Our January 2025 book chat title is "A Fever in the Heartland" by Timothy Egan. Pick up a copy at the Hobart Branch to chat! Contact hobart@lcplin.org or (219) 942-2243 for more details.
The Roaring Twenties - the Jazz Age - has been characterized as a time of Gatsby frivolity. But it was also the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure, and took radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson.
Stephenson was a magnetic presence whose life story changed with every telling. Within two years of his arrival in Indiana, he d become the Grand Dragon of the state and the architect of the strategy that brought the group out of the shadows - their message endorsed from the pulpits of local churches, spread at family picnics and town celebrations. Judges, prosecutors, ministers, governors and senators across the country all proudly proclaimed their membership. But at the peak of his influence, it was a seemingly powerless woman - Madge Oberholtzer - who would reveal his secret cruelties, and whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees.
A Fever in the Heartland marries a propulsive drama to a powerful and page-turning reckoning with one of the darkest threads in American history.
AGE GROUP: | Adults (19-99) |
TAGS: | Virtual | Discussion Groups |
The Hobart Branch is conveniently located at 100 N. Main Street in downtown Hobart. The current building was built in 1967 and an addition was added in 1979 and then remodeled in 2007. The Hobart Branch is known for its unique architecture and fabulous views of Lake George. The interior areas have slight floor elevation differences which help provide a cozy atmosphere.
The Hobart Branch has many amenities for the community. The library has a private small group room, and a public meeting room that can accommodate up to 100 people. Every month we hold many preschool, toddler, infant, and family and adult classes and events. From computer classes, to arts and crafts, to teen gaming, we've got something for everyone, no matter your age!
