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The Secret War Against Hate
American Resistance to Antisemitism and White Supremacy
The Secret War Against Hate
American Resistance to Antisemitism and White Supremacy
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Description
From the author of Pulitzer Prize finalist Hitler in Los Angeles, the definitive story of the intrepid activists and spies who fought against a resurgent movement of hate in America-a book that "should be read by every American who wants to know how courageous men and women can resist hatred." (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)
Americans today like to believe that the end of World War II brought a new era of tolerance in the United States. But antisemitism and racism went up-not down-after the war's end. Violence broke out in cities across the country, and the number of organized hate groups more than doubled from 1940 to 1946. In this shocking account of a resurgence of White Supremacy in America, celebrated historian Steven J. Ross reveals how four key leaders-Emory Burke, J. B. Stoner, James Madole, and George Lincoln Rockwell-worked together to “finish the job Hitler had begun,” launching deadly attacks on Jews and African Americans and building a network of terrorists across the U.S. In response to this “war of hate,” three men-Arnold Forster of the Anti-Defamation League, George Mintzer of the American Jewish Committee, and James Sheldon of the Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League-along with dozens of men and women, launched a multipronged effort: They infiltrated, monitored, and undermined these hate groups, putting their own safety on the line and scoring important victories that, today, have been all but forgotten.
Tracing the extraordinary work of these unsung heroes, The Secret War Against Hate provides a groundbreaking reconsideration of the legacy of the “Good War,” and essential reading on how America today can beat hate once again and build a just and united nation.
Product details
| Published | 28 Apr 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 416 |
| ISBN | 9781635578010 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Publishing |
| Illustrations | b&w images throughout |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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Richly researched, impressively annotated, burningly bright . . . this book takes readers through familiar times and places with fresh research and a vivid narrative style . . . Personality and media strode hand in hand then, much as now, and Ross alerts us to the deep and ugly history behind today's trolls and truants . . . This book should be read by every American who wants to know how courageous men and women can resist hatred.
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
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Well-researched and at times shocking . . . Ross weaves the timelines of these figures together in an easy-to-follow way, showing how they gained power but also highlighting the people and organizations who actively fought against them in public and in spy rings, who each had their own motivations for resisting fascism. Readers will get sucked into the story and want to know what happens next . . . An excellent 'hidden history' book that gives additional context to modern political movements.
Library Journal, starred review
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Ross's work is utterly immersive in its sweeping, decades-long tracing of how some Americans have resisted the contagion of hate . . . [The Secret War Against Hate is] vital for any citizen concerned with polarized politics and civic abuses . . . an indispensable manual for safeguarding the future by understanding threats from the past.
Shelf Awareness, starred review
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At a time of renewed interest in America's previous fights with fascism, no one has done more than Steven J. Ross to unearth the epic conflicts and characters at the heart of that history. In The Secret War Against Hate, Ross has found a startling new chapter of our history, surfacing villains worthy of any Hollywood horror franchise, and intrepid heroes whose exploits could be written into a national anthem. This book will be taught and read for decades; the more we learn from it, the stronger we will be for the fights ahead, and for the fights already at hand. A brilliant history, a brilliant story. Bravo
Rachel Maddow, New York Times bestselling author of PREQUEL
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Fascinating . . . Ross observes that movements and leaders come and go, but ideas persist. Even ideas as thoroughly debunked as white supremacy, or that America was always intended to be a country for whites alone, remain as emotionally and politically charged today as they were immediately after World War II.
California Review of Books
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With power and deep insight, Steven Ross has given us the harrowing story of postwar domestic fascism-dripping with racism and antisemitism-and the determined organizations and people who sought to expose its ambitions and defeat it. Eye-opening in content, The Secret War Against Hate is a must-read for anyone interested in the roots of today's radical right and the prospects for resistance to it.
Steven Hahn, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A NATION UNDER OUR FEET and ILLIBERAL AMERICA

























