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By Timothy Egan
Viking
Hardcover
Sale price $30.00
Reviewed by Frank Pester
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“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana
The Historian Timothy Egan has once again written a book that comes alive on its pages. This time it is not only an engaging read, but a timely one. In a day when so many are pushing their agendas, we could learn from this book how easy it is for a dogma to infiltrate our society.
During America’s Jazz Age- the Roaring Twenties, a time of “Great Gatsby” frivolity- a uniquely American hate group rose to power, threatening our way of life: the Ku Klux Klan. Not the old Confederacy variety, but a group of wide encompassing hatred, not only persecuting Black people but also immigrants, Jews, and Catholics. Egan writes about the man who brought all this to being: D.C. Stephenson.
D.C. Stephenson blew into Evansville, Indiana pretty much unknown and poor, but realized his thirst for fame and wealth through the Ku Klux Klan. His plan was to go through the local churches, to drive in crowds and extract a fee. His Klan was oriented to the family and he hid their intentions by selling the public on Americanism. Stephenson propagated abstinence, yet he was a raving alcoholic; he preached virtue, but was a rapist. The Klan soon became accepted because they used certain social conditions to stir fear in the general populace. One was prohibition, which was seen as a crutch for the flood of immigrants coming into the country- Irish and Greek immigrants met and drank at their local pubs. Secondly, the liberation of women and the dawning of the flapper age. Thirdly, the great migration of Black people into the Northern states. The movie, Birth of a Nation, was seen by one out of every four Americans, and is called “the greatest racial propaganda film of all times,” by Egan. Black people in the film were portrayed as savage simpletons and a threat to white women. When a white woman is being attacked, it is a hooded Klan member who comes to the rescue.
| | At its height, the Klan’s membership numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Local law enforcement agencies, political offices, and religious leaderships were infiltrated and soon the Klan directed the law. One out of every three males in Indiana was a Klan member. Wanting the Klan to be family oriented, Stephenson created a Women’s Klan and even one geared for kids, known as the Ku Klux Kiddies. It is a dark period of History that Egan vividly portrays in his book. | | | |
Book reviews should be geared toward making the reader want to buy and read the book, so I am not going to go into the spoiler aspect of the subtitle of the book, just let me say that the woman who stopped the Klan experienced terrible events, being raped by Stephenson and throughout the trial she would not stop telling her tale. Madge Oberholtzer was a 28-year-old teacher and a Suffragette. She cut her hair in a bob and attended speakeasies, and when her job was on the chopping block, she went to Stephenson for help. Stephenson called the trial a “Witch Hunt,” sound familiar? Even when he was going to court for this case, happening during an election year, politicians who claimed Klan ideas were being elected in droves. It was her final testimony which convicted Stephenson and exposed the agenda of hatred which drove the Klan.
This book will draw you in and give you a glimpse of American History which should not be forgotten. It’s a dark work, but there is hope in the end, just as there is hope for us in our times.
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September-October Collectors’
Book Salons
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Weller Book Works Collectors' Book Salons feature libations and treats, social time for conversation, and a special deal on rare books that is only available to guests. Books are bridges across the divides of time and space and like they embrace the diversity of the human experience, we try to keep our treats, speakers and deals diverse which is maybe another word for unpredictable.
Glasses filled at 6:30 and we muster for the Collectors’ Chat at 7:15 in our Rare Book Room. The event has no digital component.
September and October Salons will be the last of this season.
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35 Years in Acquisitions
Tony Weller (that’s me) will lead the chat during the Collectors' Book Salon on September 29th. Since the late 1980s, I have bought book collections for Weller Book Works, formerly named Sam Weller’s Books. As a young bookseller, I imagined I was supposed to know all things but realizing I couldn’t, I developed methods of navigating the vast world of books with enough competence to do it for the last 35 years. The universe of books grows larger every year and booksellers must choose from a huge number of titles. How do they do it? New and used book buyers must have fleet intuition to make their choices. Who knows how others do it but I know how I do it. My Collectors' Chat will focus on methods of movement when buying books. Old, new, common, scarce, valuable, pretty, important. This is how we acquire our second-hand book selection.
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Pages of Nostalgia with
Chrissy Nichols
For the October 27th Collectors' Book Salon, Chrissy Nichols asks, "Who were you as a child and what did you read? Can you remember the excitement you felt learning to read a favorite book? The books we read as children shape the adult readers and collectors we might become.” October’s will be an interactive Salon. Educator, reader and salon friend Chrissy Nichols invites you to bring a favorite book from childhood and tell us who you were as an early reader when you turned those pages for the first (or 100th) time. Bring a book that you loved as a child or young adult and join us for a group reminiscence, a gathering gathering.
| | | An array of uncommon, optimum, attractive or creepy books and mags: | | Very nice 1908 1st edition of The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin by Harry Houdini, from whose name he adapted his own. Light brown cloth with front cover vignette embossed in chocolate brown and ecru. An excellent copy with a bit of the ink lost from the lettering. $500 | | | Well preserved issue of the June 20, 1903 Saturday Evening Post, containing the first installment of Jack London’s novel, The Call of the Wild, with a great cover illustration by Charles Livingston Bull who contributed illustrations to the book, which would be released by Macmillan in July. Yellowed with some faint moisture staining around edges. Contemporary address label on masthead. $450 | | | 1st printing of Bruce R. McConkie’s long controversial Mormon Doctrine in the uncommon and (I suppose, therefor) sought black binding with the typically greening gilt (some of us think it looks better) vignette of Joseph Smith on the front cover. Our copy is without dust jacket and bears inscriptions from previous owners. $400 | | | Hundreds of artists have taken on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe and the illustrations of Harry Clarke are among my favorites. We presently offer a copy of the 1933 New York Tudor edition of Tales of Mystery and Imagination containing Clarke’s creepy images. Black cloth quarto with a pictorail label in on front cover. Sturdy but lacking both dust jacket and box in which it was issued. $100 | | | Bookseller Recommendations | | |
By Joelle Wellington
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Hardcover $19.99
Review by Alechia Brulé
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You must work twice as hard to get half as much.
Adina Walker, a scholarship student at a prestigious private school, finds this out. Letting herself lose control just once costs her top choice Ivy League college and any other. Her only chance to regain the future she's sacrificed everything for is the Finish, a high-stakes contest sponsored by Edgewater's founding family in which twelve young, ambitious women with exceptional promise are selected to compete in three mysterious events: the Ride, the Raid, and the Royale. The winner will be granted entry into the fold of the Remington family, whose wealth and power can open any door.
But when she arrives at the Finish, Adina quickly gets the feeling that something isn't quite right with both the Remingtons and her competition, and soon it becomes clear that this larger-than-life prize can only come at an even greater cost. Because the Finish's stakes aren't just make or break...they're life and death.
A Hunger Games/Squid Games mashup with a debutante flair, this debut YA thriller contains a layered story with sharp prose and plot twists. Not just a rich kid battle over power and influence but, strong commentary on class, race, and desperation. Adina is an underdog to root for, yet she's not a flawless character. Her foes and friends are also interesting and targets of suspicion. I was truly enthralled, finishing this book quickly to see what happens. This story closely reminds me of the horror flick Ready or Not and is a great pick for lovers of dark academia. This is a solid debut novel and I'll be keeping an eye out for what Wellington comes up with next.
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Pumpkin Spice, and Everything
NOT Nice
| | There is a buzz of anticipation in the air. Not quite palpable– but stand outside for a second, close your eyes, and it’s there. Under the hot, stifling summer breeze, in the falling of the first leaf– still green but yellowing at the edges– the crisp chill of an August morning. The turn of the season is coming, and soon autumn will be upon us. Gloomy rain storms, earth toned sweaters, the steam of a piping hot drink warming the pit of your stomach. Pumpkin spice everything!! In preparation for the most wonderful season, I have compiled a list of fall recommendations, because nothing is more perfect than curling up with a book under warm covers as the rain pitter patters against the asphalt. This list ranges from cozy, to spooky, to downright scream-worthy. No matter what mood you’re in, there’s a book here for you! | | |
Our Hideous Progeny by C.E McGill
A gothic queer reimagining of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This dark and poetic read explores the struggles of women in the 19th century, that are not so different from the struggles we face today. A beguiling must read.
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Weyward by Emilia Hart
Magical realism meets historical fiction in this stunning debut novel. The story follows three women across five centuries, all linked through their love of nature. A slow exploration of the inherent power of womanhood.
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The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller
For all Gilmore Girls fans who want an extra slice of that cozy Stars Hollow fun. Tender and Charming. Pairs well with a slice of pie and steaming hot coffee.
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The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
If the Sixth Sense was a romance novel and the main character was not a kid, but a ghostwriter for a famous romance novelist whose father owns a funeral parlor. You get the gist? Fun and heart-warming, with a strong lead and well-rounded supporting cast.
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Mister Magic by Kiersten White
A creepy and bizarre speculative horror novel that will send chills down your spine. Whose memories can you trust when you can’t trust your own?
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Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
A supernatural horror with a touch of occultism. Set in Mexico City in the 90’s, the story follows a sound editor as she accidentally unleashes a dark entity from a cursed film set.
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By Agatha Christie
9780062073952
William Morrow & Company
Paperback $16.99
Review by Liam Harrison-Stewart
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Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party is perhaps remembered as one of her more “disappointing” works of fiction by some, as it brings Hercule Poirot out of a period of retirement. However, I found this story to be just as terrifying as any of her others. Christie’s storytelling and character development make this book truly spine-chilling and keep the reader guessing until the very end.
Set in the small fictional British town of Woodleigh Common, sometime in the mid-20th-century, the book begins with preparations for a Halloween party. Specifically, a Halloween party that Mrs. Rowena Drake, a very wealthy widow, is hosting at her large estate. The party is packed with fascinating characters: Ariadne Oliver, a mystery writer; Judith Butler, the widow of an airline pilot and single mother; Elizabeth Whittaker, a teacher at the local private school; Mrs. Goodbody, a cleaning lady; and a few older children helping with preparations. Among them, the murder victim, 13-year-old Joyce Reynolds, who claims she once witnessed a murder herself, with no one believing her.
After the party, Mrs. Oliver discovers Joyce dead, having been drowned in an apple-bobbing tub in Mrs. Drake’s library. The culprit? No one has a clue. Who would have such a motive to kill a 13-year-old? Everyone believes that some mentally disturbed person snuck into the party and committed the murder. That is, until Mrs. Oliver asks her dear friend, renowned detective Hercule Poirot, to investigate the case.
Christie creates a very complex plot, introducing even more minor characters with levels of intrigue to each one, making it difficult for the reader to weed out any red herrings. Christie delves into the human psyche, showing how our perceptions of people can be clouded by preconceived notions and appearances, which leads to many shocking revelations.
For mystery lovers and Agatha Christie fans like myself, this is truly a must-read. While I don’t think it will ever live up to Murder on the Orient Express or Death on the Nile, it is incredibly captivating with its eerie atmosphere, creative plotting, and detailed character personalities. Halloween is coming up soon, so step in and join this mysterious party!
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By R.L. Stine
Scholastic
Paperback $7.99
Review by Alechia Brulé
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R.L. Stine is back with a new Goosebumps series, House of Shivers! In this first installment, twin siblings Betty and Billy, are sent to visit their uncle at his secluded house in the Wayward Forest. They must help keep a book (the scariest book in the world) away from a thief. But, doing so is a nightmare. The twins have to dodge many creatures in this forest, including Manbats (pictured on the cover) and giant bugs. All the while keeping the book, and each other, safe.
As a Goosebumps fan, I was excited about this new series and it does not disappoint. The story is entertaining and mysterious. The creatures are inventive and creepy. There are many twists and challenges to keep the kids, and the readers, on their toes. I enjoyed following Betty and Billy as they discover how to defeat strange creatures and outsmart the adults. Although I'm glad that the Manbats aren't real, I'm still kind of curious what exactly is IN the Scariest Book Ever book
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We host both virtual and in-person events, and we look forward to seeing you soon.
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MONDAY-THURSDAY 10-8
FRIDAY & SATURDAY 10-9
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