Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for American Reich:
Feel like this is going to cause an argument.
Quick synopsis:
A look at a hate crime in Orange County, CA and the rise of hate crimes overall in the U.S.
Fact for Non-History People:
Hate crimes have doubled since 2015, reaching over 11,800 incidents in 2023.
Fact for History Nerds:
Race and ethnicity account for over 50% of total hate crimes.
My Take on American Reich:
Remember back in the day, when we’d watch Indiana Jones and it was a fait accompli that the Nazis would get their comeuppance and we’d all be so happy that they did? I miss simpler times.
Instead of then, we are here now. Eric Lichtblau gives us a tour through this uneasy time with his book, American Reich. Ostensibly, the book is about a specific murder in Orange County, CA. This crime was perpetrated by Sam Woodward who killed former classmate Blaze Bernstein for being gay. However, this case takes up very little page count. Mostly, Lichtblau tells the story of the exponential explosion of hate crimes in the U.S. over the past twenty or so years. To his credit, the author does tie many of these directly to Orange County and it is riveting overall, but not always. To his discredit, Lichtblau gives way too much time and attention to Donald Trump.
Now before anyone throws a hateful comment my way (which would be very ironic), I don’t care if you think Donald Trump has anything to do with the rise in hate crimes. My objection is not with his inclusion in the book, but rather how much time Lichtblau spends laying everything at his feet. He is meticulous in documenting many things Trump has said. However, I kept wanting him to get back to the actual case this book is about or at least Orange County specifically. Admittedly, I am just sick of seeing his name shoehorned in a lot of books lately. To be clear, though, Lichtblau does not shove him in here unnecessarily. There are valid reasons, if not a requirement, to bring him up in this narrative. I just object to how much attention he gets overall at the cost of other avenues of investigation.
As an example, Lichtblau mentions how there is a worrying amount of Neo-Nazism in the military. As a former servicemember, I wanted a bit more on where and how much. My own experience did not align with his reporting (which of course means next to nothing, as my own experience is completely anecdotal), which made me want the author to dig in and show as much research and attention as he did with Trump.
In the end, while I have that one major issue with the text, I overall enjoyed the book. Lichtblau didn’t win a Pulitzer by accident, and his research is top-notch when he shows you the goods. Shining a light on this aspect of our current climate is vital, and this book is worth your time.
(This book was provided as a review copy by Little, Brown and Company.)
Verdict:
Worth a read even if it has its slow points.
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