I thought I’d take a few moments to go over a 1-star review on Amazon for In Defense of Hatred:

Off the bat, those last two lines (“Not[sic], it’s not hate. It is love.”) should be enough to demonstrate that not only is In Defense of Hatred not “literally line by line” the same argument that the Aryan Nation is making, but is actually an incompatible argument that rejects the Aryan Nation’s attempt to reframe hatred as not-hatred.

More to the point, In Defense of Hatred makes no references to  white resentment or racial supremacism, other than an account of the history of Nazism and some of its effects on how people today think of the morality of hatred. The advocacy for embracing hatred as a moral value is universal, applicable to all peoples. Anyone who had actually read the book would know that.

…which explains why the review is not a verified purchase. Amazon reviews made by a customer who actually bought the book on Amazon show a “verified purchase” orange tag, next to the review (like this one).

But more interestingly still, the reviewer in question — Allesandro Ceserani — appears to be a fake account.

By contrast, every other account that has reviewed In Defense of Hatred has two or more reviews:

1. Roger F. (5-star) – 2 reviews
2. Adam (5-star) – 2 reviews
3. Amazon Customer (5-star) – 2 reviews
4. Lucas (1-star) – 2 reviews
5. Vagabond of Letters (4-star) – 121 reviews
6. Sefferino (5-star) – 32 reviews

Not coincidentally, there appears to be a general correlation between the number of reviews and the quality of the review. Compare Vagabond’s very accurate summary review to Allesandro’s weird allusion to another conflicting argument:

It should be noted that Vagabond is also an unverified purchase (he may have picked up a copy at a speaking event or something; in fact, I am 90% sure I know who he is), but his clear and precise account of the book’s contents demonstrate that he actually did read the book before reviewing it.

So to summarize, In Defense of Hatred is not a supremacist book, white or otherwise. It has no relation to the Aryan Nation philosophy, and in fact — if Ceserani’s summation is accurate — contradicts their view… hence the title defending hatred, not denying it. The book is a generalized polemic which deals with morality and human emotion, and does not advocate for or against any group in particular, although it argues that all people should be particular in what they love, and not general.

If you feel like doing a good turn, head on over and report Ceserani’s fake review (that’s what the “report” button is there for), and maybe consider giving Vagabond’s another “helpful” tag. Or, if you’ve read the book, consider giving your own review. I don’t dislike fair criticism, and while I think a 1-star is a bit harsh, Lucas wasn’t necessarily wrong when criticizing some of my formatting:

Verified too. What can I say.

I’ll try to do better with my next book.