Hello my lovely readers!
Wow...this book. It was a tough read, but I could not put it down. Let's get into it!
SYNOPSIS
The Roaring Twenties--the Jazz Age--has been characterized as a time of Gatsby frivolity. But it was also the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure, and took radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson.
Stephenson was a magnetic presence whose life story changed with every telling. Within two years of his arrival in Indiana, he’d become the Grand Dragon of the state and the architect of the strategy that brought the group out of the shadows – their message endorsed from the pulpits of local churches, spread at family picnics and town celebrations. Judges, prosecutors, ministers, governors and senators across the country all proudly proclaimed their membership. But at the peak of his influence, it was a seemingly powerless woman – Madge Oberholtzer – who would reveal his secret cruelties, and whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees.
The Roaring Twenties--the Jazz Age--has been characterized as a time of Gatsby frivolity. But it was also the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure, and took radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson.
Stephenson was a magnetic presence whose life story changed with every telling. Within two years of his arrival in Indiana, he’d become the Grand Dragon of the state and the architect of the strategy that brought the group out of the shadows – their message endorsed from the pulpits of local churches, spread at family picnics and town celebrations. Judges, prosecutors, ministers, governors and senators across the country all proudly proclaimed their membership. But at the peak of his influence, it was a seemingly powerless woman – Madge Oberholtzer – who would reveal his secret cruelties, and whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees.
MY THOUGHTS
I went into this book completely blind. I saw the title and thought, "This sounds interesting...let's dive in!"
I went into this book completely blind. I saw the title and thought, "This sounds interesting...let's dive in!"
I thought it'd be about a logical, methodical, tactical takedown of the Ku Klux Klan by some cute, Midwestern woman. Boy, was I wrong!
A rape and murder is what led to the downfall of the KKK in the Midwest and ultimately stopped them from spreading across the U.S. Madge Oberholtzer's life and death was tough to read. Since I knew nothing about her or D.C. Stephenson, I kept wondering why (up until she was introduced) the author kept bringing up Stephenson's reputation of beating his wives and deserting them. After finishing the book, I understand.
D.C. Stephenson was cannibalistic, hateful, racist, abusive scum. Yet, he was incredibly powerful. He really was the "law of Indiana." He practically owned the Indiana government, legislators, police departments and everything else in between. It was truly terrifying to read.
I couldn't help but see so many parallels to what is happening today. With Madge's dying declaration and accusation, it opened the floodgates for more women who encountered Stephenson to speak out (hello, #MeToo). Stephenson operated on a "100 percent American" campaign with the KKK (hello, America First). Stephenson was an unelected official that essentially ran the state's government and was close to running the U.S. government (hello, Elon Musk). The KKK claimed to be a "Christian" organization that was enacted to protect America and have wholesome values, only to have disgusting, obviously racist, hypocritical men as representatives. It just goes to show that history repeats itself. All of this happened in the 1920s and here we are 100 years later experiencing the same thing.
I will say that even though I knew the KKK was awful, this book showed they were more awful than I ever imagined.
Timothy Egan really put his foot in this book. The writing was superb and as I said before, even though it was a tough read, I really couldn't put it down. Madge, you did not die in vain.
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