Burden, by Courtney Hargrave

When a Ku Klux Klan museum opened in a small South Carolina town, it made national news.  But the even better news story was when a white man left the Klan and was taken in by a local activist African-American pastor.  This is the story Courtney Hargrave tells in Burden: A Preacher, a Klansman, and a True Story of Redemption in the Modern South.

Michael Burden was going nowhere--no money, no job, no prospects--when he moved on to John Howard's land.  Howard, a leader in the Klan, mentored Burden and put him to work, both in a Klan business and his more legitimate businesses.  Together they bought an old theater in Laurens, South Carolina, and opened the Redneck Shop.  Part retail store, part museum, part gathering place for Klan activities, the store became a flash point of tension in the community.

As Judy, Michael's girlfriend and later wife, becomes more and more disturbed by Howard's activities and Klan promotion, and as Michael's relationship with Howard deteriorates, Howard kicks them out of their apartment at the Redneck Shop.  With nowhere else to go, sleeping in their truck, they run into a local pastor, David Kennedy.  Kennedy and his church had for years assisted poor residents of Laurens, and made no exception for Burden and his family.

Offering material assistance, along with a huge helping of grace, Kennedy got the family a place to live and helped Burden find work.  Although Kennedy had been leading public opposition to the Redneck Shop, he "didn't seem remotely interested in discussing the Redneck shop or the inner workings of the Klan. 'He just wanted to talk to us as people,' Judy said.  'He wanted to know what he could do to help, to get us lifted back up.'"

So began Burden's involvement with Kennedy's church, and an interesting chapter in the history of Laurens and the Klan.  Hargrave weaves these personal stories into the larger picture of the history of the Klan and race relations in the South.  The ultimate outcome doesn't turn out to be as satisfying as one might hope; we are dealing with fickle, selfish humans here.  I would imagine the Hollywood version (starring Forrest Whitaker) will be a more dramatic story on one level, but, in this case as in most cases, the true story is more complex, interesting, and inspiring than a condensed movie version can offer.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!