Starred Review.
In this profound memoir, reformed skinhead Meeink, with assistance from academic and activist Roy (Love to Hate: America's Obsession with Hatred and Violence), recounts his former life as a Neo-Nazi. Told with passion and clarity, Meeink's story begins with neglectful parents and an abusive, junkie stepfather, who sowed the anger and hatred that would make him a prime candidate for the Neo-Nazi movement that exploded in Philadelphia through the late 1980s and '90s. Before long, Meeink's mutual embrace with the National Alliance led him to his own gang of recruits and a (largely random) "holy war" that would end up haunting him: "How many of my victims had wished for death while I brutalized them?" In federal prison at age 17, surrounded by cons of all races and creeds, Meeink first began to question what he'd been taught about the "elite" Aryan race; the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing would complete his transformation, leading him to seek out the feds for confession. A brutal tour of modern American racism at its worst, a case study of traumatized youth and drug addiction, and a stark reminder of the human capacity for redemption, Meeink and Roy's account is a shocking but ultimately reaffirming read.
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"In this profound memoir… a brutal tour of modern American racism at its worst, a case study of traumatized youth and drug addiction, and a stark reminder of the human capacity for redemption, Meeink and Roy’s account is a shocking but ultimately reaffirming read."—Publishers Weekly Starred Review
"A ‘Recovering Skinhead’ On Leaving Hatred Behind. As a teenager, Frank Meeink was one of the most well-known skinhead gang members in the country. He had his own public access talk show, called The Reich, he appeared on Nightline and other media outlets as a spokesman for neo-Nazi topics, and he regularly recruited members of his South Philadelphia neighborhood to join his skinhead gang."—FRESH AIR: NPR
"Frank Meeink’s book is a candid and captivating story of upbeat transformation of a raw racist into a courageous citizen which has much to teach all of us. Don’t miss it!"—Cornel West, Professor, African American Studies, Princeton University
"Frank Meeink’s story is inspiring, compelling, and moving. It has the power to change lives. We should all be grateful to him for sharing it."—Morris Dees, Founder and Chief Trial Counsel, Southern Poverty Law Center
"Powerful, absorbing, stunning and sobering, this book is an unvarnished, revealing, sad, and painful portrayal of a struggle that continues, and of a tortured but hopeful soul striving to do good."—Barry Morrison, Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League
"Frank Meeink’s life story is a window into a world where hatred works like a drug. It is a compelling and cautionary tale."—Kenneth Stern, Director on Antisemitism and Extremism, American Jewish Committee
"Frank’s transformation provides us commanding proof that reconciliation is possible even for those most tightly bound by hatred."—JEsse Dylan, Director of the Obama campaign’s Yes We Can video and the documentary Reconciliation
"As a white man to stand in solidarity with folks of color in the struggle against racism, I am heartened by Frank Meeink’s story. His narrative confirms that we as white folks have a choice when it comes to how we wish to live in this skin. We can remain silent, or even collaborate with the subordination of peoples of color, or we can become allies in the fight for justice. Meeink has made his choice. May we all have the courage and fortitude to do the same. Nothing less than the fate of our nation depends on it."—Tim Wise, Author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son
"Meet Frank Meeink – he knows the truth."—Elizabeth Wurtzel, Author of Prozac Nation
"Frank Meeink tells how he was drawn into America’s Nazi underground and how he ultimately triumphed over drugs and hatred.In Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead he talks about what made him easy prey for skinhead gang recruiters, how, by 16, he had become one of the most notorious skinhead gang leaders on the East Coast, and how he defected from the white supremacy movement and changed his life."—The Leonard Lopate Show
"If you look at Frank Meeink’s resume today - author, speaker, founder of an outreach program for kids - you wouldn’t suspect that he used to be a Neo-Nazi Skinhead. But that was Frank’s life when he was a teen. It took prison and being locked up with men of different colors to change Frank’s views on things. Join us for a special look into the life of one "Recovering Skinhead.""—Nevada Public Radio:NPR Member Station
"Former neo-Nazi: ‘Racist music is what keeps the movement young’ Chris Matthews talks to Frank Meeink, a former neo-Nazi and self-described “former skinhead,” about the white supremacy culture and how it may have influenced Wade Michael Page, the alleged shooter who gunned down a Sikh temple this past weekend."—Hard Ball With Chris Matthews
"Live from Prairie Lights - Frank Meeink, introduced by Paul Ingram, will read from Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead, a raw telling of his descent into America’s Nazi underground and his ultimate triumph over drugs and hatred. A violent childhood in South Philadelphia primed him to hate. By age 16 he had become one of the most notorious skinhead gang leaders on the East Coast and by 18 was doing hard time. The story of Meeink’s downfall and redemption has the power to open hearts and change lives."—Prairie Lights Books & Cafe
"From Hatred To Harmony: A Conversation With A Former Skinhead. When Frank Meeink was 16 years old, he had a shaved head and a large tattoo of a swastika on his neck. He used to recruit teenagers to the skinhead movement. Now he teaches teenagers about peace and forgiveness. Frank Meeink has written a book about his journey called Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead"—KUOW: NPR Member Station
"Former neo-Nazi’s story offers profound lesson in Trump era."—Lisa Falkenberg, Houston Chronicle
"Frank Meeink, A Recovering Skinhead on Leaving Hatred Behind. Now a noted speaker, author and founder of Harmony Through Hockey, Frank’s life stands for tolerance, diversity and mutual understanding in racial, political and all aspects of society. Frank is truly an inspiration in any time of strife and conflict."—Newchurch Live
"Frank Meeink’s story is so brutal, so visceral, so unflinching, and in the end, so soul-wrenchingly, specifically American, that it should from this moment on be required reading for anyone who wants to understand the origin of race hatred in these United States of America. Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead stands out as more than a great memoir. It is testament to a great heart, to a man willing to own up to his own violent past and, ultimately, shine a light of hope on this sick, pigment-fixated, demented nation we inhabit. The writing is phenomenal and Meeink’s tale will keep you riveted. In the end, like all true testaments, what the author has to offer is hard-earned, down-to-the-bone hope. I loved this book."—Jerry Stahl, author of Pain Killers and Permanent Midnight
"I was unable to put this book down. Frank’s story pulled me in to the point I felt I was living it with him, like I was skating alongside him as he overcame the odds and changed his life and, along the way, proved how hockey and other sports can change other kids’ lives, too."—Bobby Ryan, Forward for the Snaheim Ducks
"The book’s lasting impression is of the brutality of Meeink’s earlier incarnation, and one wonders if those drawn to white supremacy and hatred could take any lessons from it before their beliefs come to harm others."—Caleb Powell, The Rumpus
"Frank Meeink is the real deal! Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead will captivate you and open your eyes to the struggles of racism. His story is a lesson for everyone."—Gustavo Alvarez, author of Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stories from Behind Bars
Meeink, a south Philadelphia child of an alcoholic father and drug-dealing mother, spent over a dozen years as a minor celebrity among the neo-Nazi-skinhead fraternity. At various times he was actively addicted to alcohol, prescription narcotics, and heroin, but at its core Meeink's graphic narrative documents the relative ease through which he reached sobriety from his addiction to hatred and blinding, ultraviolent rage, most decisively by means of playing football with blacks and Latinos in prison. He writes of using his love of sports to found and run an ice hockey program (sponsored by the Philadelphia Flyers and Anti-Defamation League) that brings together youth across racial lines. Meeink's multiple addictions coexist with his multiple recoveries. Even as he builds a career as an inspirational speaker against White Power violence, he is descending into full-blown junkie status. Those familiar with 12-step programs will recognize themes in Meeink's experience: the secret life, extended abstinences, spectacular relapses. The book ends hopefully, with Meeink finishing his story—undertaken, incidentally, as his "fourth step" moral inventory—roughly one-year sober. VERDICT For those inspired by redemption, this quick-paced, sometimes nasty memoir will uplift.—Scott H. Silverman, Earlham Coll. Lib., Richmond, IN
