Review: They Called Themselves The K.K.K by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

*So I know that my blog does not say that I am reading this book, I just found it at the library and found it different then anything I have seen in the teen section so I just had to read it.*



Summary

With those words, six restless young men raided the linens at a friend’s mansion in 1866. They pulled white sheets over their heads, hopped on horses, and cavorted through the streets of Pulaski, Tennessee. Soon, the six friends named their club the Ku Klux Klan and began patterning their initiations after fraternity rites, with passwords and mysterious handshakes. All too quickly, this club would grow into the self-proclaimed “Invisible Empire,” with secret dens spread across the South. On their brutal raids, the nightriders would claim to be ghosts of Confederate soldiers and would use psychological and physical terror against former slaves who dared to vote, own land, attend school, or worship as they pleased.
This is the story of how a secret terrorist group took root in America’s democracy. Filled with chilling and vivid personal accounts unearthed from oral histories, congressional documents, and other primary sources, this is a book to read and remember.

My Take

Well, i was at my library and I saw this book in the "new section" in the teen portion of the library.  I have never seen anything like this their so I just had to read it. I thought this book was very interesting, I learned alot of new things. The story talks about the Civil War, black history and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan. The book was very easy to read. It contained Pictures, a time line of the Civil War history, and actual interviews of people that lived during this era. i didnt think of this book as a boring history lesson. I was actually intrigued by the events that took place. The author added pictures and actual interviews which made you feel like you were actually living thorugh this time. I would suggest this book to anyone that is interested in an intresting peice of America History.

My Rating

* * * * *

five out of five stars!