Skinhead Confessions: From Hate To Hope - Softcover

T.J. Leyden; M. Bridget Cook

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1599551330 ISBN 13: 9781599551333

Publisher: Cedar Fort Inc., 2008

Synopsis

A background in hate. A life of violence. A love for power. But all he needed was a moment of truth. I heard the gasp of horror and knew I'd been caught. "What are those?" she cried, pointing at my body, which was covered from neck to waist in graphic, sinister tattoos. No way was I going to tell her what they meant - the hate crimes I'd committed, the people I'd stabbed and maimed to earn those tattoos. No way was I going to tell her about the hundreds of kids I'd initiated to follow me into the White Power movement and the things they did for me every day. From his youth, TJ Leyden was taught to fight, to hurt, and to hate. Cunningly brilliant and deceptively clean-cut, TJ found that life with the Skinheads was exactly what he - and they - needed. Quickly rising to the top, TJ recruited members for the Skins, and in return he earned a name and a reputation as one of the most powerful men in the White Power movement. With a skill for fanning the fires of hatred and an ability to elude the law, it seemed that nothing would stop TJ - that is, until he became a father. As his own children grew, so did TJ's uncertainty about the cause he'd endorsed for so long. One fact finally emerged from all the racist propaganda: white power wasn't about being white; it was simply about having someone to hate. And once he realized this truth, TJ knew his life could never been the same. Skinhead Confessions takes you on an unbelievable ride through a dark world of violence to one of openness and faith in the future. TJ's honesty and courage - even in the face of death - have inspired people across America to take action against gang violence and hate crimes. A book unlike any other, this is the amazing true story of one person's journey from hatred to hope.

About this title

About the Author:

From his youth, TJ Leyden was taught to fight, to hurt, and to hate. Cunningly brilliant and deceptively clean-cut, TJ found that life with the Skinheads was exactly what he - and they - needed. Quickly rising to the top, TJ recruited members for the Skins, and in return he earned a name and a reputation as one of the most powerful men in the White Power movement. With a skill for fanning the fires of hatred and an ability to elude the law, it seemed that nothing would stop TJ - that is, until he became a father. As his own children grew, so did TJ's uncertainly about the cause he'd endorsed for so long. One fact finally emerged from all the racist propaganda: White Power wasn't about being white; it was simply about having someone to hate. And once he realized this truth, TJ knew his life could never be the same.

Review:

The fact that TJ was very, very intelligent made him even more dangerous than your average gang member. Seriously, if we could have found a way to put TJ in jail, we would have because of his political views. We were much more interested in him than any of his underlings, and we were gathering as much intelligence on him as we could to build a case that would put him away for a long, long time. The problem was TJ's influence over the youngsters. He helped make the problem in the community much bigger than we wanted it to be. His influence was too widespread. --Del Jensen, a detective from the San Bernardino sheriff's department

The thing I like about TJ is that he is REAL. Lots of people talk about hate and diversity in sterilized language. TJ doesn't do that. He tells it like it was. And like it is. --J. Colleen Brown, Community Outreach Specialist, Northern Ohio Hate Crimes Working Group

About this edition

• Publisher: Cedar Fort Inc.
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1599551330
• ISBN 13: 9781599551333
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 228