In the Light of You

by Nathan Singer

Angry 16 year old misfit Mikal Fanon has just joined a gang of Neo-Nazi skinheads for reasons that are not entirely clear to him. He is taken in by the leader of the gang, Richard, and the two become fast (and best) friends. Emboldened by his new-found sense of belonging, Mikal finds himself committing horrible acts of violence without a second thought. But two women threaten to tear his world apart - a gorgeous and passionate young Black activist on campus named Niani Shange, to whom Mikal finds himself hopelessly attracted, and Sherry Nicolas, Richard's new girlfriend who seems to be driving a wedge between the two young skinheads... Sherry Nicolas, awkward, shy, and away from home for the first time in her life, finds comfort in a brand new circle of friends and a handsome new boyfriend - the charming and charismatic Richard Lovecraft. Richard leads Sherry into a wild, thrilling, fast-paced lifestyle that is also dangerous and troubling…the violent "white power" underground. Though very much in love with Richard, Sherry finds herself increasingly fascinated by a group of young leftist radicals on campus lead by Niani Shange and her platonic best friend, the rather ghoulish and unstable Jack Curry. Sherry's (and Mikal's) attraction to these two radically opposite - yet eerily similar - forces threatens to throw fuel on an already smoldering fire, leading to a bloody and explosive end. Who will survive and who will be burned?

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult

238 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2008

Reviews

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a powerful story. I got this book as a free kindle book, so I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting myself into when I started reading it.

I couldn't put it down.

It disturbed me, it enraged me, it made me uncomfortable, it challenged me, it nauseated me...in short, it did all the things reading a book from the perspective of a "skin-head racialist" should do. The fact that this particular skin-head was a 16 year old child only made it more challenging to read. You couldn't help but feel sorry for the kid at the same time as you couldn't help being disgusted by him and his friends.

I wanted to put it down, I wanted to stop reading it, I wanted to not be a part of this world anymore...but I had to see it through, I had to hope for redemption, for something that would make it all worth something...(coincidentally, all of the things the protagonist himself was searching for).

In the end, I'm glad I stuck with it, it is a well written, thought provoking, incendiary, and ultimately, captivating coming of age tale, set in a world most of us would rather pretend does not exist...

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing story. I bought this as an ebook because it was on sale and I thought it seemed interesting. It was much deeper than I expected and a fascinating read (I finished it in a few days, which is a feat for me as I tend to be a slow reader). Well written with a few surprising twists, which is one reason why I don't want to say too much about the plot or characters. A book like this just needs to be experienced. My only gripe is the amount of typos in the middle of the book, but those were easy enough to get through. It's not an exposé on Aryan gangs, but rather a look at one man's journey to adulthood via the gang. And it proves to be a dark and interesting journey.

[Mindi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sure why I even bothered to finish this book. The main character reminded me of Holden Caulfield. I hate Holden Caulfield.

[Brian Roan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been an incredible look at the malaise and emptiness that brings one to and keeps one in a hate group. Instead it devolves into weird YA-type nonsense and the main characters never does one proactive or useful thing. Ultimately a massive disappointment.

[Logan Weisberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly engaging and rather depressing (in a good way). I understand why it is controversial.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Idk this just felt very surface level. Mikal is Holden Caulfield-esque, but where Catcher in the Rye is more linear, Mikal is looking back in time to tell the story, which cut down on the suspense and quite frankly, my interest.

[Melissa Kyeyune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, well, well.

Neo-nazis. White Power. 'Taking back the land'. Things that will make your eyes widen. I am writing this review from the Black side of things. (Please laugh). Basically, Mikal Fanon (inspired by the Black post-colonial, and oft-quoted Frantz Fanon? No? Okay.) is a young, marginalized and angry white guy who longs to fit in... somewhere. Fitting in is difficult because his poor family lives in the ghetto and he is surrounded by Black folks who are either violent and abusive towards him , or just don't understand.

All of this changes when he meets two members of a local Neo-Nazi gang. They take him under his wing, teach him to retort verbal attacks from Blacks (with equally disgusting racial remarks) and offer him solace from all that is wrong in his world. Lucky enough, this gang even has some hot 'white power' chicks so you could say Mikal's social and sexual awakening occurs once he joins this White Power brotherhood.

This 'racialist' (author's words) brotherhood is different because it despises any affiliation or comparison to the KKK, and they believe Hitler's ideologies stem from the simple fact that he wanted people to live in peace, away from people different from them. Segregation is a necessary evil that becomes less evil once you think about its benefits. Less 'bastard' mixed children, less conflict, less political correctness, and less accommodation of intrusive cultures.

Mikal is in moral Heaven. He is in a White Power gang not because he is evil and hates Blacks, but because he wants to help Blacks and Whites understand the benefits of segregation. A better life for all.

This perfect racialist utopia that Mikal has convinced himself of, is perfectly foiled when he lays his eyes on Niani Shingai, a local Black activist that everyone loves. He develops a very contradicting obsession with her and longs for her to acknowledge. When she finally does... let's just say, he blows it, as guys often do with their untouchable crushes.

I am not sure whether I would classify this as a novel condemning racism, a novel just placing us in the mind of a racist without condemning him as wrong(therefore eerie)... or whether it's a sad coming-of-age novel that shows us the conflicting attitudes of a young, racist teenage boy in love with a Black girl. I feel as if the novel tries to justify racial feelings as normal and as being a reaction to oppression or perceived oppression.

I feel the Black love interest was used to show the ludicrousness of harboring racial ideologies. They limit our 'acting upon' natural attractions to people of other races.

Overall, while I cringed at the racist references to Blacks (and Black women) in this book, I also understood that I would probably hear worse things directed at me, if I were, say, a detective locked in a room, interrogating a neo-nazi.

Read this book not for the glee or the romance (which is unrequited by the Black girl), but for the reality of how young neo-nazis justify their beliefs. You will come away either uncomfortable and angry that these thoughts even exist, or like me, you will appreciate the excellent writing, told from a disturbing first person perspective.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mikal Fanon is a 16 year old boy who feels he doesn’t fit in anyplace until he meets Richard Lovecraft. Richard is the leader of a gang of Neo-Nazi skinheads and Mikal soon joins the group. Mikal finally feels as though he fits in someplace. He becomes very close to Richard’s girl friend, Sherry Nicholas. The two young people are both
fascinated by Niani Shange a beautiful intelligent black activist on the local campus.

The book points out many of the problems young people are dealing with in today’s world. Since joining Richard’s group Mikal has committed acts of violence that he would have never dreamed of doing prior to becoming a group member.

This is a peek into a world foreign to a lot of people and a real eye-opener. Although a difficult book to read it is also a difficult book to put down. Some of the group survive and go on to lead productive lives but the memory of the group and the violence will always lurk someplace in their mind.

[Jordaline Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book surprised me. I expected it to be up front and in my face with the gritty, dirty parts of people but instead it was subtle. Almost beautiful how Mr singer crafted these characters. They have depth, and weren't cookie cutter. Yes, most of the characters were horrible, racist, sexist and fascist but it was honest. They felt the terrible hatred because that's what they were taught, or it was the only way to belong. This book had disgusting displays of what humans can and will do and I in no way condone or encourage nazis, rasicts, gangs, sexism,or any kind of discrimination. In the light of you isn't so much about those things though, I thought it was more a book about self discovery and forgiveness and the power of love, even if it be destructive. If you aren't one for vulgarity or taboo subjects, this isn't for you.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this, his third novel, Singer shows that he's not afraid to get his hands dirty to prove a point. The reader is forced into the head of an Aryan Warrior, a 17-year-old neo-nazi skinhead who falls in with an "army" of others like him. It is at times very difficult to read, as Singer pulls no punches on the language of hate, or on the details of violence. Above all, though, this book terrified me as I found myself identifying and sympathizing with some of the most abhorrently hateful characters in literature. The novel really delves into the thoughts and histories of these people, giving insight into how someone could fall into such a terrible situation.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amazing. It took me to a different place, but it was a place I didn't want to be. The way kids were polarized into their groups seemed very honest. The brutality that takes place within the group is beyond comprehension for me, but I don't doubt it. It's a subject everyone should understand but it's not a book for everyone, which is the only reason I gave it 4 instead of five stars. I found the ending to be honest and hopeful and it cleansed my mental palette of the bitterness from what came before.

[Jen Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a kid that gets drawn in and wrapped up in white-power skinhead culture when he is 17 years old. Well written. It's about white-power skinhead culture, and I wish it delved more into politics and how people can get wrapped up in it, though it kind of does that by showing one person's story. I wonder how many people will be interested in this? Or how believable it will seem to people who have had no exposure to skinhead culture (like, in some places was enough information given?)? Overall and interesting read and I'd pick up something else from this author.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark and desperate coming of age tale, the subject matter and language is not for the easily offended but also is incredibly necessary to create the provocative characters that bounce effortlessly between despicable and sympathetic. The reader is likely to squirm uncomfortably as you realize how common and familiar evil can be; how easily understandable actions can be even as we deem them unjustifiable...we all want to belong...
3 stars for writing and minor editing mistakes, 4 stars for character development and philosophical exploration.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books shows the journey of a teenage boy trying to find where he belongs. The story is chilling and raw. The dialog may be offensive to some, but helps one feel what his environment was like. His recollection of how he lived his life is frightening and makes one think about how scary the world can be. The end of the book gives one hope with the boy grown into a man and learning how to make sense of his life.

[J.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brutal, unflinching look at America's racist subculture, replete with sex, violence and jagged-edged punk rock. Nathan Singer does more than narrate the story of the rootless, disaffected kids drawn into the hate: he lets you hear the siren song that lures them to their doom.

Yeah, I blurbed it, and I meant every word.

[Pyari]

It was a good book about finding yourself, & how sometimes int he quest to find your own identity, you get sucked up by what you think you want to be. Its about outgrowing your friends & realizing that not all of you go in the same direction, & that the person you turn into can be very different than the person you started off being.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this at a library book sale on a whim but I figured for $2.00 I couldn't really lose. It took me a little while to get into it because it was so intense, fast-paced and raw. That ended up being what I loved most about the book. I thought it was a good look into how young people are recruited into hate groups, why they stay and how they get out (or don't).

[Rory Costello · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued when I read about the subject of this book, and Singer's portrait was incisive, with hard-hitting insights on the "scene." It's a portrait of a facet of America of which most people will be at best vaguely aware. I was somewhat surprised (and not entirely pleased) with the shift in tone toward the end, but this was still a very memorable story.

[Angélique (Angel) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense. Surprising at times. I read through it faster than I even realized. The emotions were so...tangible that I couldn't help but be drawn in. Great for psycho-analyzers like myself. Plus the ending was good.

[Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well written and approaches the subject of racism and the neo-nazi movement in a much different way than most books. Once you start reading it, you can't stop. I read this book in it's entirety on a Sunday. I highly recommend this book.

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing - one of those books that just kept begging me to read one more chapter again and again and again.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intense. It was a fairly ingrossing plot, although it was multi-layered and sometimes all the layers didn't seem to make a lot of sense.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story of an adolescent trying to find where he belongs, and dealing with a difficult subject. Very believable characters.

[Martha]

Also in Nook Archive.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking read. It transports you to a different reality and makes you think.

[Evan Persofsky · Rating 2 out of 5]

slow start but got entertaining towards the end. Took too long for me.