James Lower (1) (1949–)

Lower does a wonderful job of setting the scene here. Donegal comes to life and you get to know the characters. He shows you their lives and makes the story not just about the Klan but about the people. By showing their past was well as the present he gives context and depth to them. You get to live with these people for a while and that makes the story a much more personal one. I like that he does not focus on the Klan to the exclusion of all the other issues and problems in these show more people’s lives. The Klan is part of the story but it is very much a story about the people of Donegal. It is also an interesting look at the Ku Klux Klan itself. It is an insidious force that starts to take over the town making promises that sound good and claiming to believe in moral values. In a time when times are hard, where the people are scraping by and they have come through so much already it can almost make you understand why people are drawn to the promises that the Klan gives but without ever making excuses for them. And knowing the history and the strength of the people you can also see why some have the need to stand and fight to save the town no matter what. There is enough tension to keep you wanting to know more and enough suspense to keep you guessing and enough of a twist at the end to surprise you. The fact that it is based on real events just makes it that much more interesting. show less

A friend recommended this book to me. It's a quick read with a great, and surprising twist to the plot. What caught my intrigue was how the book showed a different perspective on the kkk than what I grew up with in Indiana. I was well aware of the klan from a distance, and even ran across some of their "work" as late as the 1970s (sad to say). But not until I read this book did I realize what this secret organization was really about.

Based on a true story, and with a bit of Irish humor, the show more author writes about his uncle's unfortunate dealings with the klan. I'd like my teenager to read this book. And your too, for that matter. It would be great required reading at school. show less