carolina2's review against another edition
informative
3.75
Interesting but quite short, I wish the author included more of his life before and after the investigation and more about the impact on the Colorado KKK.
seeker42's review against another edition
3.0
As much as I wanted to love this book, I found it marred with unpolished writing (editors, please!), annoying repetition, and the author’s venting about rivalries with former colleagues. The premise of the book, especially based on actual events, is interesting, so long as the reader has patience to overlook some occasional flaws in focus and style.
vsunnergren's review against another edition
3.0
Important book but deserved a better editor
Merged review:
Important book but deserved a better editor
Merged review:
Important book but deserved a better editor
jdye6529's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It gives a pretty good detail of what this black officer went through during his time undercover. On the phone it was him pretending to be white racist, in person another officer portrayed him to further infiltrate the group. I was surprised at some of the conversations had by the KKK members and their newest member. Also the police forces role and some of the questionable calls they made in regards to the investigation. Sending the author as security detail for an event when the undercover officer was using his name while undercover, that seemed risky.
nerdyrev's review against another edition
4.0
I just finished Black Klansman the book on which the movie was based on. What is funny is I found the book to be a better look at race and racism than the movie. The reason why is because the book didn’t contain some of the more over the top moments in the movie.
For example, there is no comically overt racist cop as there is in the movie. Stallworth does talk about racist attitudes in the force, but it was more on the systemic level than the one really bad cop that the movie has.
The other is there is no bomb plot in the book. That is completely made up by Lee. The book focuses on the cross burnings and the irony of having to protect David Duke after continuing to dupe him. This is the better tension too as it is real with no bomb needed.
Women were part of the Klan in the book. The movie has another comically overt racist woman who is also a bumbling idiot, so to speak. Stallworth’s book doesn’t portray the Klan as bumbling red necks, but as everyday neighbors which is far more tense. Women included.
Stallworth’s investigation is much deeper and he gets more than one cop embedded into the Klan. One of the big reveals is much of the Klan, in the book, were retired soldiers who were highly trained and firefighters in the community . This gets lightly touched upon in the movie. Again, the people you think would be protectors weren’t always protectors of everyone. Hence the contrast of Stallworth of having to protect Duke.
So, the book does a way better job of focusing on race and racism than the film because it doesn’t have the artistic choices Lee added himself and were my criticisms of the film. Stallworth’s book is more poignant and scarier because it is all a true story.
For example, there is no comically overt racist cop as there is in the movie. Stallworth does talk about racist attitudes in the force, but it was more on the systemic level than the one really bad cop that the movie has.
The other is there is no bomb plot in the book. That is completely made up by Lee. The book focuses on the cross burnings and the irony of having to protect David Duke after continuing to dupe him. This is the better tension too as it is real with no bomb needed.
Women were part of the Klan in the book. The movie has another comically overt racist woman who is also a bumbling idiot, so to speak. Stallworth’s book doesn’t portray the Klan as bumbling red necks, but as everyday neighbors which is far more tense. Women included.
Stallworth’s investigation is much deeper and he gets more than one cop embedded into the Klan. One of the big reveals is much of the Klan, in the book, were retired soldiers who were highly trained and firefighters in the community . This gets lightly touched upon in the movie. Again, the people you think would be protectors weren’t always protectors of everyone. Hence the contrast of Stallworth of having to protect Duke.
So, the book does a way better job of focusing on race and racism than the film because it doesn’t have the artistic choices Lee added himself and were my criticisms of the film. Stallworth’s book is more poignant and scarier because it is all a true story.
goldxnapplxs's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.0
While this was by no means an uninteresting book, I feel that Mr. Stallworth would have benefitted from a better editor.
I’m also getting strong cop apologist vibes from the author, but he’s a former cop so I don’t expect much different. Still, it commendable that he felt so convicted to expose racism that he came up with this operation.
I’m also getting strong cop apologist vibes from the author, but he’s a former cop so I don’t expect much different. Still, it commendable that he felt so convicted to expose racism that he came up with this operation.