We Are Proud Boys
How a Right-Wing Street Gang Ushered in a New Era of American Extremism
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4.8 • 6 Ratings
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
A gripping investigation into the nation’s most notorious far-right group, revealing how they created a new blueprint for extremism and turned American politics into a blood sport
After the 2016 election, Americans witnessed a frightening trend: the sudden rise of a host of new extremist groups across the country. Emboldened by a new president, they flooded political rallies and built fervent online presences, expanding rapidly until they were a regular sight at everyday demonstrations. Amid the chaos, one group emerged as a leader among the others, with matching outfits, bizarre rituals, and a reputation for violence: the Proud Boys.
From leading extremism reporter Andy Campbell, We Are Proud Boys is the definitive narrative exploration of this notorious street gang and all the far-right movements they’re connected to. Through groundbreaking new reporting, Campbell delivers the untold story of a gang of blundering, punch-happy goons who grew to become the centerpiece of American extremism and positioned themselves as the unofficial enforcement arm of the GOP. Beginning with their founding by Gavin McInnes, the media personality best known for co-founding VICE, Campbell takes us deep into the Proud Boys, laying bare their origins and their rise to prominence. As he exposes the group's noxious culture and strange rituals, he reveals how the ultimate project of the Proud Boys–to desensitize Americans to political violence–has succeeded entirely, culminating with Republicans calling the January 6 insurrection "legitimate political discourse." The bizarre, frightening story of the Proud Boys reveals the playbook they have created for domestic extremism, giving us the necessary insight to push back against radicalism in America before it swallows our democracy whole.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
HuffPost journalist Campbell debuts with a searing report on the rise of the Proud Boys during the Trump era. Launched by Vice magazine founder Gavin McInnes in 2016, the Proud Boys are, Campbell writes, "a street gang, motivated almost entirely by political violence and bigotry." Members, who earn their "degrees" within the group mainly through violent acts, took leading roles in the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., and the January 6 Capitol riot. In addition to explaining how the Proud Boys gained mainstream influence through "interpersonal relationships with the media, law enforcement, and the GOP, all the way up to Trump's inner circle," Campbell profiles those working to counter the group, including Black Lives Matter activist Jalane Schmidt; researcher Juliet Jeske, who analyzed hundreds of hours of The Gavin McInnes Show and shared her findings with the media; and infiltrators like Ashley (no last name given), a "Democrat-turned-antifascist" who pretended to be an " ‘idiot' drenched in spray tan" to get invited to Proud Boy events. Riddled with jaw-dropping examples of the group's extreme rhetoric and violent actions, this is a distressing and doggedly reported account of the dangers of political extremism.
