A Book Review: Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth

A couple of days ago I visited the local library, and a little white book grabbed my attention; in the middle of its front cover was an eye staring at me. The title read, Black Klansman.

"What is this?" I picked up the book and started examining it. My interest piqued as I laid my eyes on the synopsis:

"The incredible true story of a black detective at the center of an undercover investigation to infiltrate the KKK...."

A black detective who went undercover and infiltrated the KKK? How is this possible? How did he do it? I immediately borrowed the book, because I needed to sate my curiosity.

The book is a memoir of one Ron Stallworth, a detective from Intelligence Unit based in the Colorado Springs Police Department. He was the first black detective in the history of the department. Ron's undercover investigations into the KKK began in 1978, when he responded to an ad which read:

Ku Klux Klan

For Information Contact

P.O. Box 4771

Security, Colorado

80230

The book is quite small and I finished it in 2 days. The subject matter is fascinating, I particularly enjoyed reading the bits, about how Ron ran his undercover investigations by duping the KKK Grand Wizard and his cohorts, and they never knew he was a black man. Those bits were comedic and I thought Ron was very smart. I also found Ron's experiences, about the racial tension at the time, interesting and thought provoking. I mean, it is not like racism is no longer a problem in 2018, so what he experienced and witnessed in the past are still relevant today. In fact, the author mentioned in the foreword, that the current political climate in the US prompted his decision to come out and write this book.

However, despite the interesting topic, I thought Black Klansman is not well written. For the most part the book is very dry. The book is only 180 pages, but it is slow moving. The middle section, in particular, was such a slog that I contemplated giving up the book. I think the author was trying not to embellish his accounts so he could accurately depict the past. While his efforts to stay faithful to the true event are commendable, but why must the narratives be so dull?

When I finished this book, my feeling about it was mixed. On the one hand, Black Klansman is worth reading for the subject matter alone. However on the other hand, this book is not a good read because the narratives are monotonous. I guess if you find the topic compelling, then Black Klansman might worth your while. However, if you are the sort of reader who needs a book to be engaging, then you probably want to skip this one. Apparently there is a movie adaptation for the book, but I have not seen the movie so I cannot comment on the movie or how it may differ from the book. But if you are interested in Ron's story and want a faithful retelling of it, then the book might be the way to go, provided you don't mind the dry narratives.