A brief history of hate
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| The original cast of MAGA |
What happens when a rapacious, hateful and thoroughly corrupt gasbag gains complete control of a government?
In it, Timothy Egan relates the sordid saga of a Trump-like figure who managed to take over the state of Indiana in the early 1920s. At the height of his power as Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, David C. Stephenson controlled much of the Midwest and believed he had a shot at the White House. If his depravity hadn’t escalated to an actual sex slaying, he might have. Even then it was touch and go.
“Fever” is a great example of what Egan does so well: Take well-trod episodes of American history and structure them almost as novels, with villains and heroes and quite a bit of dramatic tension.
In a lot of fiction, it’s the villain who keeps you turning the pages. You can’t wait for that comeuppance. And few novels have villains worse than Stephenson. Known to his minions as “Steve,” he rode the Klan’s “America First” xenophobia into churches, city halls, courts and legislatures throughout the Midwest. It didn’t matter that he was a grifter, extortionist, and violent sex offender: in 1922 he could truthfully observe that he alone was the law in Indiana.
If I’d read this 20 years ago, it might have seemed more incredible than it does today. Now, it’s like another spin on “what’s past is prologue.” But there’s also a quiet note of optimism. If America seems particularly prone to fevers like this, you can’t forget that they come and then they go. Eventually, this one will too.
Anyway, it’s a good read. And it’s somewhat shorter than you first think, since photos and footnotes account for much of the page count. Dave Bob says check it out.
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