Description
Book SynopsisA fascinating and powerful story about the power of a southern PR firm to further the Ku Klux Klan's agenda. Dale Laackman's uncovered never-before-published archival material, census records, and obscure books and letters to tell the story of an emerging communications industry - an industry filled with potential and fraught with peril.
Trade ReviewI’ve read countless histories of the Ku Klux Klan . . . . Each has its strengths, but none accomplishes what this book does, which is to show that the Invisible Empire was in many ways the creation of modern public relations.
Selling Hate is a splendid book on the so-called 'second era' Klan, the largest in the 150-year history of the organization. In a detailed account rich with fascinating characters, Dale W. Laackman shows how the group's exponential growth was driven almost entirely by an unlikely pair of public relations experts who turned out to be consummate swindlers. Behind the cross burnings and hooded rallies, the Ku Klux Klan was fueled by shady marketers who sold hate across America.
Selling Hate pulls back the curtain on the secret PR operation that built the Invisible Empire. Dale W. Laackman delves into a dark chapter of American business history, where PR entrepreneurs and Klansmen forge an alliance with long-reaching effects. Filled with unexpected twists and characters you only wish were fictional, coupled with expert research, Laackman’s book skillfully tells an original and riveting tale.
