Black Klansman

Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigations of a Lifetime

By: Ron Stallworth

Narrated by: Ron Stallworth

Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

The number-one New York Times best seller!

This extraordinary true story, read by the author, is the basis for the Academy Award-winning film BlacKkKlansman, written and directed by Spike Lee, produced by Jordan Peele, and starring John David Washington and Adam Driver.

When detective Ron Stallworth, the first Black detective in the history of the Colorado Springs Police Department, comes across a classified ad in the local paper asking for all those interested in joining the Ku Klux Klan to contact a PO box, Detective Stallworth does his job and responds with interest, using his real name while posing as a White man. He figures he’ll receive a few brochures in the mail, maybe even a magazine, and learn more about a growing terrorist threat in his community.

A few weeks later the office phone rings, and the caller asks Ron a question he thought he’d never have to answer: “Would you like to join our cause?” This is 1978, and the KKK is on the rise in the United States. Its Grand Wizard, David Duke, has made a name for himself, appearing on talk shows and in major magazine interviews preaching a “kinder” Klan that wants nothing more than to preserve a heritage and to restore a nation to its former glory.

Ron answers the caller’s question that night with a yes, launching what is surely one of the most audacious and incredible undercover investigations in history. Ron recruits his partner, Chuck, to play the "White" Ron Stallworth while Stallworth himself conducts all subsequent phone conversations. During the months-long investigation, Stallworth sabotages cross burnings, exposes white supremacists in the military, and even befriends David Duke himself.

Black Klansman is an amazing true story that unfolds like a crime thriller and a searing portrait of a divided America and the extraordinary heroes who dare to fight back.

©2014 Ron Stallworth (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Just had to listen to this tale!

How Ron Stallworth and the other investigators managed to pull off this undercover caper in the late 1970s is intriguing. The author weaves in some personalities from Colorado's history and offers both amusing and stressful situations encountered in this investigation. It is undoubtedly disappointing that the photograph with David Duke had been misplaced--it could have been made into a poster or offered to the state historical society or something. Some listeners may want to change from the standard play speed to 1.25 or 1.5 to get a better narration pace. There are a few points of opinion or analysis in the comparison with current events of about 2018 that may not have been necessary for the book and may be objectionable to some listeners, but probably only a very few paragraphs. Sure had a couple of good laughs with parts of the story.

Amazing contribution to history

The film is fantastic and well worth seeing, but once it completed I wanted to know the story. Stallworth outlines his work and reasons in clear, concise, well considered manner. Hearing his own voice conveying his book is a bonus. He appreciates the strange and absurd features of his effort even as he provided valuable details to his colleagues. He diffused actions quietly and his community benefited from his work. The book offers a richer view of the slice of this man's life.

Great story

Great book, the only reason for the 4 star is that the author is not a voice actor, so the reading could have been better, though, I feel I’d rather have the person who lived through an event read about it than actor who did not. Amazing story.

interesting story,

narrator gave good story, but goes off topic from story a lot with history lesson, which I'm not interested in.

Great story / less impressed with reader

This is a great story- fascinating! It is read by the author however, and he is less than dynamic. I would be interested to hear it read by an actor to see if it was better. I think there is a great story here! Just needs some pep.

Great Narration!

Provided wonderful background and context that was not in the movie. Listening to the author, this American hero, first hand, was a treat!

Captivating

After watching the film, I learned it was based off a first hand account by the man himself - Ron Stallworth. Ron relaying his accounts gives a unique aspect/insight, mainly because he conveyed himself that he couldn't believe how much he infiltrated the Klan. A recommended read for any fan of history, and how deep the dark side of our society reaches.

Crazy...this happened!

Great book on about an investigation that could have gone further if the powers in charge didn’t stop it. The movie stays true to this story.

Better than the movie

This book is so much better than the movie. It is believable and it holds our attention. So glad I read the book before I saw the movie.

Darkly funny and incredibly timely

This book is remarkable and the fact that it's narrated by the author who lived the events offers even more weight than the book already had. The fact that it's also written with a bit of hindsight allows the author to show in which ways we've improved and the ways that we've failed to advance with the times.

#CivilRightsMovement #Crime