This month, the U.S. Catholic Book Club is reading Notre Dame vs. The Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defied the KKK by Todd Tucker. Shanna Johnson, assistant editor of U.S. Catholic says, “Tucker is a master storyteller and historian, following the events that transpired in South Bend, Indiana, on May 17–19, 1924. For readers with little historical context of the time, the author tells the tale of the Klan’s rally at Notre Dame through the experiences of the former leader of the Indiana chapter of the KKK, the president of the university, and several individuals who were students at the time. Though Indiana had the largest Klan membership in the United States in 1924, Tucker brings to light the riveting and little-known story of how Notre Dame, and the Catholics who lived in the area, fought back against evil.”
Notre Dame vs. the Klan has been widely reviewed, including a piece in The Boston Pilot, which said, “This excellent book will engage Catholic readers with the history not only of University of Notre Dame but also of the anti-Catholicism that prevailed in much of America up to and even after the Second World War.” The Midwest Reviewsaid, “An impressively researched work of history, Notre Dame vs. the Klan is an extraordinary read and this new edition is especially timely with the current rise of white supremacists (including Neo-Nazis and the KKK) in our highly polarized political climate.” The book is also featured in the South Bend Time Machine podcast.
Read more here.