Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan

29 reviews

mcmurdoc97's review

dark informative medium-paced

3.75

A well-written history of a dark time in American history. The book has loads of information, but is written in a digestible manner. 
This story is not one that is taught in schools about 1920s America, but I think it is incredible important to understand this time was not just the Gatsby era as many of us believe. 
The story is also a triumph of the judicial system, especially considering the opinions of the highest court around this time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Death, Antisemitism, Toxic relationship, Murder, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Racism, Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Torture, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, and Hate crime

rfendrich's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Racism, Rape, and Suicide

kschuster's review

challenging emotional informative slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Racism, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Antisemitism, Violence, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Cursing, Kidnapping, Torture, and Suicide attempt

A must-read for those wanting to learn about the foundations of America and systemic racism. The power and threat of group thinking as well as the power of one voice brave enough to go against the status quo.

kellysbookverse's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Death, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Violence, and Racism

Moderate: Suicide, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Drug use, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Kidnapping

snipinfool's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

5.0

Timothy Egan wrote a gripping book about one of the darkest times in American history. The time was the 1920s and the KKK was rising from the dead. Men worried that the white, protestant standards they felt the country stood for would be corrupted by the influx of immigrants. In Michigan, the man leading the recruitment was D. C. Stephenson. Stephenson was very good at focusing his message to target people's fears. People were told that the KKK stood for God, family values, and the purity of the white race. He was one of the best salesman around and used it to his advantage to become rich and politically powerful. 

Stephenson became so powerful that he often bragged that he could commit a crime and not be charged. He threw lavish parties featuring alcohol (during prohibition), naked women, and other activities counter to what Klan said it stood for. Stephenson also had a little known history of being sexually abusive to women. The women he assaulted often didn't go to the police because they police were frequently friends of Stephenson or they feared what the trial would do to their lives. Stephenson was finally brought down when he kidnapped a young woman named Madge Oberholtzer. Her subsequent death and the trial for her murder ended up bringing the KKK down as well.

I read this book for a book club and it was a very difficult read. I had to take a lot of reading breaks because I would get too angry to focus on the content. Egan researched the story thoroughly. He dedicated forty-seven pages at the end for photos, references, and an index. As horrible as the content of this book was, it was very well written. The chapters were well laid out and followed a natural progression. I saw many parallels to what happened during this time and current times. Those seeking power will always try to manipulate people's fears to bend them toward their malicious plans. Unfortunately, there are those who will follow and turn a blind eye to what is before them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicide, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Racism, Sexual content, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Misogyny, Police brutality, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Gaslighting, Infidelity, Misogyny, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse

k_lee_reads_it's review

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

3.5

A story of a horrible man and a horrible chapter of American history.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Blood, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Cursing, Bullying, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Suicide attempt

knenigans's review

4.75

Important. Very triggering for victims of sexual violence. Devastating to see that 100 years later we still treat rape victims exactly the same.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Rape, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

relf's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

4.25

This history of the rise and fall of the Ku Klux Klan focuses on the harrowing story of D. C. Stevenson, Grand Dragon of the KKK in Indiana, and Madge Oberholtzer, a teacher who died after a brutal sexual attack by Stevenson. The takeover of the government and economy of the state by a racist hate group run by a criminal con man holds all too many parallels to current events. Stevenson's predations make really difficult reading--or listening, as I heard the author's own narration--but the bravery of Madge Oberholtzer, the prosecutors, witnesses, and jurors in Stevenson's trial, and the newspaper reporters and publishers who wrote honestly about him all give hope that sane voices can eventually be heeded.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Rape, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcohol

rei_reads's review

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Sexual violence, Racism, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Physical abuse, Medical content, Suicide, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Xenophobia

Minor: Vomit

vireogirl's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Such a sad time in America’s history. I learned lots I wasn’t aware of. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Murder, Racial slurs, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Alcohol, Classism, Gore, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Suicide, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Violence, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts