The Hidden Craze Over Mein Kampf

Last updated on: January 13, 2014 at 10:34 am by Ryan Hoselton

The Hidden Craze Over Mein Kampf 2014-01-13T10:34:07-07:00 Ryan Hoselton

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

‘Mein Kampf’ dust jacket, from the Digital Library of the New York Public Library, via Wikimedia

What do Mein Kampf (written by anti-Semitic dictator Adolf Hitler) and Fifty Shades of Grey (an erotic novel that’s enraptured suburbia women book-clubs) have in common? They are selling way better as e-books. Now that the “Best of 2013” lists are finalized, several voices in the media, from the Los Angeles Times to The Guardian, have found it alarming that Mein Kampf is among the bestsellers of 2013.

Ever since its release in the U.S. in 1939, the sales of Mein Kampf have steadily declined. However, with the recent rise of e-readers, it has made a significant comeback.

The market for Mein Kampf is an excellent example of hidden pop culture. This secretive realm exists in closets and alleyways, under mattresses, tucked in dresser drawers, and now in e-readers. It’s popular culture that isn’t public or open for shared use and enjoyment. While there’s no embarrassment in this society to enter a bookstore to purchase Harry Potter, people would think twice before being seen purchasing Mein Kampf or racy romance novels. Nonetheless, the popular trends and culture that we consume in “private” say just as much about our characters and values as the public ones.

When I was in college, I took a seminar on the theory of history (historiography). The professor had us read a wildly popular racy love story from the Victorian period in England (for the record, it was racy for its time, now it would be somewhere between PG and PG-13). The next week, he asked, “What does this novel say about the culture?”

We all gave answers like “They spent a lot of time in gardens” or “They had large families.” He rephrased the question: “No, what does the fact that this racy novel was a bestseller say about a society that was so conservative on the surface?”

His point was that while most people think of the Victorians as puritanical, there was a hidden level of culture that undermined its moral norms.

Most people today would agree that Hitler’s ideas were morally troublesome; yet there’s a fascination with the mind of a madman — a fascination that we wouldn’t reveal to our neighbor. Some are of course interested in Mein Kampf purely as a political or World War II study, but this accounts for only a small specialized portion of its readers.

The taboo nature of the work is apparently attracting a considerable amount of clandestine and curious readers. I’m not saying that our culture is becoming neo-Nazi, Fascist, or anti-Semitic. My point is simple: What’s popular is not always what is publicly acceptable.

Ever since Adam and Eve, we’ve all been attracted to the forbidden. It embarrasses us, so we cover it with fig leaves, or with Kindles. I’m not saying that reading Mein Kampf on your Kindle is a sin. But we need to be honest with what the hidden fashions of pop culture say about us. What’s in your closet, dresser drawers, or e-reader may say more about you than you like to admit. Maybe you’re crazier than you want people to know!

Previous Post

January 13, 2014

A Life of Two Stories: An Interview with Joshua Kemble

Next Post

January 14, 2014 The Body of Christ, the Balloons of Salvation: On Christian Balloon Twisting

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Asides Elsewhere Featured Film Games General Culture Headline Literature Music Of the Moment Podcast Politics RetroPost Sports Technology Television Uncategorized Viral

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz