The Cure For Hate: A Former White Supremacist's Journey from Violent Extremism to Radical Compassion

(Paperback)

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A powerful and deeply personal book about the roots of racism, and what can be done to eradicate it.

The Cure for Hate paints a very human picture of a young man who craved attention, acceptance, and approval and the dark place he would go to get it. Tony McAleer found an outlet for his teenage rage in the street violence of the skinhead scene. He then grew deeply involved in the White Aryan Resistance. After fifteen years in the movement, it was the outpouring of love he felt at the birth of his children that inspired him to start questioning his hateful beliefs. Thus began the spiritual journey of transformation that enabled him to disengage from the highest levels of the white power movement.

This incisive book breaks commonly held stereotypes and delivers valuable insights into how regular people are drawn to violent extremism, how the ideology takes hold, and the best ways to help someone leave hate behind. In his candid and introspective memoir, Tony shares his perspective gleaned from over a thousand hours of therapy, group work, and facilitating change in others that reveals the deeper psychological causes behind racism. At a period in history when instances of racial violence are on the upswing, The Cure for Hate demonstrates that in a society frighteningly divided by hate and in need of healing, perhaps atonement, forgiveness, and most importantly, radical compassion is the cure.

Reviews

Tony McAleer is a very brave man. In this book, he shares his journey of healing from hate, and offers the rest of us a radical vision of compassion for both self and others. --Michael Kimmel, author of Healing from Hate: How Young Men Get into--and Out of--Violent Extremism

Tony McAleer's The Cure for Hate is a profound examination of how an affluent and privileged young person can become a leader in a movement completely contrary to his upbringing. More importantly, McAleer's story provides the pathway back from hatred and a road map for saving those who are still mired in the white supremacist movement. Given that more and more young white men find themselves pulled into the world of hate, this book is a must-read for those of us concerned with tackling rising white supremacy in the Western world. --Heidi Beirich, director, Intelligence Project, Southern Poverty Law Center

In an age when it's become easier than ever to fear, loathe, and dismiss the 'other, ' Tony's story is a much-needed ray of hope. Tony graciously, honestly teaches us that although hatred buries empathy, it does not kill it -- and that even people who seem totally lost are human beings underneath, capable of redemption and compassion. --Jamil Zaki, author of The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World

In the post-Charlottesville world, McAleer's story and call to action is the right book for these difficult times. -New York Journal of Books

Author Bio

Tony McAleer is an international speaker, change maker, and father of two. As co-founder of the nonprofit organization Life After Hate, he has made it his mission to help people leave hate groups.