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sehmort's review
3.0
I read this book after listening to the author on NPR. I was torn between giving this book 3, 3.5 or 4 stars - while the book was a quick read I was hoping for more about the author getting out of the hate group. All but the last chapter and the epilogue are basically about his involvement in the hate group/rhetoric. Would have loved more intellectual depth as well; however all that being said I applaud his coming out and atoning for his past. The book is still moving and hopefully inspiring to others who are caught up in a similar life.
xleehyesunx's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
williamthekilpatrick's review
5.0
This was a distressing read. But I’m glad I read it. I can already tell this story will stick with me like only the best stories do, and I think that’s just about the best take away one can have from a biography such as this.
hrgisahero's review
3.0
Felt a little old school at this point, but nonetheless I appreciated the honesty with which the recollections were approached and didn’t shy away from the anger/hatred.
cvlitt's review
4.0
This was a really interesting look inside the mind of a skinhead (a movement that I was unaware started outside Chicago), and the movement's connection to the punk rock scene. I thought it was well written and showed how his life was completely altered by an ideology that he had no affiliation with until a short encounter when he was 14. Also what happened to his brother was sad.
vale_reads's review
4.0
White American Truth
A read of White American Youth is exceptionally uncomfortable, in a way that only thought provoking books can be. It makes the reader shift in their seat, look over their shoulder to make sure no one is watching them, and snap the book shut when their blood begins to boil. Admittedly, when taking these attributes of the book at face value, an unflattering picture of the literary merit of this book is created, an assessment that is grossly incorrect. A life of hate, as the one depicted in the book, is a burden to bear and, through his memoir, Christian Picciolini lures the reader in to bear this burden with him, a truly masterful feat. White American Youth provides a strikingly raw portrayal of the white supremacy movement, details the mentality of a conflicted youth, and serves as a warning against the toxicity and inescapable nature of living a life of hate through its masterful incorporation of character development.
The most notable aspect of Piccioloni’s memoir is the way in which the structure helps to further the narrative. White American Youth commences by portraying Christian as a young boy who fits very well into societal norms in regards to his beliefs. He is a young, Italian-American boy who despite being bullied for his Italian background holds no resentment in his heart, if anything all he wishes is to fit in. However, cracks in Christian's character began to form as his desire to fit in anywhere lead him to hanging out with teenagers involved in the white supremacy movement, “I followed Martell around and observed his mannerisms. His racial rhetoric sank in too,” (Picciolini, 48). This image of Christian, a young boy who can so easily succumb to hateful rhetoric, begins to warp the reader's perception on a character which they had followed for the entirety of the book up to this point. It makes the reader question everything they thought to be so about Christian, and this uncertainty which the reader feels towards Christian’s change in character is a direct reflection about Christian’s own feelings in regards to his own change. Picciolini continues this motif about instilling in the reader’s emotions which mimic the that of the character but vary in regards to what the emotion is a reaction to as he details the progression of his own change in character. Christian Picciolini states, “Was that because Blue Island was less safe now, I started to wonder, with other races moving in? My new bike had been stolen my black kids, after all, (48). This not only serves as a head-scratching moment for the readers; it also serves as one for Christian. When first confronted with racial rhetoric Christian used the fact that his bike was stolen by a black kid and that he held no ill feelings towards them as a way to dismiss the belief of blacks being inherently bad. However, just a couple of pages further into the narrative Christian uses this same situation as evidence to prove his racial rhetoric as correct. By using the same scenario to justify completely different ideals, Picciolini emphasizes to the reader just how drastically he has changed. This use of structure is nothing short of masterful and it serves as a marvelous starting point for Christian’s character development and his descent into the white supremacy movement.
At the forefront of the purpose of this novel lies the desire for Picciolini’s own experiences to serve as a warning tale of what a life of hate entails. Despite the memoir being told through the perspective of Christian while he was involved in the movement, the warning nature of the memoir still shines through as Picciolini uses precise diction and concrete character developments to convey his message in a way that makes the read quite an enjoyable one. When detailing the role of being a leader of the radical Skinhead movement Picciolini states,“People began to consider skinheads racial terrorists. In a way I liked the sound of the word terrorist. The power behind it. But people had it wrong. White-power skinheads were patriots, not terrorists. We were fighting battle other whites whispered about but were too complacent to take up,” (60). The way that Picciolini structures this passage illustrates the toxicity of the radical Skinhead movement. He begins by introducing a very puzzling idea and just two sentences later he rejects the same idea which he previously agreed with. This presentation of the character’s mentality solidifies Christian as a three-dimensional character who could serve as a stand in for any person on the street. The character crafted through just this one passage is just as complex as any person in the living flesh; he possesses core beliefs and contradicts his own thoughts, both which are key characteristics of human beings. Picciolini further elaborates on the toxicity and inescapable nature of the Skinhead movement as he details his own questioning of the morality of the moment. In chapter 21 he states, “Despite my growing reservations about the whole white-power movement, I found it very hard to let go. It had been my entire identity from the age of fourteen, and I still saved my role as a leader.”Once again, Christian’s character is plagued by contradictions. His emotions are palpable and the fear which he exhibits serves to humanize an inhuman character. This proves to be quite an enjoyable movement due to the reader finally beginning to see instances of the “old” Christian shine through his tough exterior. At this point in the story Christian's character arc begins to come full circle rights before the reader's eyes, and for this moment alone the entirety of the book is a must read.
Reading the life of a radical Skinhead is nothing short of uncomfortable, in fact it is gut wrenchingly so. But Christian Picciolini provides more than an uncomfortable read, he provides a read that paradoxes the human mind, he provides a book which analyzes human behavior, and which details one of the most beautiful character arcs I have had the pleasure of reading. Yes, this book is uncomfortable to read, the words he uses will make any reader flinch, the portrayal of his mentality will provide the audience with multiple head scratching moments, and the warning he needs are unyielding honest, but all of these are characteristics of the best books. At its core, this book is not exclusively about Piccolino's experience, but about the experiences of any troubled youth. Picture a teenager, perhaps sixteen, who is by no means violent, but through a series of dreadful decisions he becomes involved with a gang. Now picture any other situation which would entail a decent kid getting involved with the wrong group of people, picture the repercussions and you have yourself the foundational narrative of White American Youth, that is the true beauty of this book.
A read of White American Youth is exceptionally uncomfortable, in a way that only thought provoking books can be. It makes the reader shift in their seat, look over their shoulder to make sure no one is watching them, and snap the book shut when their blood begins to boil. Admittedly, when taking these attributes of the book at face value, an unflattering picture of the literary merit of this book is created, an assessment that is grossly incorrect. A life of hate, as the one depicted in the book, is a burden to bear and, through his memoir, Christian Picciolini lures the reader in to bear this burden with him, a truly masterful feat. White American Youth provides a strikingly raw portrayal of the white supremacy movement, details the mentality of a conflicted youth, and serves as a warning against the toxicity and inescapable nature of living a life of hate through its masterful incorporation of character development.
The most notable aspect of Piccioloni’s memoir is the way in which the structure helps to further the narrative. White American Youth commences by portraying Christian as a young boy who fits very well into societal norms in regards to his beliefs. He is a young, Italian-American boy who despite being bullied for his Italian background holds no resentment in his heart, if anything all he wishes is to fit in. However, cracks in Christian's character began to form as his desire to fit in anywhere lead him to hanging out with teenagers involved in the white supremacy movement, “I followed Martell around and observed his mannerisms. His racial rhetoric sank in too,” (Picciolini, 48). This image of Christian, a young boy who can so easily succumb to hateful rhetoric, begins to warp the reader's perception on a character which they had followed for the entirety of the book up to this point. It makes the reader question everything they thought to be so about Christian, and this uncertainty which the reader feels towards Christian’s change in character is a direct reflection about Christian’s own feelings in regards to his own change. Picciolini continues this motif about instilling in the reader’s emotions which mimic the that of the character but vary in regards to what the emotion is a reaction to as he details the progression of his own change in character. Christian Picciolini states, “Was that because Blue Island was less safe now, I started to wonder, with other races moving in? My new bike had been stolen my black kids, after all, (48). This not only serves as a head-scratching moment for the readers; it also serves as one for Christian. When first confronted with racial rhetoric Christian used the fact that his bike was stolen by a black kid and that he held no ill feelings towards them as a way to dismiss the belief of blacks being inherently bad. However, just a couple of pages further into the narrative Christian uses this same situation as evidence to prove his racial rhetoric as correct. By using the same scenario to justify completely different ideals, Picciolini emphasizes to the reader just how drastically he has changed. This use of structure is nothing short of masterful and it serves as a marvelous starting point for Christian’s character development and his descent into the white supremacy movement.
At the forefront of the purpose of this novel lies the desire for Picciolini’s own experiences to serve as a warning tale of what a life of hate entails. Despite the memoir being told through the perspective of Christian while he was involved in the movement, the warning nature of the memoir still shines through as Picciolini uses precise diction and concrete character developments to convey his message in a way that makes the read quite an enjoyable one. When detailing the role of being a leader of the radical Skinhead movement Picciolini states,“People began to consider skinheads racial terrorists. In a way I liked the sound of the word terrorist. The power behind it. But people had it wrong. White-power skinheads were patriots, not terrorists. We were fighting battle other whites whispered about but were too complacent to take up,” (60). The way that Picciolini structures this passage illustrates the toxicity of the radical Skinhead movement. He begins by introducing a very puzzling idea and just two sentences later he rejects the same idea which he previously agreed with. This presentation of the character’s mentality solidifies Christian as a three-dimensional character who could serve as a stand in for any person on the street. The character crafted through just this one passage is just as complex as any person in the living flesh; he possesses core beliefs and contradicts his own thoughts, both which are key characteristics of human beings. Picciolini further elaborates on the toxicity and inescapable nature of the Skinhead movement as he details his own questioning of the morality of the moment. In chapter 21 he states, “Despite my growing reservations about the whole white-power movement, I found it very hard to let go. It had been my entire identity from the age of fourteen, and I still saved my role as a leader.”Once again, Christian’s character is plagued by contradictions. His emotions are palpable and the fear which he exhibits serves to humanize an inhuman character. This proves to be quite an enjoyable movement due to the reader finally beginning to see instances of the “old” Christian shine through his tough exterior. At this point in the story Christian's character arc begins to come full circle rights before the reader's eyes, and for this moment alone the entirety of the book is a must read.
Reading the life of a radical Skinhead is nothing short of uncomfortable, in fact it is gut wrenchingly so. But Christian Picciolini provides more than an uncomfortable read, he provides a read that paradoxes the human mind, he provides a book which analyzes human behavior, and which details one of the most beautiful character arcs I have had the pleasure of reading. Yes, this book is uncomfortable to read, the words he uses will make any reader flinch, the portrayal of his mentality will provide the audience with multiple head scratching moments, and the warning he needs are unyielding honest, but all of these are characteristics of the best books. At its core, this book is not exclusively about Piccolino's experience, but about the experiences of any troubled youth. Picture a teenager, perhaps sixteen, who is by no means violent, but through a series of dreadful decisions he becomes involved with a gang. Now picture any other situation which would entail a decent kid getting involved with the wrong group of people, picture the repercussions and you have yourself the foundational narrative of White American Youth, that is the true beauty of this book.