A Cure for Hate

How does an affluent, middle-class, private-school-attending son of a doctor end up at the Aryan Nations compound in Idaho, falling in with and then recruiting for some of the most notorious neo-Nazi groups in Canada and the United States?

The Cure for Hatepaints a very human picture of a young man who craved attention, acceptance, and approval and the dark place he would go to get it. Tony McAleer found an outlet for his teenage rage in the street violence of the skinhead scene. He then grew deeply involved in the White Aryan Resistance (WAR), rising through the ranks to become a leader, and embraced technology and the budding Internet to bring white nationalist propaganda into the digital age. After fifteen years in the movement, it was the outpouring of love he felt at the birth of his children that inspired him to start questioning his hateful beliefs. Thus began the spiritual journey of personal transformation that enabled him to disengage from the highest levels of the white power movement.

This incisive book breaks commonly held stereotypes and delivers valuable insights into how regular people are drawn to violent extremism, how the ideology takes hold, and the best ways to help someone leave hate behind. In his candid and introspective memoir, Tony shares his perspective gleaned from over a thousand hours of therapy, group work, and facilitating change in others that reveals the deeper psychological causes behind racism. At a period in history when instances of racial violence are on the upswing,The Cure for Hatedemonstrates that in a society frighteningly divided by hate and in need of healing, perhaps atonement, forgiveness, and most importantly, radical compassion is the cure. (From Arsenal Pulp Press)

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Interviews with Tony McAleer

Former white supremacist turned anti-racism advocate shares tips to combat racism in today's society

5 years ago

Duration 6:28

Tony McAleer is the Co-founder and Board Chair for the nonprofit Life After Hate. He is a former white supremacist.He joins CBC News Network's Aarti Pole to share ways racism can be combated in the modern era.

How a former white supremacist left hate behind | In-Depth

5 years ago

Duration 9:24

A former white supremacist and a man who nearly became a school shooter in his teens discuss the journey back from hate in an in-depth interview.