Dynamite Nashville

Unmasking the FBI, the KKK, and the Bombers Beyond Their Control

By: Betsy T. Phillips

Narrated by: Hannah Cabell

New evidence in Dynamite Nashville uncovers the origin of an organized group of racist terrorists committing nationwide acts of violence against integration efforts in the late 1950's and early 1960s. Award winning historian Betsy Phillips not only paints a detailed picture of the social dynamic of the times, but details how a violent fringe of racists came to national prominence. In Dynamite Nashville, Phillips unmasks the KKK, reveals a racist terrorist network, names its principle leader, and shines a much needed historical spotlight on unsung civil rights hero Z. Alexander Looby.

Just as Nashville was where Civil Rights icons began, Nashville is where one of the country's most prominent organizations of racist terrorists formed. Members of The Confederate Underground would participate in least twenty bombings between 1957 and 1963. In Dynamite Nashville, Phillips revisits three unsolved Nashville bombings. Additionally, her research shows how the differing agendas of local police and the FBI allowed these bombers to escape prosecution until decades later, if at all. Dynamite Nashville is a prequel to the racist violence of the 1960s, the story of how these bombers came together to learn how to terrorize communities, and to escape any meaningful justice. It is also the story of how communities and heroes like Z. Alexander Looby pushed back.

©2024 Betsy Phillips (P)2024 Tantor Media

fascinating story, told well

Phillips nails some really nuanced, important things about these historical crimes in a way that’s spectacular. It’s riveting to see so clearly why earlier investigators (and Nashville white culture) were derailed, and how something as simple as a charming old lady is not simple at all.

Part 1?

This story shows us a spiderweb but (as of 2025) but can't show us the true spider. Hopefully one day the world will get a part 2 and resolution. My favorite part is how the author refers to the City of Nashville as "We". In the end this is a book about pride.