The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements

“Its theme is political fanaticism, with which it deals severely and brilliantly.” — New Yorker

The famous bestseller with “concise insight into what drives the mind of the fanatic and the dynamics of a mass movement” (Wall Street Journal) by the legendary San Francisco longshoreman.

Eric Hoffer, a stevedore on the San Francisco docks in the 1940s, wrote philosophical treatises in his spare time while living in the railroad yards. The True Believer—the first and most famous of his books—gained widespread recognition and became a bestseller after President Eisenhower cited it during one of the earliest television press conferences.

Praise and Relevance

• Described as a “brilliant and original inquiry” and “a genuine contribution to our social thought” by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
• This landmark work in the field of social psychology remains completely relevant and essential for understanding the world today.

Key Themes

• A visionary and highly provocative exploration into the mind of the fanatic.
• A penetrating study of how an individual becomes one.