The Turner Diaries: A Novel
Good-hearted conservatives might might be unhappy with the inclusion of a book like The Turner Diaries in this list. This is a profoundly racist book and doesn't reflect the beliefs and values of many (a majority? a non-trivial minority?) conservatives. However, in the list of progressive books I'm also including extremists that are often lumped in with the mainstream left, so it seemed only fair to recommend some of the more extremist literature of the right.
The Turner Diaries came to national attention when it was found among the belongings of Timothy McVeigh after the bombing of the Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City. The Diaries is an action novel that describes a near-future scenario where a full-blown race war has erupted in the United States. The author was once the head of the white nationalist organization National Alliance, and this book is clearly the fantasy future he hoped to achieve through his organization. Removing the racial elements of the book you are left with a fantasy of a well-armed militia overthrowing a corrupt and increasingly totalitarian government.
Why this is libertarian/conservative: Just as black bloc anarchists are associated with the left, the US militia movement is closely associated with the right. There is a substantial underground literature supporting, advocating, and arguing about the role, tactics, and purpose of a right-wing take-over of the US. While many of these fantasies describe themselves as a desire to return to the imagined freedoms of the past, they often include radical Christian or conspiratorial ideas that preclude living in harmony with people of different ethnic backgrounds or belief systems. Familiarity with this literature will help you understand organizations like the Hutaree or the Minuteman Project.
Buy the Kindle version: The Turner Diaries: A Novel
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