Ed's Reviews > A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them

I can't really do this book justice with this review as I had a bit of major life interruption in the middle of it which made me quit it for a week+ and then really having a hard time picking it back up -- despite it being a shocking, propulsive, and interesting read it's just difficult to pick up the book about the KKK when your mind is scattered, ha!

But if you are interested in American history and looking for a slice of it you are very likely not familiar with (I most certainly was not), this book is for you. It tells of the stranglehold of the KKK, largely in the hands of one man, in Indiana... yes, I said INDIANA. Now I was not naive in thinking/knowing that the KKK existed outside the Deep South, I was just shocked by the extent of it. Author Timothy Egan states the largest KKK memberships were in Indiana, Colorado, and Oregon. Shocking, right? And I kind of hate to blow this surprise (again, to me) revelation that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish only added in the "Fighting" part thanks to actual physical clashes with the KKK! I know! And of course, the KKK were railing against not only Black Americans, but also Catholic and immigrant populations -- all in their battle to keep America pure and great. Sound familiar? And there's more ... I promise.

So while the first half is this history of sorts of the KKK in America and again specifically in Indiana, the second part turns into a courtroom drama. I'll leave that unspoiled, tho Egan's subtitle pretty much gives that away, but it's a very interesting the case that ultimately diminishes the power and reach of the KKK that was threatening to take over the country. Again, all very depressing given that history is very much repeating itself in this current political climate -- and much like the KKK back in the 1920s they did not feel the need to hide behind hoods in attempt to grasp power and political control.

Highly recommended. Landing at an unofficial 4.5 stars -- as this is definitely 5-star history and historical revelations but landing at a Goodreads 4-stars overall experience due to 'real life' interfering with my attention span and interest level at times - again, absolutely no fault to Egan or this book.