Barbara’s Pick
January 2024
A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them
Timothy Egan
Viking Press, April 2, 2023
I love history. Not surprisingly, historical fiction is probably the category I read the most of. The reader can see, based on author notes and bibliographies, how much effort has been taken for any real events to be represented accurately. There is a subclass of superb authors who are able to take historical material, such as court transcripts and newspaper articles, and combine it to create a compelling narrative (think Erik Larson and The Devil in the White City or David Grann for Killers of the Flower Moon or The Wager). Timothy Egan belongs in this class.
I don’t believe I ever knew that the Ku Klux Klan existed anywhere other than the South, as its name was usually paired with lynchings of escaped slaves or impudent teenagers. So, the long descriptive title of this book intrigued me–and then the doings of con man D.C. Stephenson disgusted me. Stephenson was a well-spoken huckster whose life story changed each time he told it. After observing the lifestyle of several Klansmen, he wanted to become part of the organization. He brought membership in the Klan out of the shadows. When powerful men in an Indiana town joined, other citizens would also do so just to curry favor with them. And each member would be expected to buy a robe and other gear, which Stephenson received a cut of.
Stephenson was clever in that he created Klan groups for women and children, and by bribing local clergy with a donation for whatever their pet project was, the reverends would preach the Klan’s virtues from the pulpit–even as the KKK’s doings diverged wildly from Christian values. And unbeknownst to most of his new converts, Stephenson was a serial predator of young women and did reprehensible things that somehow got covered up.
And “the woman who stopped them”? Madge Oberholtzer was a thoroughly modern young woman who traveled cross country alone by auto and lived her life as she pleased. When she first met Stephenson, she didn’t think much of him, but he seemed interested in her work so she maintained a casual friendship. One evening he asked her to come by his house, and she did. She had no idea how awful this decision would be. She made it back to her parents’ house but remained weak. At this point a lawyer was hired to question her as if she were testifying against Stephenson at trial for the attack. After she completed the deposition, she died. Such a pity, but kudos to the family to clear her name and send Stephenson to prison.
This book is compelling and a heart-stopping read in places. I for one will be checking out the author’s other books.