I think that most of us can agree that a plethora of books we read for school can be mundane, and I am saying this as someone who finds pleasure in reading. When you don’t enjoy the books assigned to you, it is difficult for you to have the motivation to keep reading, especially if you don’t find the characters interesting, or the topic of the book intriguing. This year in Rhetoric class, we are reading a book that I thought I was not going to enjoy, especially because it was a nonfiction book. The book is called Rising Out of Hatred.
Rising out of Hatred, by Eli Saslow, is a book that tells the story of Derek Black, who grew up in the core of white nationalism. His father was the creator of Stormfront, the biggest online racist community. The book tells Derek’s story of unlearning all the horrible lies he believed in while growing up, with the help of a group of friends who were the exact type of people he grew up hating, and believing were evil.
At first, I was extremely worried, because I did not want the book to try to make the reader feel bad for Derek, or excuse his actions, but the book did a great job of showing how people can evolve. It also provided a realistic view of people changing, and how it’s not a linear or easy path. Throughout the whole story, at least in my opinion, it never felt like the author, Eli Saslow, was trying to excuse Derek’s actions or downplay any of the things he said, and was a part of.
The book also represented how people can change when they are exposed to a new view that contradicts their beliefs, and how that is important for a person’s development to become a more accepting person.
It’s an intriguing book if you are interested in learning and reading about how someone who grew up sheltered with extreme beliefs, and a very limited understanding of the world. It’s interesting to see the growth Derek achieved.
