Book banning has become the norm in Texas, the state where I grew up and came back to live in after 21 years away in my 30s and 40s.  One such ban occurred in Llano County in the picturesque Hill Country, where a number of books were removed from the public library shelves by right-wing nut jobs because of "porn" (read:  against their political and religious beliefs).

One of the books was They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group, written in 2010 by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.  This book received lots of recognition, including being named a National Council of Teachers of English Orbis Pictus Recommended Title, American Library Assocition's Young Adult Library Services Association Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist, and National Council for the Social Studies/Children's Book Council Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People.  I'd bought it for the curriculum collection (used by future teachers) at my university library, but had not had a chance to read the book until now.

Bartoletti, a former 8th-grade English teacher, has written a number of award-winning nonfiction books for children and young adults.  Through primary and secondary source documents, period drawings and articles, and photographs and interviews with former slaves in the 1930s, Bartoletti traces the history of the Ku Klux Klan, from its inception in Pulaski, Tennessee, after the Civil War as an almost-fraternity-like organization (complete with initiation rites and secret rituals), through the Reconstruction era, and touching on its continuance into the 21st century.  She adeptly demonstrates how post-Civil War and Reconstruction conditions in the South led to the proliferation of this terrorist group.

The book ends with a civil rights time line that extends from 1863 (Emancipation Proclamation) to 2008 (election of President Obama).  Bartoletti provides attributions for all the quotations she uses, as well as an extensive bibliography and source notes, and a thorough index.  The 172-page book is quite readable, written in a narrative nonfiction style with at least one illustration or long quote on every double-page spread.

This book BELONGS in every public library.  With a Lexile measure of 1180 and an Accelerated Reader level of grade 9.2, it is also appropriate for ALL middle school and high school libraries.  It is most certainly NOT "porn."  It is uncomfortable history - especially for racists.

Some Llano County residents filed suit against the Llano County commissioners and library board concerning the bans.  In late March 2023, a judge ruled in their favor, and ordered the banned books back on the shelves.  The commissioners considered closing the libraries rather than putting the books back, but after public outcry, left the libraries open.

One copy of the book is owned for the entire three-branch system, and it was checked out when I last looked (although whether or not it is overdue - sometimes an indicator someone is trying to keep the book off the shelves - is not clear).  Although it is classified as a young adult book, it is shelved in the adult section at this library - as it is at the library in my right-wing nut job county too. ( )

This book provides readers with a stark view into the rise of the KKK and the era of Reconstruction in the South. The extensive use of quotations, excerpts of journals, reproductions of lithographs, photographs, and historical documents add to the quality and power of information. This is an excellent resource for American history teachers, though teachers would want to facilitate discussions, especially with middle school students, due to disturbing images and content. Extensive resource materials are included.

Excellent book for kids on the history of the Klan. I hope the author has the time, when there's a new edition, to add information about our current, dangerous situation, where the Klan -- and white supremacy groups in general -- are not only on the rise but represented in the White House and among some elements of our military. ( )

After the Civil War many people from the south got upset with the fact that African Americans were free. So six friends by the names of James Crowe, J Calvin Jones,James McCord, John Lester,Richard Reed, and John B. Kennedy formed a terrorist group called the K.K.K ( The Ku Klux Klan).They pulled white sheets over there head ,and hopped on horses. They ran the streets of Pulaski, TN they made there own invisible empire. The intentions of the K.K.K was to kill any free slave that dared to do anything such as; going to school,voting, worshiping as they please. The K.K.K made their secret handshake and password after they getting fraternity rights. They would claim to be the ghosts of the confederate soldiers.The K.K.K raid would spread across the south.
I liked the book because it tells us about how the K.K.K started. Also, it tells us about why they did it and their intentions and how they wanted to make justice ( which failed and they became terrorist). They told us about the secrets and the clan itself. The tells us good information about why they did. The book is very accurate about the history of the K.K.K. They tell us about how much of a impact K.K.K had on the South. They tell us about how they six people that created the K.K.K came up with the idea of creating that. It was a educational thing to read about American history ( )

An interesting look into how and why the Ku Klux Klan was formed. What started as a club grew into America's premier terrorist group. An incredibly controversial book that was written to inform young readers about what this terrorist group is, where they came from, and all that they stand for.