A Fever in the Heartland

A book about what happens when a society recovering after a war and a pandemic is taken over by explicit and unashamed white supremacist thugs who worship a con man who thinks no rules apply to him and that he can do whatever he wants. This is a great book and I wish every American could read it and be warned … Egan knows how to write a page-turner.

Left you wanting a follow up book like “They Thought They Were Free” — an exploration of how the people of Indiana wrestled with having been part of a mass psychosis after the fever broke. We see now that, as Indiana was thought to be the Alabama of the North in the 1920s, it’s the Alabama of the north again today - deeply deeply in thrall to MAGA instead of its ancestor, the KKK.

An incredibly story of the bravery of a woman who should not have had to be brave or give her life to take down such a terrible person

Nothing ever changes

Super informative and detached in a way that drives in the evil of what was happening at the time. Horrifying, horrible, stomach-churning. This contextualized a lot of socio-anthropological work I did on early American immigration bills, among other things.

Although the book tells an incredibly important story, it leaves one with the impression that the KKK died in Indiana as a result of the case it describes. The Klan may have been wounded, but not mortally so, to Indiana's shame. Still, this is an important read that reminds one of MAGA tactics today and the disgusting behavior of certain narcissistic Republican politicians.

The content is interesting and the narrative is structured well. But I find Egan's writing irritating and I don't think I'll be reading any other books of his on purpose.

Very timely of Timothy Egan to release a book that centers around an evil, narcissistic bigot who fumed publicly that his trial for murder was a “witch hunt.” Also extremely relevant to cover events that happened almost exactly a century ago when the Ku Klux Klan and their white supremacy principles had enormous political power, especially in midwestern states like Indiana. Surely that couldn't happen in 2023 (insert your own MAGA, QAnon, or Proud Boys comparison here)!The title of the book is largely misleading, however; although one woman did contribute to David Stephenson's conviction and downfall, she did so with her dying declaration after he raped and savaged her. There's no Girl Power story here, only a horrifyingly detailed description of her long ordeal of painful abuse. As always, Egan's writing is compelling and his research comprehensive. A Fever in the Heartland didn't wow me in the same way as [b:The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl 40961608 The Worst Hard Time The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl Timothy Egan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532715955l/40961608.SX50.jpg 3222858]. Perhaps it was easier to read about nature's power to cause widespread death and destruction than it is to be reminded that human beings are capable of doing the same, and worse.