skinheads

James, a young writer living with his boyfriend, begins research on a leader of the neo-Nazi movement who kept his sexuality a secret, but as James focuses in on his efforts he begins to receive threatening phone calls and a series of unexpected events cause his life to intersect with Tony's, whose association with Britain's neo-Nazi movement required him to hide his sexuality as a teenager in the 1970s.

". . . When white supremacist Wade Michael Page murdered six people and wounded four in a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin in 2012, Pardeep Kaleka was devastated. The temple leader, now dead, was his father. His family, who had immigrated to the U.S. from India when Pardeep was young, had done everything right. Why was this happening to him? Meanwhile, Arno Michaelis, a former skinhead and founder of one of the largest racist skinhead organizations in the world, had spent years of his life committing terrible acts in the name of white power. When he heard about the attack, waves of guilt washing over him, he knew he had to take action and fight against the very crimes he used to commit. After the Oak Creek tragedy, Arno and Pardeep worked together to start an organization called Serve 2 Unite, which works with students to create inclusive, compassionate and nonviolent climates in their schools and communities"--Provided by publisher.

At 14 years old, Christian Picciolini, a bright and well-loved child from a good family, had been targeted and trained to spread a violent racist agenda, quickly ascending to a highly visible leadership position in America's first neo-Nazi skinhead gang. Just how did this young boy from the suburbs of Chicago, who had so much going for him, become so lost in extremist ideologies that would horrify any decent person? 'Romantic Violence: Memoirs of an American Skinhead' is a poignant and gripping cautionary tale that details Christian's indoctrination when he was barely a teen, a lonely outsider who, more than anything, just wanted to belong. A fateful meeting with a charismatic man who recognized and took advantage of Christian's deep need for connection sent the next decade of his life into a dangerous spiral. When his mentor went to prison for a vicious hate crime, Christian stepped forward, and at 18, he was overseeing the most brutal extremist skinhead cells across the country. From fierce street brawls to drunken white power rallies, recruitment by foreign terrorist dictators to riotous white power rock music, Picciolini immersed himself in racist skinhead culture, hateful propaganda, and violence. Ultimately Christian began to see that his hate-filled life was built on lies. After years of battling the monster he created, he was able to reinvent himself. Picciolini went on to become an advocate for peace, inclusion, and racial diversity, co-founding the nonprofit Life After Hate, which helps people disengage from hate groups and to love themselves and accept others, regardless of skin color, religious belief, or sexual preference.

Sara Allen is different. A skinhead. Part of the punk subculture. Tyler Ruiz sees an easy hookup. And why not? He's a good-looking guy. She becomes a challenge. Then a lifeline. An escape. But something's wrong. Sara is a manic.

Frank and Joe investigate the electrocution of an obnoxious radio personality, and the main suspects are a gang of skinhead thugs known as the Bootstompers.

Frank Meeink tells his life story, discussing his experiences as the leader of a white supremacist group, his time in an Illinois prison where he learned about tolerance, and his work for the Anti-Defamation League and his organization Harmony through Hockey.