A Fever in the Heartland

The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them

By: Timothy Egan

Narrated by: Timothy Egan

Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

"With meticulous detective work, Timothy Egan shines a light on one of the most sinister chapters in American history—how a viciously racist movement, led by a murderous conman, rose to power in the early twentieth century. A Fever in the Heartland is compelling, powerful, and profoundly resonant today."—David Grann, author of THE WAGER and KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

A historical thriller by the Pulitzer and National Book Award-winning author that tells the riveting story of the Klan's rise to power in the 1920s, the cunning con man who drove that rise, and the woman who stopped them.

The Roaring Twenties—the Jazz Age—has been characterized as a time of Gatsby frivolity. But it was also the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure, and took radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson.

Stephenson was a magnetic presence whose life story changed with every telling. Within two years of his arrival in Indiana, he’d become the Grand Dragon of the state and the architect of the strategy that brought the group out of the shadows–their message endorsed from the pulpits of local churches, spread at family picnics and town celebrations. Judges, prosecutors, ministers, governors and senators across the country all proudly proclaimed their membership. But at the peak of his influence, it was a seemingly powerless woman–Madge Oberholtzer–who would reveal his secret cruelties, and whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees.

A FEVER IN THE HEARTLAND marries a propulsive drama to a powerful reckoning with one of the darkest threads in American history.

Photo courtesy of The Indiana Album: Evan Finch Collection.

©2023 Timothy Egan (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Powerful . . . As a narrative, “A Fever in the Heartland” is gripping; as a rumination on the moral obscenity of white supremacy — whatever guises it wears — the book is damning.” —The New York Times Book Review

"With meticulous detective work, Timothy Egan shines a light on one of the most sinister chapters in American history—how a viciously racist movement, led by a murderous conman, rose to power in the early twentieth century. A Fever in the Heartland is compelling, powerful, and profoundly resonant today." —David Grann, author of The Wager and Killers of the Flower Moon

"Egan has done it again, mastering another complicated American story with authority and surprising detail. The Klan here are not the nightriders of the late 19th century, but a retooled special interest group and unusually potent political power. The influence they wielded over states and policy should put a chill in every American. Bravo.” —Ken Burns

Outstanding

Should be required reading in all Indiana schools, and other states too. Like Ohio & Illinois, 2
other states with the largest 1920s KKK membership. Racism is not just a southern US phenomenon. It wasn’t in the 1920s. And it isn’t today.

A Must Read

If you have any interest in the past, and its influence on the present, read this book. Born and raised in Indiana, the subtleness of unrest and political power observed in youth becomes clearer when listening to this story.

Gender & Racial Equality is our answer.

We can reach a peaceful nation when only truths in our history are learned. This is why so many ruthless work to suppress it. Confident and kind men and women together must work to educate us all. Enthralling history like these stories will bring us together not apart.

A book everyone should read.

I found this book deeply disturbing and important to know about. It sounds horribly familiar with what’s happening in our country today: hatred of the other.

Great and important read

Tim Egan does it again , this book could have been written about contemporary times worth the read,

An American History Essental

Wonderful historical account of the rise and “fall” of the KKK organization in Indiana. I would have liked to learn a bit more about the efforts on other northern and western states to copy the political and religious “success” (corruption) of the Indiana Klan. This would be helpful to better understand today’s political landscape in some of those states. Fascinating to learn the origins of that photo of the lynching. I had seen that many times, but didn’t know it was from Indiana or that there was a third person that survived this legalized lawlessness.

Excellent writing.

The audio book would be better in presentation if read by a professional. The subject and writing are excellent.

Fabulous and Disturbing

The book itself is fantastic- informative, accessibly written, and gripping. The narration is passable- not bad enough to make me quit the book, but the random pauses did often make me feel like I was listening to the history of the KKK as told by William Shatner.

You can’t make up this stuff.

A gripping true tale, offering a sobering glimpse into the dark side of American society. Egan demonstrates how a violent sociopathic con-man stoked the nativist, racist, and religious intolerance of “respectable” citizens frightened by a rapidly changing world. Well researched, fast paced, and solidly narrated by the author. A great book for anyone interested in the dynamics of American culture and threats to our democracy.

He’s the best.

This is a great contribution to the historical literature on the Ku Klux Klan. Chilling parallels between DC Stevenson and one of today’s leading politicians.