... the superbly written Sisters in Hate...undermines many common assumptions about the far right ... While ruthless in her condemnation of racist ideology, she suggests how that ideology becomes inseparable from a person’s sense of herself, and presents a strong case that comprehending this is crucial if we are to battle white supremacy. Her focus on the lives of three very different women makes her book as readable as a good novel; skillfully combined with history and analysis, her subjects’ stories provide a better picture of the forces driving white backlash than several of the best sellers that attempted to do so in the wake of Trump’s election ... Darby draws on familiar studies in behavioral science that show the importance of repetition ... Darby writes that her years spent studying white nationalism have inclined her to pessimism, but her book ends on a hopeful note.
Darby exposes the important roles that women play—and have played throughout history—in movements based on white nationalism and white supremacy ... Journalist Darby...rounds out these stories by placing them in history, showing how white women have played significant parts in hate movements including Nazism and the KKK. This book is eye-opening and incredibly timely.
Along the way, the author carefully explains the supporting work of many other journalists and researchers and a wealth of right-wing lingo. Engaging, horrifying, and informative—Darby offers an important, fresh angle on the problems tearing our country apart.
