A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them (Unabridged)
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4.5 • 161 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
"With meticulous detective work, Timothy Egan shines a light on one of the most sinister chapters in American history—how a viciously racist movement, led by a murderous conman, rose to power in the early twentieth century. A Fever in the Heartland is compelling, powerful, and profoundly resonant today." -- David Grann, author of THE WAGER and KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
A historical thriller by the Pulitzer and National Book Award-winning author that tells the riveting story of the Klan's rise to power in the 1920s, the cunning con man who drove that rise, and the woman who stopped them.
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.
A FEVER IN THE HEARTLAND marries a propulsive drama to a powerful and page-turning reckoning with one of the darkest threads in American history.
Photo courtesy of The Indiana Album: Evan Finch Collection.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This is a true David-and-Goliath story about one brave woman who took down the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana. Timothy Egan’s stellar work of nonfiction traces the rise of David C. Stephenson, who led the Klan in the Midwest following the tumult of World War I. And it introduces us to Madge Oberholtzer, a government worker and victim of Stephenson’s violence, who courageously gave the testimony that ended his reign of terror. Egan’s storytelling is gripping and evocative as he describes the terrifying power the Klan amassed across America in the 1920s, going so far as to push ideologies like eugenics and forced sterilizations into law. Even more memorable, though, is the way Egan highlights the humanity of the story’s incredible real-life heroine, drawing attention to Oberholtzer’s incredible bravery with his strident narration. We will never forget the name Madge Oberholtzer—and we’ll be telling all our friends to listen to this fascinating piece of history.
Customer Reviews
Shocking and a Warning for Now
I had never heard of DC Stevenson before listening to this book. It’s another example of how critical history has been erased. DC makes our current orange want-a-be Mussolini look like a saint. I highly recommend this book to everyone who cares about America.
Outstanding
As Ken Burns said, history does not always repeat, but it sure rhymes.
This is a cautionary tale relevant in today’s enviornment.
Chilling
The more I read the more I’m sure I had a horrible high school education