Extremism (The MIT Press Essential Knowledge series)

This is a great read, easy to follow, strong use of historical examples and contemporary examples that uses a fact-oriented approach. It is interesting to see concepts from sociology blend with political science and criminology. Bullets and headings used help one refer to it later for restudying.

This is an excellent read and worthy of broad study. Berger thinks through the phenomenon of extremism, both in the development of extremist movements through recorded history and in the radicalization of individual extremists as a matter of personal development. He relies on relevant scientific research, critical evaluation of the extremist record, and well-supported argument to elucidate ways to think about and address the devastating effects of extremist actions. I recommend it for anyone interested in understanding extremism.

J.M. Berger wrote a book that everyone has needed for more than a decade. He combines a wealth of experience from research of extremist groups of all types and sizes to develop a useful taxonomy for all - from the beginner to the expert. Anyone teaching a course on terrorism or extremism should use this as a text, its structure and clarity make a complicated topic digestible. The breadth of the discussion on extremist groups past and present, right wing, left wing and religious, makes this an essential work for those trying to understand the dynamic extremism landscape we face today.

Having studied and taught courses on terrorism for nearly 20 years, it’s not often I see something new and unique in the field that inspires me to write an Amazon review. JM Berger’s book Extremism is truly exceptional. This book provides the most intelligent, insightful and accessible treatment of extremist belief systems and their implications. It will be required reading for graduate students in my seminar next semester.

J.M. Berger explores the historic origins of extremism, its sociological components and connection to social isolation, the processes of radicalization, AND the process by which someone might be de-radicalized again. All is told clearly and succinctly, with plenty of sourcing for further academic reading. This is an awesome overview and introduction. I recommend it highly.

Extremism is almost compulsively readable; I finished it in two flights without ever leaving US airspace. This big-picture description of extremist movements across history presents a brick-by-brick look at the attitudes, arguments, and fears whose unintended consequences have driven so many unhappy detours. Berger is a careful writer; his language is sparse and direct. He defines his terms and employs them in logical ways to construct an astute rendering, so while the concepts are complex, the telling is engaging. His latest book offers bracing testimony to the value of serious scholarship and original thought. The result is at once provocative and satisfying.

If you are looking for a book that explains extremism and radicalization, this is it! He author does an excellent job in explaining all the nuances. Book gives examples of groups, but only the most obvious ones. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

There are certainly positive elements to this book, but it was astonishing how much of it read like an NY Times opinion piece. The author makes particular efforts to target conservative and nationalist forces, while making only brief side notes of equally disturbing trends of radicalism within liberal and globalist forces, such as antifa, BLM, gender ideology movements, radical abortion lobby, democratic socialism, communism, and various other extreme groups on that end of the spectrum.The author even makes the outrageous statement that in general terms right wing extremist groups and jihadists have done more damage in present times than left wing groups. Astonishing! I'm sure that's true if you lump right wing extremists with jihadists. But if you look at right wing vs. left wing, you'd see that left wing certainly has caused more violence than any right wing extremist groups.The book also fails to address that Christianity is the most violently persecuted religion in the world today, but that doesn't fit the agenda of modern historians, to describe society in terms of imperialism, historical genocide again native peoples, and racism/slavery/segregation.The author also indicates that Spanish conquests of the new world were genocidal in nature. Only the most far left historians defend this sort of charge (think Howard Zinn).This book has some good content, but in the end we learn much more about the political and social biases of J.M. Berger than we do about extremism from a neutral viewpoint.Additionally, the author bends over backwards to describe Muslim groups in the best possible terms, not an easy task given the preponderance of extremism amongst such a religion, while targeting historical Christianity's worst events as normative to the history of the movement.It all seemed rather clumsy, like the author had decided ahead of time what narrative would be put forth, and facts and evidence and history were twisted to fit that narrative.

Excellent analysis and explanation of the subject matter of extremism which focuses in what it is, and what is common across all of its variants. Highly recommended reading.