"Its theme is political fanaticism, with which it deals severely and brilliantly." --New Yorker
The famous bestseller with "concise insight into what drives the mind of the fanatic and the dynamics of a mass movement" (Wall Street Journal) by the legendary San Francisco longshoreman.
A stevedore on the San Francisco docks in the 1940s, Eric Hoffer wrote philosophical treatises in his spare time while living in the railroad yards. The True Believer--the first and most famous of his books--was made into a bestseller when President Eisenhower cited it during one of the earliest television press conferences.
Called a "brilliant and original inquiry" and "a genuine contribution to our social thought" by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., this landmark in the field of social psychology is completely relevant and essential for understanding the world today as it delivers a visionary, highly provocative look into the mind of the fanatic and a penetrating study of how an individual becomes one.
About the Author :
Born in New York City, Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) was self-educated. He worked in restaurants, as a migrant fieldworker, and as a gold prospector. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he worked as a longshoreman in San Francisco for twenty-five years. The author of more than ten books, including The Passionate State of Mind, The Ordeal of Change, and The Temper of Our Time, Hoffer was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983.
Review :
"The True Believer glitters with icy wit. . . bristles with deadly parallels. . . . It is a harsh and potent mental tonic." - New York Times
"Its theme is political fanaticism, with which it deals severely and brilliantly. . . . It owes its distinction to the fact that Hoffer is a born generalizer, with a mind that inclines to the wry epigram and icy aphorism as naturally as did that of the Duc de La Rochefoucauld." - The New Yorker
"Hoffer's 1951 classic reads as even more incisive today. . . . It offers a timeless psychological study of the lure of the fanatic. Those hoping for insights into the success of Donald Trump's 'America First' politics could do worse than start here." - Edward Luce, The Week ("Edward Luce's 6 favorite books that predicted the future of politics")
"If you want concise insight into what drives the mind of the fanatic and the dynamics of a mass movement at their most primal level, may I suggest an evening with Eric Hoffer." - Wall Street Journal
"In 1951, a book by an unschooled dockworker predicted the forces that would give rise to radical politics on the left, populism on the right--and a president like Donald Trump." - The Free Press
"An enigmatic mid-century thinker helps explain Trump's true believers." - Commonweal Magazine
