Steven J. Ross (Hitler in Los Angeles), a distinguished professor of history at the University of Southern California, couldn't be more timely in charting the evolution of organized bigotry and fascism in the United States from the end of the Second World War up to the uncomfortable present day.
The Secret War Against Hate is a reminder that the forces of antisemitism and white supremacy were not defeated along with the Axis powers at the end of World War II in 1945. Ross's words vibrate with a visceral urgency, shattering the myth of postwar domestic tranquility and providing a necessary roadmap for anyone seeking to understand the resurgence of those virulent ideologies. The book provides a brilliant complement to recent popular histories like Rachel Maddow's Prequel or other works from the canon of American extremism studies, shifting the lens away from the theoretical toward the activists and spies who fought this "secret war."
Ross's work is utterly immersive in its sweeping, decades-long tracing of how some Americans have resisted the contagion of hate. He begins with the postwar surge in extremism, introducing readers to figures such as Emory Burke and the neo-fascist "Columbians" in Georgia, who aimed to establish a Nazi-style order on American soil. As the narrative moves into the 1950s and '60s, Ross describes the rise of the American Nazi Party under George Lincoln Rockwell, illustrating how hate groups capitalized on the anxieties of the Cold War and the Civil Rights movement.
For every villain, Ross celebrates a corresponding little-known hero or group, with leaders including Arnold Forster and George Mintzer, who understood that law enforcement was too preoccupied with "reds" to notice "Nazis." Ross demonstrates how the tactics of these early resistance networks--the use of surveillance, financial disruption, and public exposure--formed a blueprint for modern anti-hate advocacy. The narrative also champions the clandestine efforts of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the American Jewish Committee to infiltrate and dismantle these cells from within.
Ross concludes by bringing the secret war into the present day, leaving readers with a message that is as empowering as it is sobering: democracy is not a self-sustaining experiment. He warns that the tactics of hate have evolved--moving from smoke-filled meeting halls to encrypted digital forums--but the fundamental psychology remains the same. This book is a crucial read for historians, policy makers, and civil rights activists, but it is equally vital for any citizen concerned with polarized politics and civic abuses. Ross provides the historical literacy necessary to recognize old threats in new disguises, making The Secret War Against Hate an indispensable manual for safeguarding the future by understanding threats from the past. --Elizabeth DeNoma, executive editor, DeNoma Literary Services, Seattle, Wash.
Shelf Talker: The Secret War Against Hate provides an essential narrative that shows how unending the struggle against extremism must be to safeguard democracy.