A Fever in the Heartland – Timothy Egan

Indiana went from having nearly 200,000 residents fight for the Union Army in the Civil War to boasting more members of the Ku Klux Klan than any other state nearly 60 years later. 

How?

It’s a curious mystery that Timothy Egan explores in the fast-paced and engrossing “A Fever in the Heartland,” which dissects how D.C. Stephenson used grassroots advocacy, blackmail, religion and bribes to sow long-lasting puritanical policies and racism in the Hoosier state. 

In many ways Stephenson is the prototype fascist that so many political leaders have modeled (since and still), tapping into the “deadly tedium of small-town life” and appealing to the “ignorant, slightly unbalanced and the venal” with a message of hate and superiority.

Of course, Stephenson was a hypocrite of the highest order, who used his bully pulpit to build a cult of masked zealots — including women and children — that were deputized as the ultimate morality police while his favorite pastime was being a drunken rapist.

Paced like a thriller — there’s short chapters and each has a clear focus — Egan stays rooted in basics and not minutiae. There’s detail on the inner workings of the KKK, state and national politics, “Roaring 20s” culture and immigration panic to provide a contextual foundation, but the author keeps everything aligned to his thesis: how Indiana served as a microcosm for a growing wave of racism in northern states, and the resisters who fought it. 

The power in this story is not in unmasking the KKK and drawing parallels to today’s political climate, rather it’s about celebrating and recognizing the everyday people — many of whom suffered terribly — that fought against the shadow organization and ultimately lessened its chokehold on the U.S.

In a standout chapter (“Independence Day”), Egan dissects the Kokomo Klan rally that occurred on July 4, 1923, where 100,000 people cheered for Stephenson’s platform of election interference, state-supported racism and anti-immigration. 

Weaving perspectives from attendees, reporters and outsiders (those living in town that didn’t attend), it brings to life in vivid detail the two Indiana’s that had emerged. To read this section with the year removed, it would be easy to think you’re reading about this past summer.

Egan’s effectiveness at bringing forward personal perspectives is what really brought this history to life, including the University of Notre Dame students running the Klan out of South Bend to George Dale, editor of the Muncie Post-Democrat, who was frequently harassed and jailed for his missives against Stephenson and the Klan.

There were so many individuals that fought to expose the KKK, but none did more than Madge Oberholtzer, an Indianapolis native who lost her life but saved the soul of the state. The last third of “Fever” focuses on the trial of Stephenson for her murder and it is a well-paced and electrifying conclusion. 

My only complaint with this overall solid microhistory is that the audiobook was lackluster. Read by the author, he had an appealing voice but did little to change tone or infection depending on who was speaking or what was happening. There are some truly heartbreaking and astonishing reveals, but they are all presented the same way.

While I thoroughly enjoyed “Fever,” I recognize that a large part of it is because I’m a son of Indiana. Growing up I was aware of the state’s terrible history with the KKK, but I had no idea of how deep it went. 

It’s difficult to learn that a place you love, and that helped shape you, allowed such terrible things to occur. What’s even more disheartening is people still fall for charlatans, like Stephenson, and their false promises. 

As painful as “Fever” is to read, this Hoosier is grateful to Egan for helping us remember a past that so many would rather forget – or ignore. 

Rating (story): 5/5 stars

Rating (narration): 2.5/5 stars

Format: Audiobook (library loan)

Dates read: October 22 – October 28, 2023

Multi-tasking: Okay. The core narrative is easy to follow, but there are a lot of characters and it's easy to lose track if you aren’t paying close attention.