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Burden (Movie Tie-In Edition): A Preacher, a Klansman, and a True Story of Redemption in the Modern South
The true story behind the film starring Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker and Garrett Hedlund; written and directed by Andrew Heckler; produced by Academy Award nominee Robbie Brenner ( Dallas Buyers Club )
A powerful, timely story about an African American reverend whose faith compelled him to help a KKK member leave a life of hate
“Honest, empowering, incredibly enjoyable, and unforgettable.”—Bret Witter, bestselling co-author of The Monuments Men , Dewey , and Stronger
In 1996, the town of Laurens, South Carolina, was thrust into the spotlight when a white supremacist named Michael Burden opened a museum celebrating the Ku Klux Klan in the community’s main square. Journalists and protestors flooded the town, and hate groups rallied to the establishment’s defense, dredging up the long history of racism and injustice.
What came next is the subject of the film Burden, which won the 2018 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award. Shortly after his museum opened, Burden abruptly left the Klan in search of a better life. Broke and homeless, he was taken in by Reverend David Kennedy, an African American leader in the Laurens community, who plunged his church, friends, and family into an inspiring quest to save their former enemy.
In this spellbinding Southern epic, journalist Courtney Hargrave further uncovers the complex events behind the story told in Andrew Heckler’s film. Hargrave explores the choices that led to Kennedy and Burden’s friendship, the social factors that drive young men to join hate groups, and the difference one person can make in confronting America’s oldest sin.
A powerful, timely story about an African American reverend whose faith compelled him to help a KKK member leave a life of hate
“Honest, empowering, incredibly enjoyable, and unforgettable.”—Bret Witter, bestselling co-author of The Monuments Men , Dewey , and Stronger
In 1996, the town of Laurens, South Carolina, was thrust into the spotlight when a white supremacist named Michael Burden opened a museum celebrating the Ku Klux Klan in the community’s main square. Journalists and protestors flooded the town, and hate groups rallied to the establishment’s defense, dredging up the long history of racism and injustice.
What came next is the subject of the film Burden, which won the 2018 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award. Shortly after his museum opened, Burden abruptly left the Klan in search of a better life. Broke and homeless, he was taken in by Reverend David Kennedy, an African American leader in the Laurens community, who plunged his church, friends, and family into an inspiring quest to save their former enemy.
In this spellbinding Southern epic, journalist Courtney Hargrave further uncovers the complex events behind the story told in Andrew Heckler’s film. Hargrave explores the choices that led to Kennedy and Burden’s friendship, the social factors that drive young men to join hate groups, and the difference one person can make in confronting America’s oldest sin.
240 pages, Paperback
First published August 14, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
September 7, 2018
3.5 There was a lot of KKK history in this book, way more than I anticipated. However, when the preacher said "they are human beings" and looked beyond their past and current beliefs, it was a powerful example, especially set in the modern South.
October 2, 2018
Exceptional reporting on the life of Reverend David Kennedy, his church and his conflicts with the Klan in Laurens, South Carolina. This book details much of the inner workings of the Ku Klux Klan and its history right up to our present time. Kennedy was a man of deep forgiveness and offered help to a Klansman who had lost his house and was having trouble supporting his wife and children. The deep hooks the Klan can have in a family is well documented, and the effort to break is heart wrenching. A pretty easy read. The book moves quickly but provides enough detail to really feel immersed. There are a lot of notes if one wants to follow up on the details of the story. Written like a journalistic expose.
September 26, 2018
“Racism, he often told his parishioners, is a strange organism. A living thing. You can trim the branch, you can try to cut it out by the root, you can bury it deep in the ground and deprive it of light. But when the conditions are right, it blooms.”
Read this book. Read it if you know racism is still alive today. Read it if you think it’s not. Read it if you don’t care either way. It’s a powerful and inspiring story, made even more so by Reverend, David Kennedy, the man at the center of the story.
Read this book. Read it if you know racism is still alive today. Read it if you think it’s not. Read it if you don’t care either way. It’s a powerful and inspiring story, made even more so by Reverend, David Kennedy, the man at the center of the story.
February 11, 2020
There's just far too much hate in this world. Reverend Kennedy's a brave and special man.
December 23, 2020
Prodigal Klansman? First I watched the film “Burden,” then I read this book. Hargrave has done a solid job narrating the story of a South Carolina town’s conflict with the Klan. In essence: one of the Klansmen, Mike Burden, a wastrel taken in by a maniacal Klan leader, becomes one of the faces of the “Redneck Shop” and Klan museum—new downtown landmarks drawing international attention. For love of a not-so-racist woman Burden finds himself on the outs and, homeless and destitute, is taken in by the town’s Black activist-preacher and cared for by the Black community. Ah, but the true story is less Hollywood than the film: Burden relapses into crime and martial conflict, his actions all-too-human. There’s some serviceable history of the Klan, including a sense of the many internal divisions. What stands out is how devastating NAFTA and deindustrialization is to this region. Organized racism is, in part, a symptom of this decline in economic security and status. Racial redemption is messy!
January 22, 2022
Not at all what I expected as an ending to an otherwise encouraging and enlightening story. I realize it’s a true story and we can’t change the ending to meet our expectations. I felt Courtney Hargrave did a very good job with the events in Laurens, SC regarding the Ku Klux Klan and the paths of Michael Burden, a once devout KKK member, and that of the civil rights preacher, David Kennedy.
The book provided amble proof that not only is a life based on hatred unsustainable, but it still exists deep in the roots of some people.
The way Hargrave moves the story along, providing some historical background of the main characters and the community, keeps you reading and thinking you know how this all ends. The twist at end left me a bit confused and even disheartened in some aspects. It turns out “ok”, just not how I thought it would nor the way I wanted it to end. Fairly easy read, well worth the time.
The book provided amble proof that not only is a life based on hatred unsustainable, but it still exists deep in the roots of some people.
The way Hargrave moves the story along, providing some historical background of the main characters and the community, keeps you reading and thinking you know how this all ends. The twist at end left me a bit confused and even disheartened in some aspects. It turns out “ok”, just not how I thought it would nor the way I wanted it to end. Fairly easy read, well worth the time.
January 31, 2019
Please don't mistake this review for something it is not.
First - I had never heard of Courtney Hargrave so I did try to do my due diligence and research the author and it is important when reading this book to know it was written by a white woman. I do think the book and content are appropriately presented throughout and I applaud the journalist for being brave enough to take on this topic.
I am confused about a few things concerning this book. First, there are multiple editions of the same book, all in close proximity to each other, and that made it a little difficult to differentiate. I think the multiple editions might actually be hurting the presentation and distribution of this book. Second, apparently there is a movie but I cannot recall hearing about the movie nor does this book seem to have a large awareness base. That.....is weird to me and I would like to know why?
Overall, as a Georgian, I found the book very informative from a historical point of view and feel I am better prepared to discuss this issue (that of the Klan) when it arises in conversation - because it does. Frequently. There is a lot of history of the Klan in this book. A lot. And don't let the title mislead you into thinking there is actual redemption. Check your privilege, no one benefitted from this.
First - I had never heard of Courtney Hargrave so I did try to do my due diligence and research the author and it is important when reading this book to know it was written by a white woman. I do think the book and content are appropriately presented throughout and I applaud the journalist for being brave enough to take on this topic.
I am confused about a few things concerning this book. First, there are multiple editions of the same book, all in close proximity to each other, and that made it a little difficult to differentiate. I think the multiple editions might actually be hurting the presentation and distribution of this book. Second, apparently there is a movie but I cannot recall hearing about the movie nor does this book seem to have a large awareness base. That.....is weird to me and I would like to know why?
Overall, as a Georgian, I found the book very informative from a historical point of view and feel I am better prepared to discuss this issue (that of the Klan) when it arises in conversation - because it does. Frequently. There is a lot of history of the Klan in this book. A lot. And don't let the title mislead you into thinking there is actual redemption. Check your privilege, no one benefitted from this.
February 16, 2019
I read this book because its summary speaks about redemption of a Klansman. But Michael Burden went back to his old self. I’m not judging Mr. Burden just that the description of the book is not what it is about. Rev. Kennedy worked/works tirelessly to bring a community together but yelling and protesting is apparently not working. Perhaps more love and less yelling would be a better option. I find it disturbing that so much racism is still going on in our rural areas, indeed in our world. But I also think this book propagates that with some of the political rhetoric in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2020
This book was advertised to be "A powerful and timely story" of redemption involving an African American preacher and a member of the KKK. It was not. It was the history of one small "Reneck shop" and the history of the KKK in one small town. I'm sure the movie will be much better, but don't read the book.
February 21, 2019
Interesting book with relevant issues of race, community division and compassion. It seemed to wander at times but was still a solid portrayal of true events in South Carolina not that long ago.
February 18, 2020
Great book. Very educational to read about this topic via a specific situation...and a heartbreakingly recent one at that.
March 6, 2019
Michael Burden, a troubled young man, came under the spell of John Howard, a leader in a section of the Ku Klux Klan. Howard had purchased an old movie theater across from the courthouse in Laurens, South Carolina. With Michael’s help, they partly restored the building and opened within it a Ku Klux Klan museum, a store called the “Redneck Shop,” and a center for Klan meetings and recruitment. Standing in opposition to the theater was David Kennedy, the African-American pastor of the New Beginnings Missionary Baptist Church. The confrontation between the church and community against Howard and his museum and store made national news in the 1990s. This is their story.
But the story has a twist. When Michael Burden falls out with John Howard after his marriage to a woman with two children, he finds himself without a job and locked out of his home. Broke and with nowhere to go, the Reverend David Kennedy steps in and helped. This act of grace is the centerpiece of this multi-dimension story of redemption. The story caught the attention of Andrew Heckler, who had a vision of bringing it to the theater. The movie was also released in 2018
Courtney Hargrave, a journalist and former ghostwriter, researched and wrote the book that was released in conjunction with the movie. Heckler wrote the forward for Hargrave’s book. Hargrave’s writing is crisp and reads easily. She provides enough background to the various phases of the Klan to help the reader understand the fractured history of this homegrown American terror group. She provides local historical background of white supremacy in Laurens, a town named for a slave trader and the location of lynching activity in the first half of the 20th Century. She delves into the relationship between Burden and Howard providing a case study of how older Klansmen befriend and then use lost youth to further their misguided mission. Her accounts of Reverend Kennedy’s actions show the struggle of those within the African-American community to provide the needs of their own constitutes while showing love to their enemies.
I would have liked to have learned more about the thoughts and feelings of white residents who were not involved in the Klan, especially white churches. Hargrave primarily focused on the New Beginning Church, making the battle between them and Howard. I found myself wondering if more churches, African-American and Caucasian, were involved. Although she doesn’t say so in the book, I know the author’s time was limited as she was under pressure to publish the book before the movie was released. I question if the lack of time and also the movie’s plotline (which needs to simplify the complexity of the story) might have played a role in the way she tells this story.
Hargrave’s writing reminds the reader the role race plays with groups that feel disenfranchised in America. Laurens is an upstate South Carolina town that has been gutted of its industry and hasn’t received the influx of new industry as have other communities in the region such as Greenville and Spartanburg. For those with little hope, it is easy to fall prey to organizations like the Klan. I recommend this book. Not only do we witness someone radically living out the gospel and fulfilling Jesus’ command to love and do good to our enemies, we also gain insight into how a person like Burden might be drawn into an organization like the Klan.
I doubt I would have read this book had it not been for meeting Ms. Hargrave at a reading in Savannah late last year. The story caught my attention. I’m glad I picked up a copy and I hope the book finds a wider audience. I recommend it.
Hargrave’s writing reminds the reader the role race plays with groups that feel disenfranchised in America. Laurens is an upstate South Carolina town that has been gutted of its industry and hasn’t received the influx of new industry as have other communities in the region such as Greenville and Spartanburg. For those with little hope, it is easy to fall prey to organizations like the Klan. I recommend this book. Not only do we witness someone radically living out the gospel and fulfilling Jesus’ command to love and do good to our enemies, we also gain insight into how a person like Burden might be drawn into an organization like the Klan.
I doubt I would have read this book had it not been for meeting Ms. Hargrave at a reading in Savannah late last year. The story caught my attention. I’m glad I picked up a copy and I hope the book finds a wider audience. I recommend it.
But the story has a twist. When Michael Burden falls out with John Howard after his marriage to a woman with two children, he finds himself without a job and locked out of his home. Broke and with nowhere to go, the Reverend David Kennedy steps in and helped. This act of grace is the centerpiece of this multi-dimension story of redemption. The story caught the attention of Andrew Heckler, who had a vision of bringing it to the theater. The movie was also released in 2018
Courtney Hargrave, a journalist and former ghostwriter, researched and wrote the book that was released in conjunction with the movie. Heckler wrote the forward for Hargrave’s book. Hargrave’s writing is crisp and reads easily. She provides enough background to the various phases of the Klan to help the reader understand the fractured history of this homegrown American terror group. She provides local historical background of white supremacy in Laurens, a town named for a slave trader and the location of lynching activity in the first half of the 20th Century. She delves into the relationship between Burden and Howard providing a case study of how older Klansmen befriend and then use lost youth to further their misguided mission. Her accounts of Reverend Kennedy’s actions show the struggle of those within the African-American community to provide the needs of their own constitutes while showing love to their enemies.
I would have liked to have learned more about the thoughts and feelings of white residents who were not involved in the Klan, especially white churches. Hargrave primarily focused on the New Beginning Church, making the battle between them and Howard. I found myself wondering if more churches, African-American and Caucasian, were involved. Although she doesn’t say so in the book, I know the author’s time was limited as she was under pressure to publish the book before the movie was released. I question if the lack of time and also the movie’s plotline (which needs to simplify the complexity of the story) might have played a role in the way she tells this story.
Hargrave’s writing reminds the reader the role race plays with groups that feel disenfranchised in America. Laurens is an upstate South Carolina town that has been gutted of its industry and hasn’t received the influx of new industry as have other communities in the region such as Greenville and Spartanburg. For those with little hope, it is easy to fall prey to organizations like the Klan. I recommend this book. Not only do we witness someone radically living out the gospel and fulfilling Jesus’ command to love and do good to our enemies, we also gain insight into how a person like Burden might be drawn into an organization like the Klan.
I doubt I would have read this book had it not been for meeting Ms. Hargrave at a reading in Savannah late last year. The story caught my attention. I’m glad I picked up a copy and I hope the book finds a wider audience. I recommend it.
Hargrave’s writing reminds the reader the role race plays with groups that feel disenfranchised in America. Laurens is an upstate South Carolina town that has been gutted of its industry and hasn’t received the influx of new industry as have other communities in the region such as Greenville and Spartanburg. For those with little hope, it is easy to fall prey to organizations like the Klan. I recommend this book. Not only do we witness someone radically living out the gospel and fulfilling Jesus’ command to love and do good to our enemies, we also gain insight into how a person like Burden might be drawn into an organization like the Klan.
I doubt I would have read this book had it not been for meeting Ms. Hargrave at a reading in Savannah late last year. The story caught my attention. I’m glad I picked up a copy and I hope the book finds a wider audience. I recommend it.
July 24, 2020
It's not that I didn't enjoy the book overall, it's just that it's incredibly disheartening to see that, as with anything that requires a human being to focus on it for more than a week, the whole issue over the Redneck shop and race relations in Laurens just sort of....fizzled out.
There was no great climax or turning point, the town didn't turn out in solidarity for the black community or for an emphatic rejection of everything the shop stood for. In fact, many whites in the town didn't seem to be bothered with the issue at all.
Perhaps it's cruel of me but I also came away with no small amount of contempt for Mike Burden himself. Contrary to what the feel good, Hollywood movie will portray, I'm sure, he didn't seem to make much a transformation other than finally being persuaded by his wife and an outright rejection from his mentor Howard to finally leave the Klan.
I understand that he struggles to support his family financially but he allows his unwillingness to continue to receive charity from his congregation to lead him into a string of burglaries that cost him his marriage, his family, his reputation and 12 years of life.
I was doubly incensed when I read that he also screwed over the very Reverend who had selflessly taken in, not just himself, but also his family. Fed him, clothed him and housed him. For all Mike's whining about wanting to pay back the congregation and Reverend who had helped him when he was homeless, he sure rolled over damn quick and bellied up to his former mentor Howard when he came calling. Adding to his crimes by signing fraudulent deeds that tie up the Revered in court cases for years while Neo Nazis make off with the money.
Ultimately, Mike Burden emerges from prison and quietly rebuilds his life and then fades away into obscurity. Reverend Kennedy is still trudging along admist a town that actually reviles him, calling him a race baiter and a trouble maker when he continues to preach and demonstrate against injustice. And that's where the story ends.
Given the anti-climactic "not with a bang but with a whimper" ending to the while situation, I can't imagine what Hollywood would deem as particularly movie worthy about it. At any rate, I won't be watching it. I can't even imagine the amount of feel good, back patting, racial divide overcoming, by-the-end-of-the-movie-racism-is-solved crap it must be.
There was no great climax or turning point, the town didn't turn out in solidarity for the black community or for an emphatic rejection of everything the shop stood for. In fact, many whites in the town didn't seem to be bothered with the issue at all.
Perhaps it's cruel of me but I also came away with no small amount of contempt for Mike Burden himself. Contrary to what the feel good, Hollywood movie will portray, I'm sure, he didn't seem to make much a transformation other than finally being persuaded by his wife and an outright rejection from his mentor Howard to finally leave the Klan.
I understand that he struggles to support his family financially but he allows his unwillingness to continue to receive charity from his congregation to lead him into a string of burglaries that cost him his marriage, his family, his reputation and 12 years of life.
I was doubly incensed when I read that he also screwed over the very Reverend who had selflessly taken in, not just himself, but also his family. Fed him, clothed him and housed him. For all Mike's whining about wanting to pay back the congregation and Reverend who had helped him when he was homeless, he sure rolled over damn quick and bellied up to his former mentor Howard when he came calling. Adding to his crimes by signing fraudulent deeds that tie up the Revered in court cases for years while Neo Nazis make off with the money.
Ultimately, Mike Burden emerges from prison and quietly rebuilds his life and then fades away into obscurity. Reverend Kennedy is still trudging along admist a town that actually reviles him, calling him a race baiter and a trouble maker when he continues to preach and demonstrate against injustice. And that's where the story ends.
Given the anti-climactic "not with a bang but with a whimper" ending to the while situation, I can't imagine what Hollywood would deem as particularly movie worthy about it. At any rate, I won't be watching it. I can't even imagine the amount of feel good, back patting, racial divide overcoming, by-the-end-of-the-movie-racism-is-solved crap it must be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2022
Este es un libro fuerte, es difícil poner en palabras el horror que muchas personas de color sufrieron y siguen sufriendo. Esto debería ser historia… no eventos actuales. Me rompe el corazón que algunas personas aún vivan en este sistema de creencias.
Esta libro está inspirado en una historia real, en una época de división e ira. Nos enseña sobre el poder del espíritu humano y el amor.
Se trata de un predicador afroamericano que está motivado por su fe en Dios y en sus enseñanzas para mostrar perdón y compasión a un exmiembro de KKK. En el proceso, le da la bienvenida a su hogar al ex miembro del Klan y lo ayuda a encontrar la redención. Luego, juntos trabajan para acabar con el Klan en su ciudad. Esta historia demuestra que el poder del amor, el perdón y la fe pueden vencer todo odio y salvar todas las divisiones, sin importar cuán grandes sean.
Sinopsis.
En 1996, la ciudad de Laurens, Carolina del Sur, se convirtió en el centro de atención cuando un supremacista blanco llamado Michael Burden abrió un museo para celebrar el Ku Klux Klan en la plaza principal de la comunidad. Periodistas y manifestantes inundaron la ciudad, y grupos de odio se unieron en defensa del establecimiento, sacando a la luz la larga historia de racismo e injusticia.
Lo que vino después es el tema de la película Burden, que ganó el Premio del Público del Festival de Cine de Sundance 2018. Poco después de la apertura de su museo, Burden abandonó abruptamente el Klan en busca de una vida mejor. En bancarrota y sin hogar, fue acogido por el reverendo David Kennedy, un líder afroamericano de la comunidad de Laurens, quien sumergió a su iglesia, amigos y familiares en una búsqueda inspiradora para salvar a su antiguo enemigo.
En esta fascinante historia, la periodista Courtney Hargrave descubre aún más los complejos eventos detrás de la historia contada en la película de Andrew Heckler. Hargrave explora las elecciones que llevaron a la amistad de Kennedy y Burden, los factores sociales que impulsan a los jóvenes a unirse a grupos de odio y la diferencia que una persona puede hacer al confrontar el pecado más antiguo de Estados Unidos.
Esta libro está inspirado en una historia real, en una época de división e ira. Nos enseña sobre el poder del espíritu humano y el amor.
Se trata de un predicador afroamericano que está motivado por su fe en Dios y en sus enseñanzas para mostrar perdón y compasión a un exmiembro de KKK. En el proceso, le da la bienvenida a su hogar al ex miembro del Klan y lo ayuda a encontrar la redención. Luego, juntos trabajan para acabar con el Klan en su ciudad. Esta historia demuestra que el poder del amor, el perdón y la fe pueden vencer todo odio y salvar todas las divisiones, sin importar cuán grandes sean.
Sinopsis.
En 1996, la ciudad de Laurens, Carolina del Sur, se convirtió en el centro de atención cuando un supremacista blanco llamado Michael Burden abrió un museo para celebrar el Ku Klux Klan en la plaza principal de la comunidad. Periodistas y manifestantes inundaron la ciudad, y grupos de odio se unieron en defensa del establecimiento, sacando a la luz la larga historia de racismo e injusticia.
Lo que vino después es el tema de la película Burden, que ganó el Premio del Público del Festival de Cine de Sundance 2018. Poco después de la apertura de su museo, Burden abandonó abruptamente el Klan en busca de una vida mejor. En bancarrota y sin hogar, fue acogido por el reverendo David Kennedy, un líder afroamericano de la comunidad de Laurens, quien sumergió a su iglesia, amigos y familiares en una búsqueda inspiradora para salvar a su antiguo enemigo.
En esta fascinante historia, la periodista Courtney Hargrave descubre aún más los complejos eventos detrás de la historia contada en la película de Andrew Heckler. Hargrave explora las elecciones que llevaron a la amistad de Kennedy y Burden, los factores sociales que impulsan a los jóvenes a unirse a grupos de odio y la diferencia que una persona puede hacer al confrontar el pecado más antiguo de Estados Unidos.
November 9, 2021
I think the intention behind this book (and likewise the film) was good, but it still comes off somehow as a white savior story. First we get the self-congratulatory foreword from the (white) filmmaker - "look at this remarkable and timely story about race relations that I came across and brought to people's attention through the magic of movies!" Then we have the book title which is a (not really) clever play on the name of the white KKK Grand Dragon/Wizard/Jackass who was tasked with assassinating the reverend whom he later approached for help (because of his wife, not particularly of his own accord). There are lots of lovely words about Reverend Kennedy who is the personification of Christ's teachings (if only all those who profess to be Christian held his beliefs and worked in such service to the Lord, this country might be in a much better place right now). I have a great deal of respect for this man. And there is quite a thorough history on the many iterations of the Klan from its inception to present (if you think it's gone, I encourage you to come stay in North Carolina for a bit). As a history buff, this section was of great, if nauseating, interest to me. But I think what bugs me is that the book (& film) are presented as a story of redemption (it's not) and its message seems to be "look at this white man who transcended his hate to single-handedly break the color barrier in this teeny tiny town in South Carolina" (nope, wrong again).
I requested this book from the library mainly because I saw something online about the film and accompanying book and thought "Hey, that looks interesting. I'll give the book a read and if it's any good, I'll rent the movie." That $3.99 rental fee is now going to buy me tacos.
I requested this book from the library mainly because I saw something online about the film and accompanying book and thought "Hey, that looks interesting. I'll give the book a read and if it's any good, I'll rent the movie." That $3.99 rental fee is now going to buy me tacos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2023
Well researched and compelling look at racism in small town Laurens, SC. Documented history of the KKK in the area and the type of men (and women) who uphold the bigotry of the klan, and the splinter groups that evolved from it...like the neo nazi movement.
David Kennedy, a black preacher in Laurens, reaches out to Michael Burden, (who opened the "Red Neck Museum" in an old theatre in town), when his klan friends turn on him. It would be nice if this had a happy ending, but it doesn't. It's wonderful to think that there are special people out there, like David Kennedy. It's terrible to think that there are hateful people out there too, who take great pride in being racist.
David Kennedy, a black preacher in Laurens, reaches out to Michael Burden, (who opened the "Red Neck Museum" in an old theatre in town), when his klan friends turn on him. It would be nice if this had a happy ending, but it doesn't. It's wonderful to think that there are special people out there, like David Kennedy. It's terrible to think that there are hateful people out there too, who take great pride in being racist.
December 17, 2019
I did not expect to actually enjoy reading a perspective of someone in the KKK, I actually enjoyed how the author had that perspective, the preacher, and the town. This was an interesting book on how race relations still affect us today. I actually did some of my own research to get more background on this town and see where bother are now. This was definitely a good read and I have already recommended it to friends.
January 31, 2019
There was a lot more history of the KKK in this book than I expected. Still, the story was amazing, especially considering the risk a preacher willingly took in providing for a Klansman and his family who otherwise would have been homeless and without food. The book also records ongoing issues with KKK-related groups and how hate crimes continue to increase.
May 29, 2021
This is the story of Michael Burden who gets involved with a member of the Ku Klux Klan and opens a store on the main street of Laurens, South Carolina. How he is befriended by a black preacher and made to turn away from the Klan makes for an amazing story. The author has done a great deal of research in writing this book and it was an eye-opener for me.
December 30, 2021
This story never really grabbed me. There's a great deal of history of the Ku Klux Klan, but the true tale of Reverend Kennedy saving Mike Burden from the Klan falls flat at the end when Burden is imprisoned for several convenience store robberies. (Very anti-climactic.) I may watch the movie just to find out if they included that, or if they Hollywood-ized the ending.
January 19, 2023
I happened on this book randomly at our accommodation in Mangaia, Cook Islands and couldn't put it down. It was Erie to come across this book because almost exactly a year ago I came across the movie randomly while channel surfing in a hotel. Well researched and very readable even though I knew the story
July 4, 2024
I found this disappointing, both the inflating of Michael Burden’s role - he didn’t do anything that wasn’t convenient to him at the time, so making him out to be reformed or a hero is bogus - and also that the afterword is more thought provoking than the book itself. It’s well written but like it’s designed to be read after the movie and can’t stand alone.
July 16, 2019
Truly eye opening
Amazing to me how “today” this story is, that there are still so many haters in this country that proclaim to be God-loving yet turn their backs to this type of treatment of people. I couldn’t put the book down!
Amazing to me how “today” this story is, that there are still so many haters in this country that proclaim to be God-loving yet turn their backs to this type of treatment of people. I couldn’t put the book down!
May 14, 2020
Expected more about the actual story rather than clerical facts that seemed to take over.
I do believe it is important to know history and the lives of people who lived before us and I think this story has the potential to do that, just missed the mark.
I do believe it is important to know history and the lives of people who lived before us and I think this story has the potential to do that, just missed the mark.
June 14, 2020
One of those "the summary was better" sort of books. Definitely had potential but read like a textbook chapter. Very tedious. Not emotionally packed in the slightest. For a 195 page book, I skimmed by the time I made it to the last two chapters... I felt it totally fell flat.
January 31, 2021
Burden was interesting but was a lot more history of the KKK ithan I was expecting. The book also records how hate crimes continue to increase.
It was interesting but I felt more textbook than a memoir.
It was interesting but I felt more textbook than a memoir.
September 14, 2018
Remarkable story.
May 20, 2019
Interesting
Hard to believe this is pretty recent stuff. This should be history...not current events. Breaks my heart that some people still live in this belief system.
Hard to believe this is pretty recent stuff. This should be history...not current events. Breaks my heart that some people still live in this belief system.
February 26, 2020
I wanted this book to be fiction but it’s not 😳
April 24, 2020
An eye opening and insightful book into the poison of racism and how it takes root in a person's heart.
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