I finished A Fever in the Heartland in February 2025, and I’m still carrying parts of it with me. It is not an easy read, not because of the writing, but because of the history it reveals. Timothy Egan narrates the story of the Ku Klux Klan’s rise in 1920s America, not in the Deep South as one might expect, but in the Midwest, in states like Indiana, where the movement not only existed but also thrived. That alone was deeply unsettling.

There were moments in this book that made me angry. Some things that shocked me. Others left me feeling deeply unsettled. But alongside all of that, there was something else: admiration. The people who resisted, individuals and groups who stood up against this rising wave of hate, reminded me that courage doesn’t always look like grand gestures. Sometimes, it’s quiet. Defiant. Steady.

What I appreciated was how thoroughly Egan researched and assembled this lesser-known part of American history. He didn’t just present us with the horror, even though there’s plenty of it. He showed us the people who didn’t look away, those who refused to let evil go unchecked. In doing so, he gave the reader something to hold onto: hope.

This book shook me. But it also reminded me why stories like this matter because history tends to repeat itself when we stop paying attention. I’m thankful for books like this and for writers like Egan, who are willing to dig deep and bring uncomfortable truths into the light.

Buy A Fever in the Heartland on Bookshop.org. I love supporting indie bookstores!