Leonard Zeskind discusses his new book Blood and Politics: The History of the White Nationalist Movement from the Margins to the Mainstream on Wednesday, May 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

The most thorough account to date of white supremacy in America, Blood and Politics traces the political strategies that have propelled neo-Nazi skinheads, Holocaust deniers, militias and other factions into a normative social movement that includes prominent citizens among its leaders. Since the end of the Cold War, Zeskind contends a new white nationalism—most evident among anti-immigrant groups—is inspiring recruitment through predictions that whites will lose their majority status, becoming one minority among many.

Zeskind is a civil-rights activist and lifetime member of the NAACP who currently serves as president of the Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights. He received a so-called "Genius Grant" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1998 for his work over three decades to curb the influence of racism, anti-Semitism, and white supremacist groups. He lives in Kansas City.

Blood and Politics will be available for sale, and the author will sign copies purchased at the event.