Skinheads Shaved for Battle: A Cultural History of American Skinheads

Rating:
Summary: I'm an Asian skinhead
Review: By reading my fellow Trad Skins reviews of this book I have decided not to by it. Just looking at the cover made me wonder if it was good or just some idiot that is following every word the media says. Nazi's are not skinheads they are boneheads.I am not a nazi or a racist. I am a traditional Skinhead and I am not white this guy obviously has no clue about our scene or our heritage.

Rating:
Summary: know the truth
Review: I am a traditional skinhead, so who better to tell you about this book.I don't care who you are and what you do, nobody can tell what a real skinhead is and thinks if you don't live it.I AM NOT A RACIST.I do not like when people think that I am racist.Skinheads have been in existence way before the whole neo-nazi thing came along.This book only adds to the myth.If you want to write a book about racist skinhead then you have an obligation to tell the whole truth.The mayority of skinheads in the US and the rest of the world are skinheads becuase of our working class values and our jamaican and punk rock roots not white supremacy nonsence.Yes,there are people who call themself skinheads who are racists.I will not let these boneheads,the media and authors like this guy damage what is the greatest of all youth movements.If you really want to learn about skinheads,listen t some late sixties reggae records and some good old OI!Also try any of the George Marshall books,he covers all aspects of the sub-culture,even racist boneheads.OI!

Rating:
Summary: Blatant misinformation
Review: I bought this book at a local bookstore, without reading anything about it, and was extremely displeased. The author knows very little about the true skinhead culture. Skinheads are completely non political. Obviously skinheads have political views (the majority of which are not racist or to the contrary, extremely non-racist), but the author seems to say that SKINHEADS are racist, a generalization which is in itself prejudice, but the fact of the matter is that PEOPLE are racist. Whether they shave their heads and wear steel-toed Doc Martins with their flight jackets is beyond the point. This man judges people on their appearance, and is a miserable human being because of it. I do not recommend purchasing this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Utter [junk]- Barely good enough to line a birdcage
Review: I don't even want to give this book one star. It's not worth the paper it's printed on. First off, I'm not a skinhead, but I have done considerable sociological research in youth subcultures including the skinhead scene. Look, if you're going to write a book that claims to be "a cultural history", at least do a little bit of research first. The author interviewed a grand total of two neo-nazi skinheads and listened to a couple of records, and drew all of his conclusions from there. Basically, according to the author, everyone is a neo-nazi, and the skinheads who say they aren't, really are. So are punk rockers. So are rockabillys. So are skaters. If a kid isn't into gangsta rap, he is a nazi. That's this clown's basic point that he's making. I mean, for pete's sake, he says "The Ramones" are a nazi skinhead band. Sorry, Joey Ramone had a little too much hair to be a skinhead. And Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys is "an outspoken nazi"? Whatever. Jack Moore even admits he may be wrong in his book, but right at the begining he tells the reader that even if he is wrong, it's his book and he's going to write what he darn well pleases. Way to be objective. To sum it up, it's [junk]. Not even worth reading in the bathroom. Like I said, I'm not a skinhead but I have interacted with some of them before, and I will state for the record that there are plenty of non-political and even openly anti-nazi skinheads out there, and they come in all colors- white, black, asian, hispanic, Filipino, Jewish, etc. If you want a better book on the subject, try The Spirit of '69 by George Marshall.

Rating:
Summary: Quite possibly the worst piece of skinhead Literature
Review: In writing past reviews of books I've read for subculture studies in college, I have tried to give each book a fair shot because I understand that we all have our separate opinions. Well, this book deserves nothing of the sort. If I am to understand the system correctly now, I can publish a book without actually knowing anything about the subculture or the critics and receive royalties. I'm glad I'm wasting away in college when I could be out there writing ignorant accounts of groups I obviously know little about and getting paid for it! If you are really interested in Skinheads as a cultural phenomena, then don't buy this book. There are plenty others that will reveal to you the true nature of the skinhead subculture without the racially implicit biases against a group that isn't totally racist. Yes, there are gay and black skinheads Mr. Moore, but somehow you have overlooked this. I hope this helps deter you from purchasing this waste of wood.