First Impression Friday – Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth

Welcome to another First Impression Friday. In case this is your first time, here’s the rundown:

• Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions
and predict what you’ll think by the end.
• Did you think you’d love and ended up hating it? Or did you think
you’d hate it and wound up loving it? Or were you exactly right?
• Link back to Storeys of Stories so I can enjoy reading all the
First Impression Fridays out there!

The extraordinary true story of the black detective who goes undercover to investigate the KKK, the basis for the forthcoming major motion picture written and directed by Spike Lee and produced by Jordan Peele.

When detective Ron Stallworth, the first black detective in the history of the Colorado Springs Police Department, comes across a classified ad in the local paper asking for all those interested in joining the Ku Klux Klan to contact a PO box, Detective Stallworth does his job and responds with interest, using his real name while posing as a white man. He figures he’ll receive a few brochures in the mail, maybe even a magazine, and learn more about a growing terrorist threat in his community.
A few weeks later the office phone rings, and the caller asks Ron a question he thought he’d never have to answer: “Would you like to join our cause?” This is 1978, and the KKK is on the rise in the United States. Its Grand Wizard, David Duke, has made a name for himself, appearing on talk shows and in major magazine interviews preaching a “kinder” Klan that wants nothing more than to preserve a heritage and to restore a nation to its former glory.

Ron answers the caller’s question that night with a yes, launching what is surely one of the most audacious and incredible undercover investigations in history. Ron recruits his partner, Chuck, to play the “white” Ron Stallworth while Stallworth himself conducts all subsequent phone conversations. During the months-long investigation, Stallworth sabotages cross burnings, exposes white supremacists in the military, and even befriends David Duke himself.

Black Klansman is an amazing true story that unfolds like a crime thriller and a searing portrait of a divided America and the extraordinary heroes who dare to fight back.

Let’s talk about Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth.

These kinds of stories are fascinating to me. I think because I have trouble understanding that level of racism. Hate does not come easily to me, even when we’re talking about things that don’t matter: Reactions to movies, food, music, etc. So when we start talking about something extremely important, like racial equality, I just can’t believe there are people would devote their energy and passion toward being hateful.

Also, knowing that there really are those kinds of people out there, I like reading about times when they get what’s coming to them.

So far, in the very beginning of the book, I’ve learned about the very opening of this particular case, and a bit about Ron’s career, coming up through the ranks, and having to deal with racism even internally. It’s all been pretty interesting, though I’m looking forward to when he starts getting into the real meat and potatoes of it all.

My Prediction: 3.5 to 4 stars

Fun fact about this post: It’s been almost 3 months since I did FIF post. Insane!