Jeffrey Hart, in a 1975 "National Review" article, mocked the rejection of the novel by critics, deriding them as "respectable, comfortable reviewers", and lauded the book in those terms: "in freer and more intelligent circles in Europe, the book is a sensation and Raspail is a prize-winner [...] his plot is both simple and brilliant." Syndicated columnist Garry Wills condemned the embrace of the novel by the "more 'respectable' channels" of American right-wing media, including Hart, drawing parallels between the "racial implications" of the book and the "National Review"s "overtly racist analysis" of school integration efforts. "Kirkus Reviews" compared the novel to "Mein Kampf." In 1983, Linda Chavez called the novel "a sickening book", describing it as "racist, xenophobic and paranoid."