Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead

by Frank Meeink, Jody M. Roy, Elizabeth Wurtzel (Introduction)

Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead is Frank Meeink’s raw telling of his descent into America’s Nazi underground and his ultimate triumph over drugs and hatred. Frank’s violent childhood in South Philadelphia primed him to hate, while addiction made him easy prey for a small group of skinhead gang recruiters. By 16 he had become one of the most notorious skinhead gang leaders on the East Coast and by 18 he was doing hard time. Teamed up with African-American players in a prison football league, Frank learned to question his hatred, and after being paroled he defected from the white supremacy movement and began speaking on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League. A story of fighting the demons of hatred and addiction, Frank's downfall and ultimate redemption has the power to open hearts and change lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Autobiography, Race, Biography Memoir, Psychology

316 pages, Paperback

First published March 16, 2010

Reviews

[Dc Burney · Rating 5 out of 5]

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A RECOVERING SKINHEAD
By Frank Meeink

I’ve recently read Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead, by Frank Meeink. Frank is born out of a pretty lowlife family and never faced his life as it was. He was always high or taking his hate out on other people as a skinhead. He always tried to be better, but only ever replaced a bad situation with a worse or equally bad one.
Frank was immediately born into a bad situation. Living in a fairly bad neighborhood, with his parents both drug addicts, you think that his life couldn’t get worse, but it slowly escalates to being so much worse, that his beginning situation seems like nothing.
Frank’s life really starts to go from bad to worse when Frank meets a group of skinheads. When Frank first becomes a skinhead, it’s less because of his hate, but more because he likes the rest of the skinhead gang, and wants to be with them. Later on, he gets caught up in hate and believes about everything his gang tells him. He beats people up because he believes the other skinheads that the people he is discriminating want to do bad to him, and are bad people. Later on he recruits other skinheads, and tells the lies and hate that others told to him to himself and others.
When he goes to jail, Frank goes through a conversion and when he is released, he is no longer the person that he was when he entered. At this point of the book, both the reader and Frank think that he is recovered. He only faces how horrible of a person he was. Very soon he starts taking an insane amount of very strong drugs. He is almost constantly on some sort of drug, so he didn’t have to face what his life had been like. As he was going through this drug phase, he hurt himself, and other people, who loved him. He still kept himself on drugs so he didn’t have to face this fact either. He went to rehab several times but still managed to get drugs in every rehab he went to. Writing the book was what I think really turned around Frank’s life. It was the first time he really looked at his life as a whole and admitted all of the horrors he did to himself and others and thought about his motivations.
I’m not at all a big fan of biographies, and have only read about two cover to cover including this and this is the first I’ve enjoyed. I heard Frank Meeink speak first on the BBC news radio station (which I hate almost as much as biographies). I haven’t really read a biography before with an open mind and given it a chance, but I didn’t really even have to think about giving this book a chance. As soon as I saw him speak, I planned to go to Barnes and Noble to buy his book. I didn’t think about how boring biographies are, or why I liked the book so much. I just read the book and loved it. I seriously recommend this book to everyone (not too young I guess). It makes you realize how important it is to face who you are as a person and could easily change many people’s lives. Frank Meeink went through so much as a person and knows so much as well. I would rate this book a solid ten out of ten.

[stormhawk · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found out about this book thanks to Michael Smerconish. I caught the tail-end of an interview on his show earlier this week and downloaded the book through the magic of Kindle while I walked across the parking lot into my office.

One thing I worry about with this book ... I think I'm hearing the voice of his co-writer rather than Frank, himself. Despite the book being peppered with references to cheesesteaks and the well-known Philly-pronoun, "Youse," Jody Roy's Ph.D. is painted across each page. There's an extensive interview following the close of the book in which both she and Frank promise that absolutely everything is true and has been researched and cross-checked as best they can.

But there are things that don't hang right. Maybe I'd feel better about all of this if I could dredge up ANYTHING online about Mr. Meeink that isn't directly related to his book. (okay, there are a couple of things, but no copies of the Public Access TV show videos, for example, which I would expect to be an easy find)

Let's just say that I have insider knowledge about how certain things work ... nuthouses and drug treatment admissions, for example. Perhaps things were changed for tale-telling expediency, but that first psych admission? Where Frankie's mom "signs him in?" She can't. Not in Pennsylvania after he turned 14, anyway. And she couldn't have been the one to write commitment papers, either.

Pardon me also, for doubting the nuthouse escape ... Crazy Cates must have had suicides dropping like flies out of those breakable 2nd story windows ... and the skinhead who threw a brick into the window must have been Thor himself ... ever try to throw a brick 20 feet straight? Up fights against gravity, people.

And that first night-time call to Charter-Fairmount? That doesn't work that way either. I've spent a lot of time on the phone with those folks, and they don't make ticky-tappy typing noises when you speak to them. They have pens and papers. Dramatic effect, I guess ... that must be it. I expect that being an itinerant furniture mover and part-time drug dealer doesn't come with insurance benefits. There's a process involved in getting substance abuse treatment funded by Philadelphia, it's not interesting, it's not a sexy read, and it's not fast.

And I don't ever remember seeing skinheads (or SHARPs, for that matter) down on South Street. Maybe I was going on their night off?

Yeah, this is some picayune nonsense when you consider the rest of the book, but it still bothers me. Frank opens his life to the reader with none of the rough edges polished, sanded, or softballed. Blood flows through the pages, the kind of bonds and ties of family, as well as the blood of beat-downs. That part of the book is likely to be hard to read for a lot of people.

I guess this kind of book is more about the good it will do, right?

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not have enough words to express what feelings this book gave to me. This book gave me an entirely different perspective of drug abuse, family turmoil, and hate groups I never thought I could have. With reading the extended edition it brought tears to my eyes. The life that Frank has survived. He may have slips in his life, but I pray to God he never gives up. Because his story is touching people I believe he never thought would. Thank you Frank for teaching me a part of empathy and compassion I never thought was available within myself.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

First the positive: This book gives a fair bit of insight into the sad circumstances that foster and cultivate hatred in recent times (and, actually, across all time, as those circumstances are not at all limited to recent decades). This book also provides hope, showing how the right exposure to the right kind of guidance, friendship, responsibility, or love can overcome that hatred (and, also teaches a huge lesson, showing how the actions of even one person—the Jewish employer, in this case—can represent his entire race in changing someone’s opinion). Finally, this book is simply a profound story of someone who tries hard to change his life—and is clearly still trying, even as the book is being written and published. It’s the story of someone who, despite his weaknesses in so many other areas, found inner strength to not only overcome a powerful inner violence, but to use his lessons to awaken and educate others.

As for the negative: although written together with Dr. Roy, it apparently still needed yet another co-author; I found the style of writing to be overly basic, and at times annoyingly repetitious (for example: “if X was bad, Y was evil”… “if X was tough, Y was brutal”… phrases like that cropping up again and again to show just how much worse each successive character was). Also, I felt that it could have gone a bit deeper into the skinhead movement in general, and not just his own personal saga (although, I *do* realize that this is a memoir, and not an expose, per se). In any case, had the text been cleaned up a bit, and tightened up, I might even have given this book that last point in rating it. But, nonetheless, it was a quick and enlightening book.

[Nona Carrasco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely hard read, especially if you have any history that is touched on within the pages of this book. When I began reading it I could only make it through a few pages at a time then I'd put it down, picking it up days or weeks later.
However to set the mind on having such courage to read something that took courage to have written I felt was the least I could do...

The simple fact was that I met him quite randomly through friends while he was here in Portland, and running into him the next day we got to talking about Philly and such then I learned about his book. Spent the afternoon with him and my friends while he patiently let me ask all the questions I felt compelled to ask him which may have been imposing but he never flinched even once. He was very gracious actually, and spoke of his family back home with great passion as well as took a genuine interest in my own interests.

Then to begin reading the book weeks later, well, needless to say the thoughts came... The familiar earlier years, different yet the same, the "Oh my god he was at my house", "He was in my car" that came later, and I had to remind myself that I already saw a glimpse of the happier ending so to set my mind to reading cover to cover was not only important to me, but something I at least owed to him.
Very glad I did.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty fantastic autobiography of Frank Meeink, who was one of the most racist, and notoriously violent people involved with Aryan Nations and other hate organizations on the east coast between 1980-2000. It has become a pretty popular read due to the fact that Mr. Meeink is completely forthcoming with all of the brutal crimes he has committed, and describes his drug use as vividly as his memory allows him. Also, he doesn't write with a tone suggesting that he's using it as an apology toward the people who he's hurt over the decades, though he did describe many efforts he's undertaken to try to make amends. Instead of being an apology, this book is an introspective look at what environmental and potentially biological factors led him into such deplorable situations. I really found it fascinating, though I still find myself wanting more information about how he has dealt with his frequent relapses as time went on, and more info on the "why's" of his hatred - like what thoughts did he have that made him hate various groups so much. Clearly a lot of what was Aryan Nation indoctrination, I just found myself curious about what he was really thinking during his adolescence in addition to what he was do-ing. Regardless, the book is very insightful.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If goodreads had 4.5 stars I would give that. Very shocking and disturbing but a great read where I'd grab the book any free moment I had. It's almost several stories..Frank's extremely terrible childhood, even worse teenage years which led to neo-nazi years and later severe drug addiction. There wasn't one specific event that led Frank to become a hateful person nor a specific event that made him realize how stupid and nonsensical racisim is. Very well written and informative book! (again though, lots of shocking and disturbing parts).

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Meeink and Jody M. Roy tell of Meeink’s story childhood spent raised by alcoholics and drug addicts on the low-end of the working class spectrum in Philadelphia. Despite loving extended family, no one protects Meeink from savage beatings from his stepfather, the emotional abuse and indifference from both his mother and father, and the constant fear he lives in as he bounces around low-performing, dangerous elementary and middle schools. An all too brief childhood filled with severe violence and neglect made him an easy target for recruitment when he visits his cousin in rural Pennsylvania. Older neo-Nazi teens are interested in his development and protection, something he hasn’t regularly experienced in his life. They act as mentors, friends, and a de facto family as they indoctrinate him into the movement.

Upon his return to Philadelphia at 14, Frank becomes, for the first time in his life, a leader, a strategist, an entrepreneur, and an absolutely feared person as the head of the local neo-Nazi movement. Meeink takes the reader on a horrifying journey of rage and hate, allowing a look behind the curtain into how a virtually homeless teen boy finds a sense of family in a group created around a twisted ideology of white identify. The book provides fascinating details about The Movement – everything from fashion to regional differences in organizing. Meeink does not censor the rage and alcohol-fueled actions he committed for years as the leader of Strike Force, a gang of neo-Nazi teams he created and led. In fact, he recounts the pride he felt when a neo-Nazi leader, freshly released from prison, joins Meeink and his friends in savagely beating homosexuals outside of a bar. “Shoulder to should with my comrades, back up against the wall, awaiting my first trip to juvie in the glow of Scott Windham’s approving smile, I felt proud, truly proud, for the first time.”

Eventually, Meeink’s actions in Philadelphia finally force him flee (with the help of a neo-Nazi mentor) to the Midwest, where he descends further into violence and madness. After brutally kidnapping and torturing a member of his new group of recruits, or freshcuts, Meeink lands in prison. As he headed to prison Meeink was a leader in the young neo-Nazi movement, an alcoholic, and soon-to-be father. He was 17.

His innate street smarts and his role as a neo-Nazi leader outside prison walls ensured he survived and, in many ways, flourished during his time in prison. But the neo-Nazis who protected him inside and revered him outside couldn’t foresee the epiphany he would have behind bars that would ultimately lead to his redemption. During his time in prison Meeink ends up playing football with Vice Lords and becoming close friends with two African American teen prisoners. They commiserate, like teens everywhere, about what their girlfriends are doing when they aren’t around, and helping each other decode secret messages of infidelity in letters and phone calls home. For the first time ever, Meeink lives with the “mud” he had been indoctrinated to hate and the holes in the neo-Nazi ideology he had held so dear become quickly apparent to the middle school dropout.

Of course, it’s not that easy to walk away from the only life Meeink has known. Upon his return to Philly, Meeink reunites with the Strike Force, but he’s not the only one who has changed. Friends and family have died, become strung out on drugs, or left the Movement. Meeink quickly turns to drugs and returns to drinking to numb his confusion and rage. He can’t live as a leader in a movement he doesn’t believe in anymore and his day of reckoning is violent and appalling, giving him another excuse to lose himself in drugs and alcohol.

Meeink’s ideological redemption ran parallel to his descent into drug addiction and alcoholism. As he found meaning in his work with the Anti-Defamation League, telling the truth about his actions as a neo-Nazi, he becomes an even bigger liar as he spends days shooting up and stealing Oxycontin from his mother. Just as it did with the neo-Nazis, Meeink faces a day of reckoning with his drug and alcohol use that is violent and heartbreaking.

[Bant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book where the star rating doesn't matter much.
It could be a 5 star book in places, some it could be a 4 and some a 3.
It's not inconsistent. In fact, it's anything but. The style walks a straight line, the voice never feels dishonest. It's very "just the facts." It doesn't ever feel dry or emotionless though.
See, I am having a hard time with this book.
Let's start here.
Frank Meeink had a rough childhood. His parents had him young, and after they split his father signed him away (sort of.) Neither of his parents ever really took the time to raise him. Both chose drugs and alcohol, and his mother chose an abusive stepfather. His extended family were much more caring and loving, including his grandparents on his father's side who were there for him through thick and thin. Never really having proper, or consistent role models, combined with his violent upbringing in South Philly could have been contributors to his quick and easy intoxication with the Skinhead/Neo-Nazi movement. Meeink tells his unflinching story of how he got into the movement, how deep he drifted, and how he got out.

It's a stirring story, powerful in imagery. It's easy to see how Meeink fell in with this crowd, he was looking for something to believe in, not to mention he was young and impressionable. It also makes sense how he fell out of it so "easily." But I also like how this story doesn't give easy answers or easy escapes. Meeink realizes he doesn't believe in the Nazi propaganda long before he actually changes. He struggles with addiction. He even has trouble fully investing in the skinhead lifestyle right off the bat. He's human and he's imperfect. It makes him a flawed human that is easy to empathize with, even throughout the worst of situations (and there are some bad, graphic situations here.)

I heard someone say they felt uncomfortable that Meeink doesn't seem more apologetic or remorseful throughout his narrative. However, that is something I actually liked. He isn't begging for sympathy, or looking for excuses, or even trying to use this book as a blanket apology. No, I think he would feel all of those things would be a cop-out. I think he understands he did horrible things that he can never really apologize for. He doesn't want our sympathy, he wants our horror. He knows he was a horrible person, and admits it is still a struggle for him. He doesn't want to be let off the hook so easily. Maybe that makes it sound like he is leading us through his masochistic walk of shame, but he isn't. It's a solid story that can be eye-opening, tear-jerking, horrifying and more.

So what's my problem?

Repetition. At a certain point I started to wonder if Meeink's story was hard to read because the subject matter is hard to read about, or if it could have been streamlined a little better. I began to think it was the latter. Jody M. Roy, who Meeink told his story to, could have picked the most effective bits, or they could have worked with an editor. I don't know. There are just parts that were so effective, and parts that felt redundant. I think some of the redundancy is necessary to show Meeink as imperfect, but I think some is just repetitive and cut have been cut.

See, I'm still on the fence. I highly recommended this book, without reservation even. Just some things didn't sit right with me. I'll mull it over some more.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like million little pieces but the co-author has gone to the lengths to verify most of the facts. Pretty powerful story thou Meeink is constantly trying to one up himself with new descriptions of exploits and wreckage. A fast read and short so definitely worth the time. Just not a great book because it's just his story and he doesn't even get to the point of realizing he's still enamored with his past life.
There is a lack of any real deep regret and he portrays an overhanging sense that he was actually really proud of being such a bad-ass.

It's not that I am questioning the accuracy of the events, in as much as I'm just astonished that Meeink is seen as reformed when I don't get that from his book. The drug recovery is one thing, but his movement from being a skinhead seemed to be as much of change in life situation than revelation.

He talked about the Jewish man who gave him the job and the two black friends in jail, but he only briefly skimmed over what it meant that his life for 10 or 15 years was built on a set of lies. I thought it was good, but not important as much because of the lack of real change talk in the book. He talked as much about enjoying getting high as he talked about the efforts to stay clean and talked more about beating people up than about how he tried to become a responsible father. It was fun to hear all about Philly though and from such a recent time period.

[Jackie Bouchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard this guy talking about his life on NPR so was interested to read his story. It's sometimes pretty raw and tough to read, but it helps you understand how some people can become part of a hate-group, and, better still, shows that there's hope for them to eventually realize their stupidity and change their ways. It's a frustrating story at times because of his addiction issues - you just want to shake him, as I'm sure his love ones also wanted to. Overall, it's a story of hope and a pretty gripping read.

[Pamela Huxtable · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was difficult for me to get past Meeink's monumentally sized ego in this graphic, nothing held back memoir. Part of me feels that Meeink is still in some way boasting about his extreme drug use, violent behavior, and abusive childhood, in order to boast further about his dramatic turnaround as a diplomat -through hockey - of race relations.

Meeink redeems himself with his frank assessment of himself ; he will always be an addict, and his struggle with addiction is an every moment, every minute struggle.

[Nique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read this book for years. I was really curious about what drives people to hate people they've never even met. This book gave me insight into that. Sometimes, it's simply a matter of being accepted by a group when everyone else around you is ignoring your existence. It's not excusing the things he did, but it helps me understand. There were times in the book that I wanted to slap him for making bad decisions, but I found the book very hard to put down.

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bad parents beget bad kids and we all pay for it. Failed to find this skinhead a hero even though he appeared to turn his life around at end of the story. I just don't know if he will endure on his path to righteousness.

[Robert Giesenhagen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frank Meeink’s story is certainly one of caution. It’s very easy, especially as a young adult searching for something to help make the world around you make sense on any level at all to fall into the trappings of hate. I obviously didn’t have near the upbringing Frank had, but we all long for that sense of belonging on some scale or another. Young people, probably especially young men, are very impressionable. Rascism and prejudice in general feeds on, thrives on this.

It took something tragic and some well deserved prison time for Frank to see through the hypocrisy that is blind hate. His story is pretty interesting and while probably not wholly singular to Frank is still overall a pretty interesting journey.

[Virginia Markhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended by a friend at work. she said that both she and her husband could not put it down once they began reading it. I was not inflicted with this ciondition. I had a difficult time getting through it at all. Being nonfiction was interesting, though. This young man told a tale of a very hard life. He suffered a lot of abuse as a child and then dished it right back as an adult. There were times I was hopeful that he would beat his alcohol and drug addiction just to watch him relapse yet again. The last few chapters were tough to get through. glad I made it though. In the end, he recovered, which made for my favorite type of ending. A happy one.

[Branna Elenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed this book! As I am going into the sociology and psychology field this was a very interesting and in depth read. I recently did an internship at a hospital out-patient psych facility in south Chicago. This is where I just began to get a taste of what addiction does to a person. Reading this book so soon after my short experience really gave me an idea of the full life story of someone in the situation letting it ALL out. I will always keep this book, even if I never read it cover to cover again, as a reminder of what can happen. Overwhelmingly sad and inspirational at the same time!

[Poppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Great biography.

I was on the edge of the skinheads mainly due to growing up in Pittsburgh and spending a year in Chicago during the late 80s. It wasn't unusual to go to a party and hear skrewdriver and other oi bands.

Being a girl, I channeled my rage in other ways but this could have been me. My family wasn't as broken as Frank's and I had a driving force to educate myself and surround myself with different kinds of people. I always knew that racism was not something that made sense for me.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really compelling memoir not just about his life as a skinhead, but also addiction and recovery, family abuse, and a ridiculous amount of healing. It's amazing what he went through, came through, and overcame, and the story is relatable and never preachy. The style is great, I'm pretty impressed that an academic collaborated with this guy to capture a voice that is authentic without being too corny (you know, they're careful about when they use Philly slang, etc). Overall, I really enjoyed this, and can see why my students like it so much.

[Anna Tatelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It takes a ton of guts to be honest. It takes ten times more guts to be honest about a traumatic past filled with drug addiction, deep-seated hate, racial prejudices, child abuse, and rape. It takes ten MILLION freakin' times more guts to admit how many relapses you had during these times, how you struggled in and out, convincing yourself you wanted to change only to fall right back into your old ways. Because, really, who hasn't done that at one point or another in their life? A great and moving read that really does have the power -- as its back cover claims -- to change lives.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book extremely difficult to read as so much of the content is so violent and motivated by hate. Ultimately though, it was a very interesting read and an interesting look at how that sort of hatred is fostered in individuals like Frank Meeink. Really, it's a tragic story of how neglect can lead people to find acceptance, regardless of the nature of the group that gives the acceptance. It really does provide great insight into the workings of such actions. I really hope that Frank is able to continue on the positive path that he is on by the end of the book.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good concept. A little too lengthy. I'm always curious about how people make excuses for their hatred and ignorance and am curious about how they overcome it to lead more fulfilling lives. This book was an interesting look into the life of a skinhead (er...ex-skinhead). However, I left feeling a little depressed that this garbage is still happening today. I mean, take a look at this week's news report of that teenager in Florida.

Read it because we shouldn't pull the wool over our own eyes and pretend it doesn't happen. Don't read it if you're looking for a light read.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book on the psychology behind hatred. Certainly not an easy read but a book that, I think, should be read. Any ideology that sustains an "us" versus "them" mentality needs to be carefully considered and studied. This is book is a reminder that calls people to consider the shared characteristics that make us human rather than the things that separate us.

I would have liked to have read more on Meeink's state of mind as he was making the transition from neo-Nazi thinking into the process of relinquishing that mindset.

[Jason Beem · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book over the course of a few weeks. Reading it in small doses before finally devouring through the final 100 pages or so today. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to throw the book at the wall and scream "stop screwing up Frank!" Until I realized that I'd done all those same things in my addiction. It's just part of the journey.

This book ended up being more about family and addiction and pain for me than it was about race and acceptance. But I just love honest writers who you can tell are genuine and aren't exaggerating.

[Emily Linacre · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter here made this book so hard to read. There's so much sadness and violence and hate that my heart hurt through most of the book. There was a duality to the narrative voice that threw me off sometimes, I assume due to the co-authorship--lots of "ain't" and f-bombs, followed by eloquent phrases--which might bother another reader more. Just so much potty mouth though, yikes--definitely be aware of that! Glad I read it; it's definitely a perspective I've not encountered much before. Also interesting to note that Meeink has ties to the Des Moines area.

[Honeybee77 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I circled the book more than a few times in the store before I bought it. I thought that I could really care less about some white man's rationale for becoming a skinhead. I was wrong. It was a great read and I found that tolerance is not a one way street. In telling his story, Mr. Meink wrote that Dr. Roy was the first person who asked why he believed what he did was right. It was the first time someone listened. That sentence kept me reading and I am better for it.

[Rock Angel]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

I found stark similarities between Meeink's story and DJ Morris's ("War of the Bloods in My Veins") in that neither had secure ties to parental figures nor a stable home in their young lives. Unlike "War of the Bloods" tho, I doubt that I will finish this book -- the chapter (p.85) that focused exclusively on his conquests stopped me cold.

[Lakeshia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written from such raw intensity. Frank Meeink story is something everyone should read. It was such a rollercoaster of a ride. You will laugh, cry and get angry as hell at some of things that occured in his life. The book not only discusses his life as a skinhead but it deals with his addictions to drugs and alcohol. Its amazing that someone who is around my age has experienced so much in a short lifetime. Plus it was written so well. A must read.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know where I found this book....probably bored at Borders. The book was interesting...I did not care for the wriitng style---the whole time, but his story kept me turning pages. The book is about a Skinhead who turns his life around...He battles with addiction and even at the end of the book he is not sure he will overcome his addiction.....so not a real ending. It was interesting to read about how a teenager became so angry and full of hate... ;( The whole world just needs more love.

[Lisa Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved it. In addition to the fast paced narrative, Meeink provides an in-depth account of his transformation into, and out of, the hate mind-set. With Philly as the backdrop,it was all the more interesting. He also delves deeply into his cycle of addiction (post skin-head)and into his voluntary cooperation with authorities and universities to attempt to prevent others from traveling a similar path.