

p. 116: “There can be no mass movement without some deliberate misrepresentation of facts.”

p. 133: “However much the protesting man of words sees himself as the champion of the downtrodden and injured, the grievance which animates him is, with very few exceptions, private and personal.”

p. 144: “Whence come the fanatics? Mostly from the ranks of the noncreative men of words.”

Ultimately, this is a phenomenological study of human behavior in mass movements. Its key, overarching theme is the notion that the true believer suffers from some personal form of alienation or failure which pushes him to seek an alternative society in which he can comfortably fit. This is powerful stuff, endlessly suggestive and continuing in its relevance for our present condition. Highly recommended.

22 comments 23 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

the far left and the far right can be indistinguishable from each other from the viewpoint of what it's like to live under them

Byrichard vazquezon April 19, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

An interesting way of viewing and sorting out the similarities and differences in historical popular movements. Surprisingly, the far left and the far right can be indistinguishable from each other from the viewpoint of what it's like to live under them. Hoffer compares the personality types and motivations common to both movements resulting in highly predictable behavior and social results. From religion to politics the paradigm holds true; the human experience is usually optimal when common sense rules. You would do well to read the book as it expresses these ideas much better than I do. The proof of the thesis lies in the fact that the book, written in the 1950's, was correct in it's predictions over the last sixty five years. This way of thinking helps to envision the results of today's decisions.

0Comment 10 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Still relavant and worth your time.

ByLinda A. Marliaon June 15, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

My first day in college, in the fall of 1964, the President of the college recommended a few books to help us become "critical thinkers." This was the first one on the list. Eric Hoffer was well-known at the time as the "Longshoreman philosopher." In this book he discusses the psychology and sociology of mass movements in a detailed, but understandable way. It is as relevant in today's world as it was over 50 years ago and I was glad to find it on Kindle so I could easily read it again. I recommend it highly.

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A Classic on the Huamn Dimensions of Mass Movements

ByRaider 6on March 16, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The book is dry but worth the read. If you wonder how mass movements like the Nazis, Communists or Black Lives Matter attract and retain followers this timeless classic will explain it. If you wonder why the Tea Party has had difficulty sustaining its initial force, Hoffer's writings explain that too. Makes a great companion to Invisible Armies.

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

An illuminating look at mass movements, their leaders, their members, how they work, and what they do

ByKiwiwriteron March 25, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read, even though it was written in 1951.

Longshoreman-turned-philosopher Eric Hoffer scrutinized and analyzed mass movements and their various members, ranging from ideologues to greedheads, dissecting them in detail, separating out the wheat of activity and behavior from the chaff of rhetoric and ideology, to see how they and their members work, and their impact.

At the time, Nazism was freshly buried, Stalinist Communism was powerful, and many of the ideologies of the 1960s did not exist. However, Mr. Hoffer's analysis of the movements of the time easily apply to other movements, going on into the present day.

The book is short, written in a crisp style, and is easily accessible to many education levels. President Dwight D. Eisenhower highly recommended it to everyone he worked with, and cited it in an early press conference.

Once you read this, you can take with a bit more perspective (and a lot more salt) the angry denunciations of today's conspiracy theorists and other blowhards, and figure out why they keep on going.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

If you are a philosophy nerd or are interested in ...

BySouthern Mickon October 2, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

If you are a philosophy nerd or are interested in political science this book should be on your Must Read list. Dock worker savant Hoffer probably oversimplifies the revolutionary nature and the stages of revolution but his vision is compelling. His historical examples resonate with truth. This book has been read by many, many deep thinkers. An under-appreciated masterpiece.

0Comment 5 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A Clear Voice for All Times

ByDigital Fingerson August 12, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I read Hoffer's book while in college. At the time, I was highly skeptical of a social study conducted by a longshoreman. Oh the snobbishness of an undergrad. As I moved through life, I found his observations and theories to be astute and solidly based in reality. As our society becomes more and more divided and polarized by charismatic autocrats and would-be dictators, it would be wise of more of us to pay attention to his clarifying message.

0Comment 8 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

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I read it over 50 years ago, and was ...

I read it over 50 years ago, and was so impressed I had to read it again in the current times.

Published 5 days ago by Walter L. Fawcett

This little book was what it must have been like for the medieval scholars to read Aristotle for the ...

OUTSTANDING

Published 1 month ago by gary b.

One of the books that changed my life way back ...

One of the books that changed my life way back in my youth. It remains a classic, and is well worth re-reading.

Published 1 month ago by Lawrence E. DeLeon

Explicates "Convinced against your will, you are of the same opinion still."

A readable explanation of ideological based opinion.

Published 1 month ago by Gerson S. Ecker

The Finest Philosopher Of Our Time

Thoughts of one of the best philosophers of modern times. Clear and still relevant today. His seminal work. Everyone should read all of his books.

Published 1 month ago by Phil

Holy Cow! What a powerful book

This book is short but extremely dense. One paragraph can have you thinking for hours. This is a book I will certainly have to read and review at least 4-5 times in the future.Read more

Published 1 month ago by Cinquain

A timeless Classic

Hoffer wrote this in 1951 and it is still so applicable and true. I typed up pages of excellent quotes and marked up this gem of a book.Read more

Published 1 month ago by Kathy Baldock/Canyonwalker

Hoffer is impressive

Timeless social commentary!

Published 1 month ago by b

Five Stars

Written many years ago, but fresh and relevant today. A must read .

Published 2 months ago by njm

Five Stars

excellent

Published 2 months ago by C &amp;amp; D King

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