Notre Dame Vs. the Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan [Hardcover]

Todd Tucker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2004

The riveting tale of the clash of two powerful institutions Notre Dame and the Klu Klux Klan that changed both institutions and America forever.

In 1924, students of the University of Notre Dame and members of the Ku Klux Klan faced off in a violent confrontation in South Bend, Indiana. This shocking and true hidden chapter in Catholic and American history is recounted in Notre Dame vs. The Klan, the story of two uniquely American institutions that rose to power amdist rampant anti-Catholicism and collided druing a riotous weekend.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Todd Tucker recieved a bachelor's degree in history from the Univesrity of Notre Dame and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy's nuclear submarine force. He lives in Valparaiso, Indiana with his family.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: Loyola Pr; First Edition edition (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0829417710
• ISBN-13: 978-0829417715
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #705,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Todd Tucker attended the University of Notre Dame on a full scholarship, graduating with a degree in history in 1990. He then volunteered for the United States Navy's demanding nuclear power program, eventually making six patrols onboard a Trident submarine. In 1995 Tucker left the navy to return with his family to Indiana to pursue a career in writing. In addition to extensive writing for such publications as TWA Ambassador, The Rotarian, Inside Sports, and the Washington Post, he has also published five books: Notre Dame Game Day (Diamond Communications, 2000), Notre Dame vs. The Klan (Loyola Press, 2004), The Great Starvation Experiment (Free Press, 2006), Over and Under (Thomas Dunne, 2007), Atomic America (Free Press, 2009).

His latest novel is GHOST SUB.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars About more than prejudice August 17, 2004

By D. Bennett

Format:Hardcover

If I had not been familiar with the author of this book, then I might not have picked it up. After reading it, I can assure you that would have been my loss.

As the title indicates, this book is about the obvious: prejudice. But it is about so much more than that, including power, self-doubt, greed, salesmanship, vulnerability and belonging, just to name some of the weighty matters discussed here. These themes resonate far beyond the time and place of this historic conflict between Notre Dame students and the Ku Klux Klan.

The author is not heavy handed. Whether describing Father Matthew Walsh or Klansman D.C. Stephenson, he spends more time trying to understand his characters than judging them.

Thankfully, in my opinion, this does not read like a history text. It's clear that a lot of painstaking research was involved in the project. The author, however, provides just enough background for the context of the unfolding events without ever interfering with the story. He also makes it all relevant today by sharing his own personal experiences with us.

I was most impressed with the vivid imagery the author employed. I could easily visualize all the pageantry of a Klan picnic, complete with jugglers and marching bands. Similarly, I could almost feel the exact moment at which the youthful exuberance of the Notre Dame students turned to fear as the two groups clashed on the streets of South Bend.

Whether you are Catholic or Protestant - from Middle America or New York City - this book has something for you. It is an easy read. It transitions nicely between places, people and events, while always building nicely toward a frenetic ending. Reading this book is like watching a fuse burn all the way down until the inevitable explosion happens....

Don't make the mistake I almost made. Be sure to pick it up. Read more ›

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A story worth telling September 30, 2004

By Jon Hunt

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Todd Tucker's new book, "Notre Dame vs. The Klan" is one of those efforts that reports an incident in American history and helps to broaden its larger scope in the process. In doing so, the author has enlightened his readers as to what the climate might have been like in Indiana in 1924.

Tucker gives a decent overview of the Klan's history and gives a more fascinating look at the emerging prominence of Notre Dame. This book would be an ideal primer for Notre Dame students (one of my former students plays on the current Notre Dame football squad) and to that end, I think this book has merit. However, linking the Notre Dame incident and the Klan's demise is more than a bit of a stretch. Historical novels tend to see things in a more readable light but even given the author's admission of creating a narrative of his own, I commend his efforts.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Legendary Event in the History of the Fighting Irish September 11, 2005

By Alfred Myers

Format:Hardcover

I am a Notre Dame graduate(class of 1959)and had heard of this clash between the ND student body and KKK, but I knew only the barest details. Therefore, this book was most welcome. It not only covers the 1924 confrontation in almost minute-by-minute detail but serves as a fascinating informal history of both the KKK, especially its post-"Birth of a Nation" spread in the North, and of the University itself from its 1842 founding date. The book should therefore be fascinating to any ND alum, including those of the subway variety, and would probably be of interest to a general readership was well.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Who Knew? May 5, 2005

By Reader 11

Format:Hardcover

Very interesting history of both Notre Dame and the Klan in Indiana, particularly relevant to anyone with an interest in either Notre Dane or the KKK. (We all might have guessed that a prominent member of Indiana society was a Klansman, but who knew that he kidnapped a girl and bit her to death?) Tucker's book is a little less sensational than that previous sentence implies, but this is a nonfiction book that reads with a lot of drama and excitement.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy read, great story June 5, 2006

By M. Wilkinson

Format:Hardcover

Todd Tucker exploits one of the least known storys of the University of Notre Dame in a great way. He doesn't keep it boring, which i have found most other history books to be. It is a very easy read, but not in a bad way at all. I really enjoyed how he also brought in the history of Notre Dame, which i don't think i really would have known otherwise. Also how he talked about the beloved football team. I couldn't asked for anything less.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Spirit and Truth Defeat Bigotry March 9, 2006

By Carl L. Hofmann

Format:Hardcover

The true story of how the teams, faculty and student body

were able to fend off this attempt by the Klu Klux Clan to

destroy the university. An exciting one sit reading.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fills In The Blanks October 25, 2004

By A. Calabrese

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this book immensely. While focusing on a little known event in the Catholic experience in America, it actually filled in the blanks on the history of the Ku Klux Klan. I did know that at one time the Klan controlled politics in Indiana, but I was always curious as to how these yokels took over a Northern state. Mr. Tucker does a great job in expressing the emotions and attitudes of 1920's Indiana and probably much of America at that time. This is a great book for anyone interested in Catholic history, US history, and the history of hate groups in the United States. This book is a good read.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty darn good, but I'd rather read history September 10, 2004

By Gregory

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

In my opinion, this book rates 4 stars because it deals with an interesting topic, and deals with it in what appears to be a more honest fashion than other so-called historical novels. In fact, I dare say that the book would have been more interesting had it been written as a sober history.

To my mind, the author, though villifying the Indiana Klan leader, was very easy on the organization as a whole. Maybe he's right -- maybe they are simply yokels who are not even worthy of contempt. But I'm surprised that anyone -- especially a Catholic -- would not be more offended by the Klan and the conditions which gave rise to it. (For that matter, I'm surprised that a Catholic would refer to The Catholic Church as the author did not once, but twice -- as a "denomination".

But then perhaps I'm too easily surprised. The author wrote a pretty darn good book. I hope he does a sequel on contemporary anti-Catholicism.