Harvest of Rage: Why Oklahoma City Is Only the Beginning

By Joel Dyer

Book Overview

ed by a host of "unknown others" in the militia movements of rural America.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813332931
• ISBN13: 9780813332932
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Can we save our hinterlands

This book opens up a lot of feeling for those who over the last two decades have lost everything and have attempted to find a reason, a cause and an enemy, sadly.Anyone dealing with and wanting to understand the movement that has effected millions in our society must read this book. I recommend this to our state and national leaders. Dyer writes in such a balanced way and with tremendous care for those who have become caught up in the anger that exemplifies an occassionally growing portion of our society.

Illuminating insights into rural paranoia

Understanding why Timothy McVeigh acted as he did is beyond most people. Similarly, most urban Americans know little of the "Republic of Texas", the militia movements, the "common-law courts" and sundry other manifestations of rural anger and paranoia. To a European like myself it is even more incomprehensible.I chanced on this book when I was in a bookstore in Champaign, IL and heard the author speaking. I am glad that chance meeting took place as reading this book has given me more understanding of the American rural mind (or at least a portion of it) than anything else that I have read on the subject.Joel Dyer is the editor of the Boulder Weekly and is a sensitive editor well tuned to all his readers' shades of opinion. It is all too easy for people to dismiss these more extreme beliefs as those belonging to wackos, weirdos and lunatics. Dyer has at least treated adherents of these views with respect and done them the courtesy of listening to them and analyzing the underlying causes of their frustration, resentment and seething anger. He presents a fairly convincing picture of why those who are tied to agriculture are so paranoid about government in general and the federal government in particular. He explains patiently and convincingly why there is a feeling of desperation. He shows how for many people desperate times call for desperate measures and how these people have sought to rationalize and justify their actions. Dyer is understanding while not approving of the aims or means employed to achieve the ends. It would be easy to descend into simple mockery and condemnation of extremists. Whilst Dyer concludes that extreme beliefs and actions are wrong headed, his respectful analysis acknowledges the colossal pressures facing these people. He points out the urgent need to do something about their plight. His non-judgmental fact gathering has allowed him access to people whose voices are rarely heard other than through their most strident and extreme mouthpieces.Dyer concludes that America is sitting on a powder keg. Unless governments heed their rising voices, then we can expect the Oklahoma bombing to be only the first of many large scale outrages designed to force people to pay attention to a neglected section of the community.The style of this book, as befits an editor, is journalistic. However, Dyer recognizes the value of his research for those with more scholarly interests and there is a susbstantial section of notes and references at the end to allow those interested to further research the issues.A worthwhile and sobering read.

Grounded research and perspective.

I found Dyer's book to be the most informative and insightful work I've found on the the "milita" movement in rural America. Mr Dyer, in stark contrast to most other work in this area, left most preconcieved biases on the issues out and provides for the reader a detailed and factually grounded work on aspects of the orign, philosophy, and psychology of the rural milita movement. I would recommend this work for those wanting to come to a better understanding of this phenomena in Ameirca.

A great book on the WHY of the ultra right

The best part of this book is how the author did his research--out in the field knocking on doors and talking to people, the way it should be done. He gets so far inside that one of the guys involved in the Republic of Texas standoff awhile back called him--while the whole thing was going down! That is getting inside to do the story! I'm not sure I totally agree with his thesis of stress being the main reason that the far right is gaining so many adherents, but he certainly backs up his theory with evidence. The author also presents a chilling story on the Oklahoma City Bombing that I guarantee you haven't heard--God knows the jury didn't hear it. Not only did I like this book, I'd certainly consider reading anything else Joel Dyer has written. A good book.

Good book, should elaborate more on system problems

Dyer's book talks a great deal about problems that rural people have undergone since the farm crisis of the early 1980's. He talks about how this culture has reacted to the destruction of their farming way of life and how this has resulted in much of the militia movement. He does rural people a great service in teaching readers about the human scars that the destruction of family farms left. Bravely, he discusses much of the economic consolidation of rural farms by the huge agricultural companies and lenders. However, he does stop short of condemning the system in its entirety, as much of the people in rural areas have, and dismisses much of they say as "conspiracy theories" as he provides an entire chapter "a grain of truth" validating much of what they say. This diminishes the credibility of the book to some degree as he is not clear exactly what he means by "conspiracy". Also, Dyer seems to take as given that the Fed govt has been hijacked by corporations, and not itself a active participant.