Galen A. Grimes

In modern times, Eric Hoffer is perhaps one of the greatest examples of how education can affect and change a person. Though he did not obtain formal education he was considered one of the most widely read men of the twentieth century. His education came from public libraries in California, during his years working as a migrant farm worker and as a longshoreman.The True Believer, his first book and in his opinion his best work, has been hailed as a landmark text that explains the nature of human behavior in relationship to mass movements either political, religious, or social. It remains a means of better understanding many of the mass movements, we are confronting today both domestically and internationally. It has given me a better understanding of mass movements, both those that I have closely observed and those currently making the news, and it is an understanding I hope to impart to my students.