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When Evil Lived in Laurel: The "White Knights" and the Murder of Vernon Dahmer
One of NPR's Best Books of the Year
A finalist of the for the 2022 Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime
The inside story of how a courageous FBI informant helped to bring down the KKK organization responsible for a brutal civil rights–era killing. By early 1966, the work of Vernon Dahmer was well known in south Mississippi. A light-skinned Black man, he was a farmer, grocery store owner, and two-time president of the Forrest County chapter of the NAACP. He and Medgar Evers founded a youth NAACP chapter in Hattiesburg, and for years after Evers’s assassination Dahmer was the chief advocate for voting rights in a county where Black registration was shamelessly suppressed. This put Dahmer in the crosshairs of the White Knights, with headquarters in nearby Laurel. Already known as one of the most violent sects of the KKK in the South, the group carried out his murder in a raid that burned down his home and store. A year before, Tom Landrum, a young, unassuming member of a family with deep Mississippi roots, joined the Klan to become an FBI informant. He penetrated the White Knights’ secret circles, recording almost daily journal entries. He risked his life, and the safety of his young family, to chronicle extensively the clandestine activities of the Klan. Veteran journalist Curtis Wilkie draws on his exclusive access to Landrum’s journals to re-create these events―the conversations, the incendiary nighttime meetings, the plans leading up to Dahmer’s murder and its erratic execution―culminating in the conviction and imprisonment of many of those responsible for Dahmer’s death. In riveting detail, When Evil Lived in Laurel plumbs the nature and harrowing consequences of institutional racism, and brings fresh light to this chapter in the history of civil rights in the South―one with urgent implications for today. 8 pages of illustrations
A finalist of the for the 2022 Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime
The inside story of how a courageous FBI informant helped to bring down the KKK organization responsible for a brutal civil rights–era killing. By early 1966, the work of Vernon Dahmer was well known in south Mississippi. A light-skinned Black man, he was a farmer, grocery store owner, and two-time president of the Forrest County chapter of the NAACP. He and Medgar Evers founded a youth NAACP chapter in Hattiesburg, and for years after Evers’s assassination Dahmer was the chief advocate for voting rights in a county where Black registration was shamelessly suppressed. This put Dahmer in the crosshairs of the White Knights, with headquarters in nearby Laurel. Already known as one of the most violent sects of the KKK in the South, the group carried out his murder in a raid that burned down his home and store. A year before, Tom Landrum, a young, unassuming member of a family with deep Mississippi roots, joined the Klan to become an FBI informant. He penetrated the White Knights’ secret circles, recording almost daily journal entries. He risked his life, and the safety of his young family, to chronicle extensively the clandestine activities of the Klan. Veteran journalist Curtis Wilkie draws on his exclusive access to Landrum’s journals to re-create these events―the conversations, the incendiary nighttime meetings, the plans leading up to Dahmer’s murder and its erratic execution―culminating in the conviction and imprisonment of many of those responsible for Dahmer’s death. In riveting detail, When Evil Lived in Laurel plumbs the nature and harrowing consequences of institutional racism, and brings fresh light to this chapter in the history of civil rights in the South―one with urgent implications for today. 8 pages of illustrations
400 pages, Hardcover
First published June 15, 2021
85 people are currently reading
2505 people want to read
About the author
Curtis Wilkie
13 books37 followersCurtis Wilkie is a Mississippi-born journalist, author, and professor who has chronicled the changing South since 1963. During his career, Wilkie also covered presidential campaigns, the White House, the Middle East, and major events of the twentieth century in both the United States and abroad.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
May 3, 2022
A very detailed look at a group of the Klu Klux Klan in Laurel, Mississippi in the mid 1960's. This book caught my eye because of its connection to Laurel, the location of HGTV's show, Home Town, one of my favorites.
The book confirmed much of my uninformed opinions of Mississippi but, like the television show, made it more real and understandable. White supremacy, and all of its ramifications, is a horrible fact of our lives, with devastating impacts in so many aspects of all our lives. The television show, its characters and its producers avoid this topic, emphasizing the beauty, serenity, elegance and comity of small town life. I grew up in a very small town, smaller than Laurel. I like the effort and the effect of the television show. I am in abject horror of that town's history with white supremacy.
A great book and an interesting read. A book that makes me think is always the goal, right?
The book confirmed much of my uninformed opinions of Mississippi but, like the television show, made it more real and understandable. White supremacy, and all of its ramifications, is a horrible fact of our lives, with devastating impacts in so many aspects of all our lives. The television show, its characters and its producers avoid this topic, emphasizing the beauty, serenity, elegance and comity of small town life. I grew up in a very small town, smaller than Laurel. I like the effort and the effect of the television show. I am in abject horror of that town's history with white supremacy.
A great book and an interesting read. A book that makes me think is always the goal, right?
June 29, 2022
This book told the story of an interesting piece of Civil Rights history in the south with the murder of Vernon Dahmer, a Black man who was working to register voters in Jones County, MS. The White Knights also were complicit in the murders of 3 young men, James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, who were volunteers in the Freedom Summer project In Mississippi.
The bigotry and violence described in this book was appalling and even more appalling was how the perpetrators were not held accountable until many years later.
With the discrediting of the KKK that has occurred since the 60s, I thought that white supremacy in this country had softened. Sadly, we have seen a resurgence in the last few years. Many of the men featured in this book reminded me of current-day blind followers of a certain “leader”.
I enjoyed this book, but it was long and very detailed. I think a little more editing would have made it more readable without compromising the story.
The bigotry and violence described in this book was appalling and even more appalling was how the perpetrators were not held accountable until many years later.
With the discrediting of the KKK that has occurred since the 60s, I thought that white supremacy in this country had softened. Sadly, we have seen a resurgence in the last few years. Many of the men featured in this book reminded me of current-day blind followers of a certain “leader”.
I enjoyed this book, but it was long and very detailed. I think a little more editing would have made it more readable without compromising the story.
January 20, 2024
5/7. Like some other reviewers, this book caught my eye because it talks about the history of Laurel, MS which is the location of the popular HGTV show Home Town, which I enjoy watching. I've always wondered, though, about the town -- the show does a great job of making it seem like a wonderful, wholesome, desirable place to live, but I'd always cringe when they discussed the history. In some of the intros, they find a date carved into some old wood, and my thought is always that I would not want to know what happened on that date.
The book pretty much confirmed my suspicions, that of course there was a tremendous and deep history of racial violence, as well as some anti-Semitic violence, too. People in Laurel were connected with the murders of the civil rights workers in Philadelphia, MS, and it's amazing to see just how steeped in violence the people of the town were. Not just against Black people and Jewish people, but even against each other. The paranoia and violence these people regularly carried out against each other was noteworthy, but I guess it shouldn't have been surprising.
I thought the book dragged a bit near the end, and was slightly repetitive. It was an interesting read, and while the details were new, and I didn't know about the sad murder of Vernon Dahmer, I don't know that I really learned a lot that changed my thoughts or impressions of Mississsippi. Despite the cute veneer Home Town portrays, it is a place with a violent and dark history.
The book pretty much confirmed my suspicions, that of course there was a tremendous and deep history of racial violence, as well as some anti-Semitic violence, too. People in Laurel were connected with the murders of the civil rights workers in Philadelphia, MS, and it's amazing to see just how steeped in violence the people of the town were. Not just against Black people and Jewish people, but even against each other. The paranoia and violence these people regularly carried out against each other was noteworthy, but I guess it shouldn't have been surprising.
I thought the book dragged a bit near the end, and was slightly repetitive. It was an interesting read, and while the details were new, and I didn't know about the sad murder of Vernon Dahmer, I don't know that I really learned a lot that changed my thoughts or impressions of Mississsippi. Despite the cute veneer Home Town portrays, it is a place with a violent and dark history.
October 9, 2021
A deeply researched, insight, and engrossing account the Ku Klux Klan's 1966 murder of African American voting rights activist Vernon Dahmer in southern Mississippi and dogged pursuit of bringing the perpetrators to justice
April 24, 2023
Should be required reading for my fellow Mississippians. More likely, Tate Reaves has probably tried to ban this book already. Lots of familiar names in this one, unfortunately. A great read as a reminder that these events are not ancient history, but our parents and grandparents generation. Not a happy read, but a needed one.
April 11, 2021
"When Evil Lived in Laurel" is a nonfiction book centering around the FBI investigation of the murder of Vernon Dahmer and the activities of the Ku Klux Klan in Laurel, Mississippi. This book is really interesting look into the specific attack launched against Dahmer and his family for Dahmer's role in speaking up for Black people to vote in the South and how he was ultimately murdered for his activism. Tom Landrum, an FBI agent, infiltrates the KKK, along with many other FBI informants who are mostly unnamed in this book, to investigate Dahmer's murder and the overall daily Klan activities that terrorized life in the South. Something this book really highlighted for me was the infighting that occurred within each Klan faction and among the different factions, and increasing disinvestment from Klan members as a result thereof, that really contributed to the Klan's downfall. Wilkie relies on Landrum's first-hand accounts to layout the details in this really well-written and informative book.
February 19, 2022
Laurel, Mississippi has received a ton of attention in recent years since Ben and Erin Napier launched their hit HGTV show “Hometown” about Laurel. Since Laurel is my hometown, I can attest, Laurel is a special place. But this South Mississippi town also carries a burden from it’s not-so-distant past. In “When Evil Lived in Laurel, Curtis Wilkie tells the true story of Tom Landrum, an American hero, who risked life and limb to report undercover for the FBI on the The White Knights of the Klu Klux Klan. Laurel was home to Sam Bowers imperial wizard of the KKK and the epicenter for much Klan activity, including the murder of civil rights icon Vernon Dahmer. Mississippi history isn’t always savory, but it deserves to be told and taught, and in that story, we learn about heroes like Tom Landrum and Vernon Dahmer, who stood against and resisted enormous cultural pressure to go with the flow. This book is well worth your time.
October 16, 2021
As a child living in the area, I was aware of the events described here, and even was a schoolmate of a child of one of the culprits. But this book fleshed out so many details, and filled in some questions I had about what actually happened. It was a fascinating read for me, and for anyone interested in the events of those turbulent times. Even though justice came extremely late for some of the participants, it did finally reflect some positive societal changes over time.
December 15, 2021
I’m not sure why I thought this would be a good book to read before Christmas! It’s not very cheerful, but it was quite interesting. It was pretty terrible at times to read about the White Knights and all the terrible things they did and said. I admire Tom Landrum, who infiltrated the group and reported the goings on to the FBI. That must have been so nerve wracking! A well-written book and one that is good for Americans to read to better understand historical events in the South. But definitely uncomfortable to read it. Ready for a nice fictional British mystery now!
January 20, 2022
A captivating telling of violent Klan activities in Mississippi, and a stark reminder that many of the men involved were only recently brought to a semblance of justice.
February 1, 2022
A chilling recitation of Local civil rights history.
November 12, 2024
My gosh, but this book is hard to read!
September 22, 2021
Excellent journalism from Curtis Wilkie about the White Knights and the death of Vernon Dahmer in Mississippi in 1966. Wilkie's book stands out because he includes information from an FBI informer who infiltrated the Klan. The book's focus on a small community also helps explain some of the dynamics of racism and hate groups on a local, neighbor-to-neighbor, employer-employee level. Didn't give this five stars because the level of detail grew tedious a few times (there's nothing wrong with summarizing instead of quoting). Also found a factual error. In 1968, Richard Nixon, not George Wallace, won South Carolina. Wallace did win Georgia, however. Thanks to G.G. for loaning me the book!
October 4, 2021
Absolutely amazing. Curtis Wilkie has done it again. When Evil Lived in Laurel is one of the easiest and most difficult books I’ve read. Easy because Wilkie does an amazing job of shining light on Mississippi’s darkest time. Difficult because I grew up in North Mississippi during these times and wasn’t aware of all the KKK activities to the south. The Citizens Council, I was well aware of but not so much the Kluckers. As far as I knew back in the day, they were only myths and scary stories. Over the years, of course, I learned how wrong I was. When Evil Lived in Laurel is a book that should be read by every Mississippian — hell, by every living soul. Period.
August 23, 2021
In 1963, Hannah Arendt published "Eichmann in Jerusalem". It was billed as "A report on the banality of evil". The present volume could bear the same subtitle. It could also be titled "The Incredible Stupidity of the White Knights of the KKK."
While modern-day Trumpites disagree, the guidelines of the White Knights reak of stupid: hatred of Blacks, Jews, Catholics; a mission to uphold segregation of the races; a duty to keep the white race pure. But don't let that be proof of the organization's competence. Try this: Vernon Dahmer was a Black man in Mississippi who worked hard to get voters registered. The White Knights forestalled his efforts many times, but he was making progress. So they decided to intimidate him.
Eight men, in two cars, drove many miles in the middle of the night to attack. They were pitted against Vernon, his wife, two young children and an elderly aunt. Also staying there was a 26-year-old son on leave from the Army. (I believe that had they known he was there the eight Knights would probably have come back later.)
In any event, they firebombed the house and the adjacent store Dahmers owned. Success. Both buildings burned to the ground. The Dahmers, though Vernon and his young daughter were burned, were able to get one vehicle started and drive to the hospital. The prognosis was good but Vernon Dahmers soon died of his injuries.
Now. Success, right? Lesson taught, terrorists escaped into the night. Yes, except...remember my thesis. These are stupid people. Deadly, but stupid. Snakes, poisonous spiders, some plants, can be deadly, but they are as stupid as the White Knights of the KKK.
As the eight mighty warriors in the war to keep White Supreme fled---get this---the one who shot out the window so the gasoline could be hurled through it had his .22 caliber revolver in a self-made holster. He let the gun fall out and get left behind. Clue # 1.
Another armed soldier of the cause was in the lead car and saw headlights! Horrors! He opened fire.
It was the second vehicle in their caravan for Justice in Mississippi. Quickdraw shot out the tires. These geniuses drove for a bit on the rims until they decided to abandon the car. They were quite annoyed that they did not have a key to open the trunk, although what good the spare tire would do with at least two tires gone is anyone's guess. Clue #2.
The F.B.I. was all over the state at the time, due to other murders and idiocies. One thing they had, as they did with the mystical Mafia (smirk), and the toothless Commie Party of the U.S., was informers. They had paid informers, coerced informers ('We got you on this rap, Bubba, but we'll let it slide if you spy for us'), and a small number of very brave, dedicated men who reported on meetings and activities. The story of one of them constitutes a major part of this book. It was assumed that any informat for the FBI would be killed. Therefore the four-year stint Tom and Anne Landrum served stands as a heroic endeavor.
Mr. Wilkie offers us more stories of the times, plus a follow-up on the arrests and trials that followed. Sadly, this was still Mississippi, where it was standard practice to get a Knight on a jury and spike the trial. Mississippi justice has come a long way since the late 60s. Long enough that many of the civil rights cases that had gone cold have been reopened, and the FBI has shed much of the filth left over from J.E.Hoover.
Recommended.
While modern-day Trumpites disagree, the guidelines of the White Knights reak of stupid: hatred of Blacks, Jews, Catholics; a mission to uphold segregation of the races; a duty to keep the white race pure. But don't let that be proof of the organization's competence. Try this: Vernon Dahmer was a Black man in Mississippi who worked hard to get voters registered. The White Knights forestalled his efforts many times, but he was making progress. So they decided to intimidate him.
Eight men, in two cars, drove many miles in the middle of the night to attack. They were pitted against Vernon, his wife, two young children and an elderly aunt. Also staying there was a 26-year-old son on leave from the Army. (I believe that had they known he was there the eight Knights would probably have come back later.)
In any event, they firebombed the house and the adjacent store Dahmers owned. Success. Both buildings burned to the ground. The Dahmers, though Vernon and his young daughter were burned, were able to get one vehicle started and drive to the hospital. The prognosis was good but Vernon Dahmers soon died of his injuries.
Now. Success, right? Lesson taught, terrorists escaped into the night. Yes, except...remember my thesis. These are stupid people. Deadly, but stupid. Snakes, poisonous spiders, some plants, can be deadly, but they are as stupid as the White Knights of the KKK.
As the eight mighty warriors in the war to keep White Supreme fled---get this---the one who shot out the window so the gasoline could be hurled through it had his .22 caliber revolver in a self-made holster. He let the gun fall out and get left behind. Clue # 1.
Another armed soldier of the cause was in the lead car and saw headlights! Horrors! He opened fire.
It was the second vehicle in their caravan for Justice in Mississippi. Quickdraw shot out the tires. These geniuses drove for a bit on the rims until they decided to abandon the car. They were quite annoyed that they did not have a key to open the trunk, although what good the spare tire would do with at least two tires gone is anyone's guess. Clue #2.
The F.B.I. was all over the state at the time, due to other murders and idiocies. One thing they had, as they did with the mystical Mafia (smirk), and the toothless Commie Party of the U.S., was informers. They had paid informers, coerced informers ('We got you on this rap, Bubba, but we'll let it slide if you spy for us'), and a small number of very brave, dedicated men who reported on meetings and activities. The story of one of them constitutes a major part of this book. It was assumed that any informat for the FBI would be killed. Therefore the four-year stint Tom and Anne Landrum served stands as a heroic endeavor.
Mr. Wilkie offers us more stories of the times, plus a follow-up on the arrests and trials that followed. Sadly, this was still Mississippi, where it was standard practice to get a Knight on a jury and spike the trial. Mississippi justice has come a long way since the late 60s. Long enough that many of the civil rights cases that had gone cold have been reopened, and the FBI has shed much of the filth left over from J.E.Hoover.
Recommended.
November 27, 2021
This book had too much information and dragged in the middle. The beginning leading to the murder of Vernon Dahmer and the end with the Klan branching out to attack Jews in Mississippi and then the trials of the conspirators was interesting. But in between you needed a program to tell all the players. The Klan members reminded me of the Three Stooges. It is good they were so disorganized or they would have created more mayhem.
This is a sad story in our country's history. I am a Southern, grew up during this time, but was fortunate to live in an upper Southern state that was more open minded. I also had two parents who were not prejudice even though everyone followed the Jim Crow laws then because "that is the way things are done". It wasn't until I got to college that I started questioning the way society was structured in the South.
One of the bits of information in this book is about the FBI domestic-intelligence program code name COINTELPRO. Coincidentally at the time I was reading this book I was also reading a novel about the Black migration north. In one part of the book it mentioned Fred Hampton, a Black Panther, from Chicago. The FBI used this program, COINTELPRO, to pay one of Hampton's confidants who provided the information that led to Hampton's death. Makes you wonder if the FBI is still engaged in similar programs.
This is a sad story in our country's history. I am a Southern, grew up during this time, but was fortunate to live in an upper Southern state that was more open minded. I also had two parents who were not prejudice even though everyone followed the Jim Crow laws then because "that is the way things are done". It wasn't until I got to college that I started questioning the way society was structured in the South.
One of the bits of information in this book is about the FBI domestic-intelligence program code name COINTELPRO. Coincidentally at the time I was reading this book I was also reading a novel about the Black migration north. In one part of the book it mentioned Fred Hampton, a Black Panther, from Chicago. The FBI used this program, COINTELPRO, to pay one of Hampton's confidants who provided the information that led to Hampton's death. Makes you wonder if the FBI is still engaged in similar programs.
March 27, 2022
Good read! I live in Laurel and know the Landrum family. Great bunch of folks!
The book starts out good, gets a little difficult in the middle with all the details, but they are a necessary, though a little hard follow. Confusing at some points, so I re-read parts of it. (Minus one star…)
It’s a great piece of history for all to learn from. I would guess that a vast majority of the population around Jones county are unaware of this story. I hope people take time to read it.
Now here’s the part where I lost all respect for the author. Being a lover of history, it irks me when writers / journalist inject their political views into a story. (This is the reason I stopped watching news so many years ago.) On page 337, the author goes out of his way to take a jab at the former president and indicate that he is racist to the liking of George Wallace. This has nothing to do with the story nor does it add value to the book. It’s just his political bias (Minus one star!)
The book starts out good, gets a little difficult in the middle with all the details, but they are a necessary, though a little hard follow. Confusing at some points, so I re-read parts of it. (Minus one star…)
It’s a great piece of history for all to learn from. I would guess that a vast majority of the population around Jones county are unaware of this story. I hope people take time to read it.
Now here’s the part where I lost all respect for the author. Being a lover of history, it irks me when writers / journalist inject their political views into a story. (This is the reason I stopped watching news so many years ago.) On page 337, the author goes out of his way to take a jab at the former president and indicate that he is racist to the liking of George Wallace. This has nothing to do with the story nor does it add value to the book. It’s just his political bias (Minus one star!)
March 23, 2023
An interesting non-fiction read!
This was what I call a non-fiction narrative, a la Eric Larson, and I enjoyed it. For something with so many angles and variables and people (so many people!) I thought the author did a pretty good job of reminding us of who is who and what we should be paying attention to. I only got lost a couple of times from some timeline issues that I think would have been hard to solve given the nature of the story being told.
Beyond that, I thought the people were well-described, but that the book was not as much about Tom Landrum as I thought and more about the organization of the Klan as a whole during this time and how it was affected by this one particular event. Especially when you consider that the main thing that surrounded the organization falling apart, the Dahmer incident, was not even on Tom's radar because of all the secrecy.
While it was a little dense, I was able to get through it and keep interested.
This was what I call a non-fiction narrative, a la Eric Larson, and I enjoyed it. For something with so many angles and variables and people (so many people!) I thought the author did a pretty good job of reminding us of who is who and what we should be paying attention to. I only got lost a couple of times from some timeline issues that I think would have been hard to solve given the nature of the story being told.
Beyond that, I thought the people were well-described, but that the book was not as much about Tom Landrum as I thought and more about the organization of the Klan as a whole during this time and how it was affected by this one particular event. Especially when you consider that the main thing that surrounded the organization falling apart, the Dahmer incident, was not even on Tom's radar because of all the secrecy.
While it was a little dense, I was able to get through it and keep interested.
June 17, 2021
Very interesting, though disturbing true account of the 1960's KKK activity in rural Mississippi. The book centers on the FBI's investigation of the murder of Vernon Dahmer for his role in encouraging black residents to register to vote. The FBI was able to infiltrate the Klan with the help of Tom Landrum, an informant posing as a Klan member. Fear was rampant during this time, not only were the black residents living in fear, but the Klan members were also fearful of being discovered as well. Many members were law enforcement and other prominent members of the community who would be ruined if their secret evil activities were revealed. Wilkie heavily researched this very informative and haunting book and it is definitely worth the read for anyone interested in this era of history. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a galley of this book for review.
June 26, 2021
I won a copy of When Evil Lived in Laurel: The "White Knights" and the Murder of Vernon Dahmer by Curtis Wilkie from Goodreads.
When Evil Lived in Laurel: The "White Knights" and the Murder of Vernon Dahmer by Curtis Wilkie focuses on the experiences of Tom Landrum, an undercover informant for the FBI, during the murder of Vernon Dahmer in Mississippi in the 1960s. With the pacing of an excellent fictional murder mystery, Wilkie delivers Landrum's nerve-racking true story wherein the informant risked his own life, as well as his family's safety, to bring down the KKK. Using facts and eyewitness testimony, the author helps readers get to know the individuals involved and to understand the circumstances and events. Intense and frightening, When Evil Lived in Laurel is a case study in how to take down a terrorist organization, and an informative, very moving book.
When Evil Lived in Laurel: The "White Knights" and the Murder of Vernon Dahmer by Curtis Wilkie focuses on the experiences of Tom Landrum, an undercover informant for the FBI, during the murder of Vernon Dahmer in Mississippi in the 1960s. With the pacing of an excellent fictional murder mystery, Wilkie delivers Landrum's nerve-racking true story wherein the informant risked his own life, as well as his family's safety, to bring down the KKK. Using facts and eyewitness testimony, the author helps readers get to know the individuals involved and to understand the circumstances and events. Intense and frightening, When Evil Lived in Laurel is a case study in how to take down a terrorist organization, and an informative, very moving book.
July 14, 2021
Curtis Wilkie, who reported extensively on the Civil RIghts movement in Mississippi in the 1960s, tells the story of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Jones County, Mississippi, and the murder of Vernon Dahmer in 1966. Dahmer was an NAACP officer and voting rights activist; his home was firebombed and he was killed by a group of night riders from the Jones County White Knights. In parallel, the book tells the story of Tom Landrum, a counselor for troubled youth and former high school football coach, recruited by the FBI to infiltrate the local klavern and serve as an informer. Wilkie catalogs the planning, commission, and prosecution of the crime, his report blostered by Landrum's diaries and FBI reports. Most surprising, Landrum's role was never revealed until after his death, and the death of all the principles in the commission of the crime. It's fascinating reporting.
January 21, 2022
A good, riveting, hard read about a KKK group that orchestrated the murder of a key African American in a Mississippi town, the man who helped the FBI bring down the KKK group and the eventual, if delayed, moments of justice for the guilty. This work could practically be its own Hollywood or Netflix special, but it was all real-life. Of course, given that it was 1960s Mississippi, true justice was not assured to happen, and it wasn't timely, but it did happen. Some of the tale is familiar, but the saga of the FBI informant who managed to keep his life and ability to help the FBI take this group down is just as fascinating. Unfortunately, not all of the attitudes have died away, but tales like this not only show the progress made, but can offer a blueprint of how people can work to bring down the worst that is out there.
Definitely worth the read, whatever the format.
Definitely worth the read, whatever the format.
July 24, 2023
Though this one took a little longer to read than usual for me, I'm glad that I did. Being from Mississippi, it's important to remind ourselves of the history of our state. Though I am not proud of the racial injustices that are so deeply rooted in this society, it is still important to educate ourselves on the horrific past that so many endured. I believe this book was well-written when it came to portraying the atrocities committed by the White Knights as well as the justice that was served in putting those men in jail for the crimes they committed. In addition, I'm trying my best to be one that loves reading non-fiction and while this is not an easy read, I think that is a great introduction into non-fiction, as well as an introduction into learning about our state and overall nation's history.
July 28, 2021
This book plus Jerry Mitchell’s “Race Against Time” both go through the history around the high profile cases of the KKK in Mississippi during the Civil Rights era. This book was so well put together with all of the first hand accounts with Tom Landrum, the FBI informant. A fascinating look of which I am thankful to him for his service- a great personal risk. I thought it was also good that his wife knew and was an encouragement to him. What a legacy and help he provided. The people in this book and Jerry’s books cross over, and that’s why I think the reader should read both. This history is important to read, and what devastation the KKK brought to so many families. I am thankful for how far we’ve come, but understand we still have a ways to go.
November 26, 2022
Incredible book about a horrible crime I heard about all my life - the murder of Vernon Dahmer, a successful Black man who lived in this area. He was targeted because of his work in voting rights. Tom Landry infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan and reported to the FBI. It is an incredible story, made more interesting by knowing some of the characters.
I’ve had the honor of hearing the author at the Mississippi Book Festival twice. I highly recommend his book, “Dixie”, as well. Mike Landrum, the son of Tom Landrum, taught a class on this book at OLLI. It’s a fascinating book in its own right, but even more so in that I know some of the characters - even the evil ones. Enlightening and heartbreaking.
I’ve had the honor of hearing the author at the Mississippi Book Festival twice. I highly recommend his book, “Dixie”, as well. Mike Landrum, the son of Tom Landrum, taught a class on this book at OLLI. It’s a fascinating book in its own right, but even more so in that I know some of the characters - even the evil ones. Enlightening and heartbreaking.
March 13, 2021
This book paints an accurate and haunting picture of Mississippi during the civil rights era, when the KKK was at its most powerful, and evil. I was aghast at the actions the KKK took, and how involved/encouraging the police and governments both local and not were. I was surprised by how informative this book was, and how much I had missed about the movement.
The author has created a great nonfictional book that handles the subject matter with grace - but it does not sugarcoat it. Overall I highly recommend this book. I will be buying it.
I want to sincerely thank netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the ARC!
The author has created a great nonfictional book that handles the subject matter with grace - but it does not sugarcoat it. Overall I highly recommend this book. I will be buying it.
I want to sincerely thank netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the ARC!
June 2, 2021
With this book, author Wilkie tries to tell the story of Tom Landrum, an undercover agent for the FBI in one of Mississippi's Klans in the 1950s and 60s. I really wanted to read more of Landrum's own words and descriptions, rather than Wilkie's somewhat plodding and long paraphrases. Wilkie is also too often fatphobic and otherwise prejudiced in describing people, as if there is a certain look or body type found more often in bigots. Another round of edits could tighten this up, work in more primary sources, and make it a much better book.
January 13, 2022
This book centers around a Ku Klux Klan murder of a black voting rights activist trying to register voters in rural Mississippi. We really get to see the inner workings of the Klan in Mississippi in the 1960's and 1970's. Vernon Dahmer died as a result of a fire set by two carloads of Klan members. We see the planning, commission and aftermath (and other Klan sponsered violence) of this event. Much of the data comes from a Klan member who was secretly working with the FBI giving them reports. A fascinating look at a terrible time when brutality and hate were the norm for many.
May 26, 2025
This book is a history of the KKK I was unaware of and was fascinated to learn. There’s a lot of set up at times, and background to characters which can slow the story down. And then there are scenes you read where it seems like it’s from a movie or TV show. I recommend reading this for the history (and also for the astonishing fact that their father kept this story from his kids until his death bed!!), and to learn the length and arduous process it took to take down the leader of the White Knights.
June 25, 2021
A stunning story of heroism, murder and spying on the deadly Ku Klux Klan organization in south Mississippi in the 1960s. Journalism is the first draft of history and Mississippi author Wilkie reported about the South for decades for the Boston Globe and others. He’s researched this era thoroughly where he lived and worked and had access to journals and other records that bring these heroes and murderers to life.
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