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ltaylor228's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book. It reads very dry and repetitive. It has a great underlying story, but the way it was written made it hard to get through.
perttu's review against another edition
4.0
The audiobook version is very much recommended for the simple fact that it's read by the author himself, which really brings the story to life.
lalyee's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book was destined to forever be one of those books trapped my habitual cycle of placing books on hold at the library, never picking them up, have the hold expire, and placing them on hold again. Since I had already gone through this cycle a few times, when the movie came out, I gave up on my need to read the book beforehand and watched the movie instead. (If you haven't seen the movie, go do it!) When the book finally became available again, I flipped through the pages and found myself sucked in. Ron Stallworth was not the best writer (a bit repetitive in some sections, useful if you forget who/what an org is), but the premise and his accounts were enough to keep me reading. I finished the book in one sitting.
Doing this backward- watching movie first and then reading book- gave me a few surprises. Although the idea of a black cop infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan is already a hilarious premise that is unbelievable when said out loud, the most shocking realization was in finding that the most absurd parts of the movie, the ones where I thought for sure were thrown in by the filmmakers to create hilarity and climax: where David Duke describes the speaking patterns of black folks, the fact that Ron had to act as his bodyguard, or the photograph of them together were to misquote the movie, "strangely enough, all true."
As an activist, I appreciate the fact that the records were saved by Ron and later shared via this book, offering some of the insights into the minds and thinking of the folks behind the group and how it was built to spread terror. The reflection that Ron adds to the book to tie into the events of today are powerful, recognizing that the hate was always present and there are in fact ways to prevent the harm. It was also enlightening that federal agencies took steps to remove those who were in positions of power that could do most damage. It's hard to not wonder what would have happened should Ron have been able to continue the investigation.
Doing this backward- watching movie first and then reading book- gave me a few surprises. Although the idea of a black cop infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan is already a hilarious premise that is unbelievable when said out loud, the most shocking realization was in finding that the most absurd parts of the movie, the ones where I thought for sure were thrown in by the filmmakers to create hilarity and climax: where David Duke describes the speaking patterns of black folks, the fact that Ron had to act as his bodyguard, or the photograph of them together were to misquote the movie, "strangely enough, all true."
As an activist, I appreciate the fact that the records were saved by Ron and later shared via this book, offering some of the insights into the minds and thinking of the folks behind the group and how it was built to spread terror. The reflection that Ron adds to the book to tie into the events of today are powerful, recognizing that the hate was always present and there are in fact ways to prevent the harm. It was also enlightening that federal agencies took steps to remove those who were in positions of power that could do most damage. It's hard to not wonder what would have happened should Ron have been able to continue the investigation.
ahoeft09's review against another edition
3.0
A high three! 3.5. The story was fascinating, and the maddest of props to Ron Stallworth, a true badass, for infiltrating such an awful group without losing his mind. The only thing that pulls down my rating is the audiobook was hard to follow. Ron Stallworth himself read it, but there wasn’t a lot of natural flow or inflection. Could’ve benefitted from a more seasoned narrator, BUT super cool to hear from the author himself.
erinjp123's review against another edition
3.0
I honestly liked the movie better. Maybe because I listened to it? This book had a really interesting premise but just kinda...petered out, which i gues is life.
paroof's review against another edition
3.0
This was a great (true) story. I know there's a movie out and I actually do want to see it, but I wanted to read the book first. I don't trust the movie to get it right. I think my favorite line from the book was when the author was discussing the local Colorado Springs KKK leader and stated “As undercover investigators we would never have challenged Ken, who was—I can't stress this enough—a total idiot”. I mean, that was the thing, so many (all?) of these KKK members are just total idiots and yet they wreak havoc and cause so much damage.
Really, it's a fascinating story and worth a read if you're interested. I think it's particularly relevant given our current climate.
Really, it's a fascinating story and worth a read if you're interested. I think it's particularly relevant given our current climate.