Fire's Edge

Rating:
Summary: A diversity of diversity triumphs over skinheads
Review: Despite his journalistic experience in the Northwest covering racism/skinhead issues, the author fails to weave fact and insight into a topic that should be commensureate with his experience. As a mainstream novel it is a good way to spend a rainly afternoon -- compelling characters with interesting backgrounds and motivations and intriguing subject matter. It's uniqueness is the way that it addresses the sensitive topic of discimination -- from race to religion to sexual preference to most things alternative. The book will undoubtedly be hailed in many circles and find itself on some college reading list based on the opportunity for further dialoge on an important subject. As a run-of-the-mill rural Oregonian, I found the sub-text a bit preachy of the benefits of all things that are not of a meat-eating white Christian flannel-wearing variety. But,after all, that was part of the point.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping--and nearly as scary as the news
Review: Like the cover of the book--which holds an image that once seen, cannot be ignored--this story reveals a dark undercurrent which is unfortunately still very strong in our society. The novel provides a kind of anatomy of hatred that begins in many young white males as undefined anger toward the world and is focused by demagogues into the dangerous rage of racism and hate crime. I disagree with the reviewer who found the book didactic. The events on which the story is based are very real, and his characterizations of skinheads and neo-Nazi leaders ring true, due to careful research and interviews of hate criminals conducted by the author himself. I didn't find a trace of political correctness in the characterization of the heroes and victims, who are Jewish, African-
While this book may find its most concentrated readership here in the Pacific Northwest, it certainly deserves a wider audiences, and I hope that young people, in particular, will read and discuss this provocative and powerful work.