BF has copy of Famous Book By a German Man with a Hairy Lip Need Advice

I've read parts of Mein Kampf (history degree) and it's just incredibly spectacularly mind-numbing

Own a copy of a historical text - fine

All the other stuff - why haven’t you ended it already?

Op would you object if your boyfriend had a book by Stalin or Chairman Mao?

As others have said, I don’t think it’s an issue to own the book - it’s something I’ve been meaning to read for a while as I have a curiosity about mass movements where people seem to become unflinchingly brainwashed by one person. Of course I hate the ideology and obviously the author was evil personified.

So while it’s not necessarily weird to own a copy, it is weird to a) brag about it on social media and b) not talk to you for a week after you asked a perfectly reasonable question.

If I owned a copy and someone asked me why, I’d be very quick to explain my reasoning. I certainly wouldn’t want to leave people guessing and wondering if I was a secret Nazi!

Amongst the young

he's recently decided to start bragging about owning it on social media

Unless he’s in the professional area of relevant historical research, that is odd and I would get rid.

Ive read Mein Kampf on the grounds that it's important to know your enemies. Its a terrible piece of writing, but even if it was perfect prose, that wouldn't be the point, would it? Owning a copy is one thing, but bragging is WEIRD. Suggesting that some of Hitler's ideas were good, however, should be enough for you to kick this Neo-nazi muffin out of your family's life for good.

I think it depends on the wording of his social media post. I realise that for anonymity purposes you may not want to share the exact wording. But was it actually expressing support for Hitler's ideas? Or more like bragging in the sense of showing off that he has read a difficult / historical book?

Also its a growing mindset, particularly agains the young. We are making a lot of prevent referrals at the moment for extreme right wing stuff, mostly about Hitler and Jewish people

Not helped by all the P stuff.

Of course the book is the issue.

The book isn't the issue @southoftheeast , he's happy to tell people he owns it but says he won't explain himself to you, basically he's either showing off on SM, which is a bit sad, or he agrees with the book but thinks his nasty views aren't your business. Well it is your business, you don't want people to think you agree do you?

I suggest you read up on ANTIFA. and casually drop it into conversation.

I align with ANTIFA, and before anyone starts, its ANTI FASCIST, that's all it means.

I have the Austrian Corporals book as well, on PDF. As others have said, the writing is terrible, as is Marx etc.

How do you know he admires Hitler OP. Reading a book doesn't necessarily mean that.

How long have you been together? What's your relationship like in general? Do you live together?

Dump him if you can, why risk it? His reply ("i don't need to explain myself"), bragging about the book, giving you the silent treatment- all additional red flags to the book itself.

Also - and I say this as a fellow ND loner - you sound potentially vulnerable to nasty men, for example if he knows you have no one else.

Did you say that you're a Black person or have Black family- if yes, and he really cares about you, it should be obvious to him why you would be offended by the book and want to know why he has it.

To be honest, everything you have said in your post screams red flag. Please put yourself first, get a social safety net of friends so you're not alone, and dump this horrible man.

To be honest unless he’s a historian, even owning it is a step too far. There is no need for anyone to read it, unless it’s for genuine research purposes.

Is he quite young and/or is he ND as well?

I find a some people on the spectrum sort of show off about edgy things, like it makes it sound alternative or clever to know about or own copies of various books/literature that is shocking or anti social. Not necessarily because they believe in the words and belief it sets out (although that cant be discounted) but because it brings a certain outrageous cache with it in the worlds and minds of people who are similar, they dont necessarily understand how that makes them actually look and sounds and possibly dont care either

On the other hand, none of that might apply and he might just be some raging anti semite and all that comes with that.

I'm sure many historians and politicians etc have owned and read this book, as it's important to understand how such a significant political movement came about.
What is concerning is boasting about it and/or subscribing to some of the theories and policies it contains.

OK, if you didn't have any further info on his having it, I'd say check it's not for study purposes, 'know the enemy'. If he's flexing about it online, I'd say there's a big risk he's into redpill edgelord nonsense and Not A Good Person To Be With. It sounds like he thinks he's being Big and Clever and Shocking by having it, though I question if he's ever read it (I don't think it's very well written exactly).

I agree with @QBTheRoundestOfBees that in the current climate particularly it's very dodgy owning it, and even more dodgy he can't discuss it with you and be open with you.

I'm Jewish BTW and a descendent of a Holocaust survivor - any excuse for owning that book other than for comparative study or for historical context while seeing the content as repellant, would not be acceptable. 'Trying to get the other side of the story' or /Trying to be open minded' or anything like is also not acceptable - there is no coming to terms with 'I think classes of people should be exterminated for existing'

FWIW I don't think it should be banned and I am OK with people having it for the right reasons; it is an important historical document, but no one should be seeing it as inspirational.

How do you know he admires Hitler OP. Reading a book doesn't necessarily mean that.

You’re with a neo-Nazi.
One thing to have it if you’re a WW2 historian (even then it would be tenuous), but to brag about it in SM. Well that shows that he wants others to know his disgusting views.

Owning the book is fine, bragging about it is odd.

Whether or not he’s a wrong’un, leaving a voice message to ‘explain your situation and let him know how you feel’ is never a good idea. That is not what voice notes are for. There is nothing worse than seeing a voice note that lasts over a minute which you know is going to come across as moaning and the only way to respond is by trying to remember all the points made and leaving another voice note. Honestly, I wouldn’t respond to that either, because it needs a conversation that isn’t really suited to Christmas morning.

Don’t really understand this.

I have a copy of Mein Kampf, bought it in an interesting secondhand bookshop a few years ago.

Haven’t got around to reading it yet as I imagine it’ll be heavy going.

Husband has taken it on holiday with us a few times as it’s the only time he really gets time to read, but similarly, hadn’t got round to reading it, opting for something lighter.

Neither of us are in any way Nazis, racists or admirers of Hitler.

Yes but as PPs have mentioned its how you approach it that counts. If you own it/read it out of intellectual curiosity its fine: I own copies of Das Kapital and the Koran. I’m not a communist or a Muslim and never will be; I am interested in learning about the perspectives of people who follow the respective ideology or faith. Owning Mein Kampf in this context is one thing.

Owning Mein Kampf not because you are interested in it as a piece of historical artefact but because you want tp plaster comments from it’s author over social media is a whole other ballgame. Particularly if your partner is non white.

This says it all. You cannot possibly stay with him!!!

Bragging about it is strange but I think you’re YABU speaking about it as if you have read way too much Harry Potter. Making books verboten stems from the narrative of totalitarianism/wrongthink.

I have read it, I also own Capital: A Critique of Political Economy and Selected Works of Kim Il-Sung. All very dull but worth reading from historical/political perspective. The last one is unfortunately quite comical in places despite the tragic context.