Notre Dame Vs. the Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan

Rating:
Summary: Pretty darn good, but I'd rather read history
Review: In my opinion, this book rates 4 stars because it deals with an interesting topic, and deals with it in what appears to be a more honest fashion than other so-called historical novels. In fact, I dare say that the book would have been more interesting had it been written as a sober history.
To my mind, the author, though villifying the Indiana Klan leader, was very easy on the organization as a whole. Maybe he's right -- maybe they are simply yokels who are not even worthy of contempt. But I'm surprised that anyone -- especially a Catholic -- would not be more offended by the Klan and the conditions which gave rise to it. (For that matter, I'm surprised that a Catholic would refer to The Catholic Church as the author did not once, but twice -- as a "denomination".
But then perhaps I'm too easily surprised. The author wrote a pretty darn good book. I hope he does a sequel on contemporary anti-Catholicism.

Rating:
Summary: Fills In The Blanks
Review: I enjoyed this book immensely. While focusing on a little known event in the Catholic experience in America, it actually filled in the blanks on the history of the Ku Klux Klan. I did know that at one time the Klan controlled politics in Indiana, but I was always curious as to how these yokels took over a Northern state. Mr. Tucker does a great job in expressing the emotions and attitudes of 1920's Indiana and probably much of America at that time. This is a great book for anyone interested in Catholic history, US history, and the history of hate groups in the United States. This book is a good read.

Rating:
Summary: About more than prejudice
Review: If I had not been familiar with the author of this book, then I might not have picked it up. After reading it, I can assure you that would have been my loss.

As the title indicates, this book is about the obvious: prejudice. But it is about so much more than that, including power, self-doubt, greed, salesmanship, vulnerability and belonging, just to name some of the weighty matters discussed here. These themes resonate far beyond the time and place of this historic conflict between Notre Dame students and the Ku Klux Klan.

The author is not heavy handed. Whether describing Father Matthew Walsh or Klansman D.C. Stephenson, he spends more time trying to understand his characters than judging them.

Thankfully, in my opinion, this does not read like a history text. It's clear that a lot of painstaking research was involved in the project. The author, however, provides just enough background for the context of the unfolding events without ever interfering with the story. He also makes it all relevant today by sharing his own personal experiences with us.

I was most impressed with the vivid imagery the author employed. I could easily visualize all the pageantry of a Klan picnic, complete with jugglers and marching bands. Similarly, I could almost feel the exact moment at which the youthful exuberance of the Notre Dame students turned to fear as the two groups clashed on the streets of South Bend.

Whether you are Catholic or Protestant - from Middle America or New York City - this book has something for you. It is an easy read. It transitions nicely between places, people and events, while always building nicely toward a frenetic ending. Reading this book is like watching a fuse burn all the way down until the inevitable explosion happens.

Don't make the mistake I almost made. Be sure to pick it up.



Rating:
Summary: Well told story of a little known event.
Review: In 1924 the Klu Klux Klan was the largest and most powerful organization in Indiana. It boasted 350,000 members, one out of every three white men in the state. Among the many groups hated by the Klan was the Catholic church, whom they hated and feared because they were seen an aliens in a Protestant America.

On May 17th, thousands of Klansmen converged on South Bend with the intention of terrorizing the students of Notre Dame. A riot developed between the Klan and the students with the students eventually gaining the upper hand. This was the climax of the Klan's existence.

Within little more than a year, D. C. Stephenson the head of the Klan in Indiana was convicted of murder. From prison he engineered the release of documents that detailed the close relationship the Klan had with various elected officials, many of whom wound up in prison. Within another year membership in the Klan had fallen to 15,000. ==This book is well written, making the historical events come alive with his excellent characterizations of the key players and fast moving story.

Rating:
Summary: A story worth telling
Review: Todd Tucker's new book, "Notre Dame vs. The Klan" is one of those efforts that reports an incident in American history and helps to broaden its larger scope in the process. In doing so, the author has enlightened his readers as to what the climate might have been like in Indiana in 1924.

Tucker gives a decent overview of the Klan's history and gives a more fascinating look at the emerging prominence of Notre Dame. This book would be an ideal primer for Notre Dame students (one of my former students plays on the current Notre Dame football squad) and to that end, I think this book has merit. However, linking the Notre Dame incident and the Klan's demise is more than a bit of a stretch. Historical novels tend to see things in a more readable light but even given the author's admission of creating a narrative of his own, I commend his efforts.