“‘A Fever in the Heartland’ (Viking 2023) by Timothy Egan is a mesmerizing and meaningful book. Egan is also author of ‘The Worst Hard Time,’ a national book award winner. ‘Fever’ details the huge nationwide resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, especially in the Midwest. In Indiana, organizer D.C. Stephenson, used ministers, police, politicians and bribes to become the state’s most powerful person, a man with national influence and ambitions. He was a hatemonger of immigrants, blacks, Catholics and Jews, an amoral bully and an abuser of women. He was brought low, however, by one brave woman, Aside from being a suspenseful thriller, this true piece of history contains multiple parallels between the America of one hundred years ago and today’s political landscape.” — DEWEY METEER, Nobleboro

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Mainers, please email to tell us about the book on your bedside table. In a paragraph or two, describe the book and be sure to tell us what drew you to it. Do your reading habits lighten up in summertime? Is the book on your nightstand a devour-in-a-single-afternoon beach read or a long, leisurely read you can delve into on long summer afternoons? We want to hear what you are reading and why. Send your selection to pgrodinsky@pressherald.com, and we may use it as a future Bedside Table.

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