They Called Themselves The KKK: The Birth Of An American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

They Called Themselves The KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist GroupBy Susan Campbell Bartoletti

BIBLIOGRAPHYBartoletti, Susan Campbell, 2010, They Called Themselves The KKK; The Birth Of An American Terrorist Group, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Boston, New York, ISBN 9780618440337

PLOT SUMMARYBartoletti, Newbery honor author of Hitler Youth (2005) once again delivers a thorough account of history in this chronicle of the origin, development and attempted abolishment of America’s first terrorist group, the Ku Klux Klan.  Bartoletti brilliantly depicts the lives of African Americans during the Reconstruction era through countless documentation and research from historical newspapers, slave journals, congressional documentation and other sources when compiled, deliver an accurate historical account of Ku Klux Klan, its effect on African Americans and on the south.  The extensive collection of photos, illustrations and engravings provide shocking imagery and powerful testament to an era of turmoil and hatred.  While the subject matter is difficult, They Called Themselves The KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group is informative, powerful and evocative.
 
CRITICAL ANALYSISBartoletti’s exploitation of the South as the backdrop for hatred during the Reconstruction era is exquisitely portrayed through account and explanation of how the Ku Klux Klan began, how the once social group, spread across the South and how the group terrorized Black and Whites as well who dared to support the advancement of the Black population.  This nonfiction book is well written and not only provides and in depth look at the development of the Ku Klux Klan but also provides an insight into the factors that contributed to the Klan such as religion, fear and power. Bartoletti also weaves in the book the consequences of those who opposed the Klan’s terrorism which provides readers with personal reflection of one’s own fears, judgment, choices and courage.  Bartoletti’s content, photos and illustrations are real and unedited for young adult audiences.  The book is well organized and well researched with extensive references.  The book is easy to read with a text format and vocabulary appropriate for middle school.  While the content is high school material, the vocabulary and text style seem too basic for the high school reader
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They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group is a must read for every middle school student.  This nonfiction provides an understanding of how terrorism develops and how terrorism exercises influence and power.
Young adult- Teen (grades 5+)

REVIEW EXCERPTS"Balancing the stories of the Klan and the former slaves' determination to remake their lives, Bartoletti makes extensive use of congressional testimony, interviews, journals, diaries and slave narratives to allow the players to speak in their own voices as much as possible...An exemplar of history writing and a must for libraries and classrooms."—Kirkus, starred review
"Bartoletti follows multi-award-winning titles such as Hitler Youth (2005) with another standout contribution to youth history shelves...It's the numerous first-person quotes, though, that give the book its beating heart, and her searing, expertly selected stories of people on all sides of the violent conflicts will give readers a larger understanding of the conditions that incubated the Klan's terrorism; how profoundly the freed people and their sympathizers suffered; and how the legacy of that fear, racism, and brutality runs through our own time."—Booklist, starred review
"Copious photos, engravings, and illustrations provide a hard-hitting graphic component to this illuminating book. And while Bartoletti notes that contemporary 'hate groups wield none of the power or prestige that the Ku Klux Klan held in earlier years,' her account of attending a Klan meeting while researching the book is chilling to the core." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"As in Hitler Youth (rev. 5/05), Bartoletti tackles a tough, grim subject with firmness and sensitivity...Period illustrations throughout make seeing believing, and the appended civil rights timeline, bibliography, and source notes are an education in themselves. Exemplary in scholarship, interpretation, and presentation."—The Horn Book, starred review
"Bartoletti effectively targets teens with her engaging and informative account that presents a well-structured inside look at the KKK, societal forces that spawn hate/terrorist groups, and the research process."—School Library Journal, starred review

AWARDS: 
2011 ALA Notable Children’s Books, Older Readers; Booklist2011 Top 10 Books for Youth, Black History; 2011 NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended; IRA Notable Books for a Global Society 2011; Booklist 2010 Editor’s Choice, Books for Youth, Nonfiction, Older Readers; Booklist Lasting Connections of 2010, Social Studies; Horn Book Fanfare, Best Books of 2010, Nonfiction; Kirkus Reviews 2010 Best Books for Teens; Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books 2010, Nonfiction; School Library Journal Best Books 2010: Nonfiction; YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist, 2011

CONNECTIONS:Social Studies/ Government:Have students imagine they are Republican officials in the South. Have each student write a short political platform describing Republican reforms in the region.
Pair students and tell them to imagine that it is 1878 and that they are southern African Americans. Have each pair develop a short dialogue describing the factors that ended the Reconstruction era. (Pairs’ dialogues should discuss general economic problems, the Panic of 1873, the reaction to rising immigration, the actions of the southern Redeemers, and the Compromise of 1877.)
Have students imagine they are modern-day historians. Have each student write a one-page summary describing the factors that ended the Reconstruction era.  Have volunteers read their summaries to the class. Then have students select what they consider to be the most significant factor.
Language Arts; Have students imagine life as an African American during the Reconstruction of the South.  Have each student write a short poem or narrative essay about the influences of the Ku Klux Klan and life under the influence of power of a terrorist group.
Art; Have students draw sketch or create mixed media collage that portrays life as African Americans during the 1930s.  Encourage students to create a visual piece of art that evokes emotion. (anger, courage, oppression, etc.).  Have the students present their artwork with their short poem or narrative essay
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OTHER RECOMMENDED BOOKSThe Boy Who Dared: A Novel Based on the True Story of a Hitler Youth, ISBN: 9780439680134
Partridge, Elizabeth, Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don't You Grow Weary, ISBN: 9780670011896
Bowers, Rick, Spies of Mississippi: The True Story of the Spy Network that Tried to Destroy the Civil Rights Movement, ISBN: 9781426305962