This is a book that I think everyone should read or listen to. It's uncomfortable and at times infuriating but it's important. It's a hard truth to recognize that in order to begin to educate and change people with extremist or harmful ideologies, you must first be kind. It seems like a simple and obvious statement, but I still don't know if I would be able to do it if the time came. Even after finishing this book, I have a hard time understanding how people can fall into these hateful beliefs, and I've been thinking a lot about finding the balance between recognizing the humanity within a person without excusing or humanizing their belief system. With politics in the United States becoming more and more polarizing and extreme, this is a timely book that, while not perfect, sure has me thinking about a lot of things.

Not gonna lie, it feels a little off that this book isn't a memoir or autobiography. I feel like Derek should have come forward and owned some of his shit, at least as a co-author. Star off for not knowing how I feel about a journalist telling a story that would certainly be better told by the man himself.