Jett Joan - White American youth: my descent into Americas most violent hate movement -- and how I got out

Christian Picciolinis White American Youth is a raw and honest memoir of his life as a leading activist and white power singer in the early American neo-Nazi skinhead movement. A cautionary tale about how even a smart kid from a stable home can get pulled into a world of violence and hate, it is as much a redemptive story of his journey out of that world and into a new life as co-founder of Life After Hate, an important anti-racist organization.

MARK POTOK, former senior fellow, Southern Poverty Law Center

Fascinating and timely written with first-hand knowledge and authority White American Youth not only tells Christian Picciolinis gripping story, but is filled with rare insights that put todays rise of white nationalism in perspective.

ALI SOUFAN, former FBI special agent, New York Times bestselling author of The Black Banners

Christians journey exemplifies how hate and violence are unsustainable, and tolerance, forgiveness, and love are the only way forward. If Christian can change, there is hope for all humankinda compelling and extraordinary story.

JANE ROSENTHAL, co-founder, Tribeca Film Festival

White American Youth takes the reader into the depths of the hate movement and sheds a valuable light on the mind-set of those who can be lured into this dark world. Christians astonishing change of heart is a testament to our endless capacity for personal transformation.

LONNIE NASATIR, regional director, Anti-Defamation League

White American Youth is a very hard book to put down. Though the tale often takes the reader into disturbing territory, the storytellers voice is filled with a beautiful, unwavering honesty. There have been countless sociological texts and documentaries devoted to the exploration of American neo-Nazi skinhead culture, but this book starts at the very beginning. Christian Picciolini was one of the first foot soldiers (and eventual leaders) of that movement, and though he has long since renounced those racist beliefs, there is a riveting emotional immediacy to his depiction of the process and mind-set that led him down the white power path. The issues and events dominating todays headlines are reminders that the roots White American Youth exposes are eminently germane. This memoir is not, however, merely a one-of-a-kind historical account. It is, first and foremost, the story of a human being who looks back on his earlier self with shock and horror, but it is told from the vantage point of one who refused to let his past define him. Though he will be forever haunted by deeds he cannot change, he lives with the joy of one who now understands the preciousness of every lifeincluding his own.

DON DE GRAZIA, author of American Skin

Like a skinhead Goodfellas, White American Youth takes us along on a young mans journey to the dark heart of a distasteful organization, somehow making the narrators descent every bit as understandable and compellingand all the more tragic. Its a powerful and moving memoir that brought tears to my eyes.

GERALD BRENNAN, author of Resistance, Zero Phase, and Public Loneliness

White American Youth is a coming-of-age story about a relatively average all-American kid who finds himself at the center of organized hate. Christian Picciolinis memoir underscores how the search for universal needs such as identity, excitement, and belonging can influence adolescents to embrace extremism. Maybe most important, Picciolinis transformation from hatemonger to compassion advocate is an essential reminder of the human capacity for change and redemption.

PETE SIMI, author of American Swastika

If its disturbingly easy to embrace the white power ideology, its not as easy to leave behind. Christians experiences in White American Youth will shock you, but its his escape and transformation that will inspire. His honest, often brutal memoir charts a journey from hopelessness to redemption. A profoundly important book, and a riveting read.

JOHN HORGAN, author of The Psychology of Terrorism

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of geniusand a lot of courageto move in the opposite direction.

E. F. Schumacher, Small Is Beautiful

Christian Picciolini and Joan Jett, 1996