The Rage and the Pride

The cover of the American edition of The Rage and the Pride

The Rage and the Pride (La Rabbia e l’Orgoglio in Italian) is a book written in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks by the late Italian journalist and author Oriana Fallaci. It questions stated tenets of Islam and its practices, condemns totalitarian forces bent on destroying liberal Western society and civilisation, and rails against apathy regarding the immediate threat posed by Islamic fundamentalism. Fallaci's book was originally a series of articles written for the national Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The book has been a bestseller in Italy and Europe, where it has sold over 1.5 million copies.

Reception

The book was popular with many, especially in Italy. Some reviewers, however, found it excessive. Christopher Hitchens, himself a vocal critic of Islam, described it in a review for the Atlantic Monthly as "a sort of primer in how not to write about Muslims" and noted that it resembled earlier anti-Semitic texts depicting Jews as vermin. Michael Ledeen commended Fallaci’s "wonderful way with words" and called the book "terrific".^[1]

References