GHOSTS OF THE CONFEDERACY
Campbell Bartoletti,
Susan. They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group. NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.
Print.
ISBN 978-0-618-44037-7
Hardcover, $19.00
176 pages
176 pages
***AWARDS AND HONORS***
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| Cover Artwork Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2010 |
ANNOTATION
This
gripping and heartfelt non-fiction account of the Ku Klux Klan and its social detriment documents the history of the
group in the Reconstruction aftermath of the United States Civil War. The author confronts sociopolitical history
through firsthand accounts of the times and a wide range of rare imagery.
BOOK REVIEW
Most
fictional horror stories don’t come anywhere near the level of real-life terror
captured in this graphic historical account of the rise of America’s most infamous
hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The
Birth of an American Terrorist Group traces the early developments of a post-Civil
War secret society as it quickly spread beyond Tennessee like a cureless
disease within just a few short years. As early as 1866, the club’s bigoted pranks and mysticism gave rise to a
White supremacist culture of mass violence, humiliation, oppression, and death
across the American South—all at a time when the country was divided between Northern
Republican Yankees (who were liberal) and Southern Democrat Confederates (who were far
more conservative). The Ku Klux Klan
systematically preyed on the social weaknesses of freed Black slaves and White
sympathizers through violent and often deadly tactics, laying the groundwork
for current-day White-supremacy organizations (including the persistent Klan,
itself). This non-fiction masterpiece is
an essential addition to any mature teen’s reading list.
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| Title Page Artwork Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2010 |
Susan
Campbell Bartoletti presents a gripping and heartfelt exhibition of sociopolitical
history; fascinating firsthand accounts of the times; and a wide range of rare illustrations
and photographs to deliver her message. The facts are totally gut-wrenching, and the author weaves together varied
tales of one of America’s most significant atrocities in a highly-effective
way. Be sure to read all the way through
the final pages of the “Bibliography and Source Notes,” where Campbell
Bartoletti recounts her risky research methods, including attendance at a
modern-day Klan Congress retreat in the backwoods of Arkansas. The enduring legacy and influence of the Ku
Klux Klan is alarming: “Of all the
speeches I heard…one haunts me more than the others. ‘We are planting thousands of seeds among
high school students,’ said a Klanswoman who had traveled from Kentucky. ‘We don’t need robes…a silent majority in
America agrees with us” (168). Hopefully, the true silent
majority will turn out to be the many informed readers of this aching account
of America’s sad-but-true history filled with hatred, violence, and the
ultimate search for peace.
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RELATED RESOURCES (COOL STUFF)
>>> Check out the book trailer...
>>> Check out this interview with author Susan Campbell Bartoletti...
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