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A review by sgrizzle
A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
4.25
"The Klan had been so influential at the 1924 national conventions of both Democrats and Republicans that Time magazine had put Imperial Wizard Hiram Wesley Evans on the cover, and dubbed the GOP gathering the 'Kleveland Konvention.' The Klan got most of what it wanted at both national party meetings."
We have absolutely memory-holed the massive influence that the Ku Klux Klan had in America. Truly, it was seen at its height as a lovely, patriotic, GODLY organization, and its power at every level of society- Ku Klux Kiddies!- was beyond anything we could picture. This book sheds a light on what has been hidden away, holding up the state of Indiana as one of the strongholds of the Klan, and told through the story of how one trial was key in taking the Klan down there. I didn't realize how powerful it was outside of the Deep South, and so many details in this story blew my mind.
Its written in a pretty accessible way, straightforward, while still being thoroughly researched (there is an extensive Notes section) and while it is graphic in parts, I didn't find it bombastic. I could have used a list of people featured for quick reference because there were a lot of names, but it wasn't difficult to follow.
I've heard criticism that it was written for white people, and I think that's fair. It feels clear that it is meant to shock people and to make them think about how their families may be connected, which is something that Black people already know. Also the story is centered on the head of the Klan in Indiana and a white woman who he assaulted, and while there are mentions of Black, Jewish, and other Americans who resisted, they are definitely not centered. I read this for the Sharon McMahon book club where it is paired with The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, and I'm eager to consider the juxtaposition of how the two books were framed. I don't think the framing here means it is a bad book, or that this specific story shouldn't be told, but I do think it should inform who is the right audience for it, and that readers should not stop here.
We have absolutely memory-holed the massive influence that the Ku Klux Klan had in America. Truly, it was seen at its height as a lovely, patriotic, GODLY organization, and its power at every level of society- Ku Klux Kiddies!- was beyond anything we could picture. This book sheds a light on what has been hidden away, holding up the state of Indiana as one of the strongholds of the Klan, and told through the story of how one trial was key in taking the Klan down there. I didn't realize how powerful it was outside of the Deep South, and so many details in this story blew my mind.
Its written in a pretty accessible way, straightforward, while still being thoroughly researched (there is an extensive Notes section) and while it is graphic in parts, I didn't find it bombastic. I could have used a list of people featured for quick reference because there were a lot of names, but it wasn't difficult to follow.
I've heard criticism that it was written for white people, and I think that's fair. It feels clear that it is meant to shock people and to make them think about how their families may be connected, which is something that Black people already know. Also the story is centered on the head of the Klan in Indiana and a white woman who he assaulted, and while there are mentions of Black, Jewish, and other Americans who resisted, they are definitely not centered. I read this for the Sharon McMahon book club where it is paired with The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, and I'm eager to consider the juxtaposition of how the two books were framed. I don't think the framing here means it is a bad book, or that this specific story shouldn't be told, but I do think it should inform who is the right audience for it, and that readers should not stop here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Antisemitism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence