Bradley Onishi paints a fascinating look at the converging paths of White Nationalism and Christian conservatism. I really appreciated his historical analysis, but I think the strength of the book is in the fact that he pulls in his own experiences within these communities. The influence of these forces on modern American politics is a concerning trend that I think all Americans need to be aware of. I would highly recommend this book to those who want to better understand how the United States got to where it is today and why many of these actors are not just an anomaly.

A timely read with the election coming up. It explains white nationalism in a clear manner, describing the January 6th Insurrection and explaining how deep the roots of white nationalism go. Truly eye opening for a non-Christian.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review, all opinions expressed are my own.

A good entry point to White Christian Nationalism in the US, both now and in the recent past with an added compelling personal narrative, although I had expected more of the book to be Onishi's personal story than was actually present in the text.

Preparing for War is a well detailed and fascinating look at the growing radicalization of White Americans through White Nationalism and White Christian Nationalism. Bradley Onishi pulls from his own history and prevalent events in our modern day to show the actions people are doing and how we can try to stop the conflict.

We were all there on January 6, 2021, watching as Capitol Hill was attacked, and many (if not most of us) asked ourselves at least once what the goal was, what the reasons were, and whether it was something that could have been prevented or foreseen. Bradley Onishi believes that while it may not have been predictable, it was certainly in the air—inevitable. White Christian nationalism is something that has grown over the years, dividing America through its actions.

Having once been a white Christian nationalist himself, Onishi conducted numerous studies, and as some of the elders in his congregation had pointed out early on, the more he read and informed himself, the more his stance began to waver. Gradually, rationality took over what he had spent years believing in, and distancing himself from that church became an "obligatory" step.
Trump, MAGA, and the January 6 attack are just the tip of years of right-wing extremism that has grown and marched forward among Americans, leading to controversial positions and actions that, while unpredictable, have shaken public opinion.

"My elders in the church had always told me that if I read too many books, my brain would railroad my heart and lead me away from the church. Turns out they were right. [...] It became clear to me that the timeless truths we had attributed to the Bible in my church were modern inventions."

A mix between a socio-political essay and a biography, *Preparing for War* is without a doubt a book worth reading, especially in this historical moment, with elections just around the corner and the need to make the most informed choice ever pressing. Understanding, studying, and learning are what this book is all about, as it carefully explains and illustrates a subject that many prefer to ignore.

A full and detailed review will soon be up on my blog.

Thank you, 1517 Media, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Mr. Book just finished Preparing For War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism—and What Comes Next, by Bradley Onishi.

The author was a former christian nationalist who has turned his life around. He is now currently the co-host of the Straight White American Jesus podcast, which speaks out against the movement. I have listened to that occasionally, but since I have way too many podcasts to listen to, as well as audiobooks, I haven’t listened to it that often. After reading this book, I will be listening to that one more often.

The author very early on sums up the problem we are facing in this country with white christian nationalism: “Expressing a desire to overthrow democracy is an extremist position. But it is also now a mainstream one in the United States.” He asserts that, “While Trump’s ascendancy to the presidency and the events following January 6 may have been shocking, they were the outcome of sixty years of Christian nationalist organizing to ‘retake’ the country from those who want to ‘destroy’ it. If the idea that ‘this country needs a dictator’ or the desire to ‘overthrow’ democracy is now mainstream, it is because of the white Christian nationalist organizers, pastors, fundraisers, politicians, and shadow network operatives who have been preparing for war on their own country since the 1960s.” He then successfully proves his case over the course of the book.

The author was one of the few who got this right about Trump. He “was not an imperfect candidate who somehow managed to garner the votes of White Christians. He was the prototype of the candidate White Christians had been searching for since the early 1960s.”

The book did a very good job on the history of the movement, as well as his coverage of today’s time. The chapter on “MAGA Myths” was the strongest of the book.

While the book is about the movement, the author did an outstanding job bringing in his own experiences as a former follower to help make his points.

I give this book an A. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

I originally finished reading this on July 18, 2024.

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