News Release

RELEASED Second edition of acclaimed Autobiography of A Recovering Skinhead: The Frank Meeink Story

For immediate release 13 Sep 2017

Contact: 503-327-8849 rhughes@hawthornebooks.com |

Dr. Cornel West
“Frank Meeink’s book is a candid and captivating story of upbeat transformation of a raw racist into a courageous citizen which has much to teach all of us. Don’t miss it!”
Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud

This new edition of the acclaimed Frank Meeink story includes a preface by the author, nine new chapters, an updated epilogue, and resource guides for substance abuse recovery and countering racism. Frank Meeink has been a contributor to CNN, Fox News, NPR, BBC London, and other media, most recently in the wake of the Charlottesville tragedy.

This is Frank’s raw telling of his descent into America’s Nazi underground and his ultimate triumph over hatred and addiction.Frank’s violent childhood in South Philadelphia primed him to hate, and made him easy prey for a small group of skinhead recruiters led by his older cousin. By sixteen,Frank was one of the most notorious skinhead gang leaders on the East Coast.By eighteen, he was doing hard time in an Illinois prison, where he began to question his views, thanks in large part to his African-American teammates on a prison football league. Shortly after being paroled, he defected from the white supremacy movement. The Oklahoma City bombing inspired him to try to stop the widespread hatred he had once felt. He began speaking on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League, and partnered with the Philadelphia Flyers to launch Harmony Through Hockey, a hate prevention program for children and young adults.

Profound. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED REVIEW
Former neo-Nazi’s story offers profound lesson in Trump era. LISA FALKENBERG, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
It has the power to change lives. MORRIS DEES, Founder and Chief Trial Counsel, Southern Poverty Law Center
Powerful, absorbing, stunning and sobering… BARRY MORRIS, Regional Director, Anti-Defamation League
It is a compelling and cautionary tale. KENNETH STERN, Director on Antisemitism and Extremism, American Jewish Committee
Frank’s transormation provides us commanding proof that reconciliation is possible even for those most tightly bound by hatred. JESSE DYLAN, Director of the Obama campaign’s Yes We Can video and the documentary Reconciliation
We can become allies in the fight for justice. Meeink has made his choice. May we all have the courage and fortitude to do the same. TIM WISE, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son

Frank Meeink coaches national-championship youth roller hockey teams and has worked in support positions for professional ice hockey teams. He is the founder of Harmony Through Hockey, a member of the Against Violent Extremism Network, and has been a member, consultant, and speaker for a wide range of nonprofit groups dedicated to preventing hatred and violence. Meeink has been on the national lecture circuit since the late 1990s, sharing his amazing life story with students, educators, community leaders, government officials, adult and juvenile offenders, and those struggling with alcoholism and addiction. In 2015, Meeink was one of three “Civil Rights Heroes” honored by the Anti-Defamation League during the Voices In Harmony: Houston in Concert Against Hate event. This is his first book. For speaking engagements, please contact Peggy Boyce, MMB Communications, BoyceLive.com, 845-680-6029 (O), 201-233-8015 (C)

Jody M. Roy, Ph.D., is an award-winning professor of communication at Ripon College. Her past publications include Love to Hate: America’s Obsession with Hatred and Violence (Columbia University Press, 2002).

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