Books with author Kathleen Benson

A Guardian Best Book of the Year“A gripping study of white power… Explosive.”―New York Times“Helps explain how we got to today’s alt-right.”―Terry Gross, Fresh AirThe white power movement in America wants a revolution.Returning to a country ripped apart by a war they felt they were not allowed to win, a small group of Vietnam veterans and disgruntled civilians who shared their virulent anti-communism and potent sense of betrayal concluded that waging war on their own country was justified. The command structure of their covert movement gave women a prominent place. They operated with discipline, made tragic headlines in Waco, Ruby Ridge, and Oklahoma City, and are resurgent under President Trump. Based on a decade of deep immersion in previously classified FBI files and on extensive interviews, Bring the War Home tells the story of American paramilitarism and the birth of the alt-right.“A much-needed and troubling revelation… The power of Belew’s book comes, in part, from the fact that it reveals a story about white-racist violence that we should all already know.”―The Nation“Fascinating… Shows how hatred of the federal government, fears of communism, and racism all combined in white-power ideology and explains why our responses to the movement have long been woefully inadequate.”―Slate“Superbly comprehensive…supplants all journalistic accounts of America’s resurgent white supremacism.”―Pankaj Mishra, The Guardian

Benny Andrews loved to draw. He drew his nine brothers and sisters, and his parents. He drew the red earth of the fields where they all worked, the hot sun that beat down, and the rows and rows of crops. As Benny hauled buckets of water, he made pictures in his head. And he dreamed of a better life—something beyond the segregation, the backbreaking labor, and the limited opportunities of his world. Benny’s dreams took him far from the rural Georgia of his childhood. He became one of the most important African American painters of the twentieth century, and he opened doors for other artists of color. His story will inspire budding young artists to work hard and follow their dreams.

“Belew’s book helps explain how we got to today’s alt right.”―Terry Gross, Fresh AirThe white power movement in America wants a revolution. Its soldiers are not lone wolves but highly organized cadres motivated by a coherent and deeply troubling worldview made up of white supremacy, virulent anticommunism, and apocalyptic faith. In Bring the War Home, Kathleen Belew gives us the history of a movement that consolidated in the 1970s and 1980s around a potent sense of betrayal in the Vietnam War and made tragic headlines in Waco and Ruby Ridge and with the Oklahoma City bombing and is resurgent under President Trump.Returning to an America ripped apart by a war they felt they were not allowed to win, a small group of veterans and active-duty military personnel and civilian supporters concluded that waging war on their own country was justified. They unified people from a variety of militant groups, including Klansmen, neo-Nazis, skinheads, radical tax protestors, and white separatists to form a new movement of loosely affiliated independent cells to avoid detection. The white power movement operated with discipline and clarity, undertaking assassinations, armed robbery, counterfeiting, and weapons trafficking. Its command structure gave women a prominent place and put them in charge of brokering alliances and birthing future recruits.Belew’s disturbing and timely history reminds us that war cannot be contained in time and space: grievances intensify and violence becomes a logical course of action. Based on years of deep immersion in previously classified FBI files and on extensive interviews, Bring the War Home tells the story of American paramilitarism and the birth of the alt-right.

"A biography of John Lewis, Georgia Congressman and one of the 'Big Six' civil rights leaders of the 1960s, focusing on his youth and culminating in the voter registration drives that sparked 'Bloody Sunday,' as hundreds of people walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Includes a note by Congressman Lewis and a timeline"--Provided by publisher.

BLACK STARS Meet the black religious leaders who helpedshape the African American experience--from colonial to modern times * Absalom Jones * Richard Allen * Jarena Lee * Lemuel Haynes * Peter Williams Sr. * Peter Williams Jr. * John Marrant * Denmark Vesey * Sojourner Truth * Nat Turner * Maria Stewart * John Jasper * Alexander Crummell * Henry Highland Garnett * Henry McNeal Turner * Richard Henry Boyd * Bishop C. M. "Sweet Daddy" Grace * Vernon Johns * Elijah Muhammad * Howard Thurman * Adam Clayton Powell Jr. * Joseph E. Lowery * Malcolm X * Martin Luther King Jr. * Andrew J. Young * James L. Bevel * John Lewis * Prathia Hall Wynn * Jesse L. Jackson * Vashti Murphy McKenzie * Fredrick J. Streets * Al Sharpton * Renita J. Weems * T. D. Jakes

In an effort to escape a lifetime of traumatizing chaos thanks to a neglectful, alcoholic mother and the subsequent unknown identity of her father, fiercely independent and overtly self-reliant seventeen-year-old Jane Bouddic seeks refuge in the only reliable, steadfast safe haven she has come to know and trust- Martial Arts. Looking to enjoy a desperately needed carefree summer break, Jane's plans go up in smoke one evening after a particularly exhausting karate class when she is approached by a mysterious figure named Jack who hails from a secret agency, anointing her with the daunting task of saving the world from an elite Russian terrorist. Jane ends up on a dangerous collision course with not only an evil supervillain, but also many unknown and unwanted truths about her own past she never sees coming. You will find yourself cheering for the young heroine the entire way as she is forced to search the depths of her soul and face the rawness of her own humanity. Intensely protective of Jane, her older, infinitely sexy, and seemingly unattainable fellow karate classmate and best friend Lucas Schaefer frustratingly finds himself shut out of her life as she turns down his constant insistence to rescue her and finds himself stopping at nothing to gain a foothold in her treacherous adventure. Readers can expect to enjoy an endearing, underlying love story that will tease until the very end.

Birthday Girl Lilly is a quirky but commercial picture book full of interactive, punny word-play that celebrates baby power. Precocious but relatable tot-hero Lilly is born into Starlette Universe, a world like ours but a tad more exciting and dangerous (or maybe not so different after all). In this book, Lilly unravels life's most valuable lesson - love - and tells the tale of her first real birthday - "that magical, mystical morn when Lil' Lilly was 'bow'rn (born)." It is a delightful read that is completely unpredictable and one that will elicit giggles from readers young and old, especially when you see what Lilly does with her diaper. Lilly's story showcases 150 puns and reveals how big words are made up of smaller words and how word play can be a lot of fun. It is a visual feast, one that will keep inattentive and hard-to-please readers enraptured. This book continues the Starlette Universe global themes of good vs. evil, while building character and instilling values. DIck Kulpa uses CRACKED Magazine-style illustrations to directly interact with the rhyming storyline. Kathleen Johnson is an attorney and Phi Beta Kappa graduate from the University of Georgia and the very proud mother of a former Miss Vermont and Miss Vermont USA. "If a good life is what you're after, enter Lilly's universe, and you'll live happily ever 'laughter'.

Jane’s worst nightmare has come true- Luke has lost all of his memories, including ever knowing, or loving, her. Grief-stricken and alone, Jane makes the agonizing decision to silently leave the Dojo and embark on a journey without him, only to be run down by a car a just a few steps down the road. After waking up in the Okinawan hospital, two shocking revelations (that have even the doctors mystified) only add to this teens heartache- zero scientific explanation for her impossibly fast recovery and news that she’s pregnant with Luke’s child. After everything she’s been through, Jane assumes the worst is far behind her, but has no idea just how high the stakes are about to get. Readers won’t want to miss how their favorite karate heroine’s story finally ends and can expect a wild ride filled with raw moments of both palpable anguish and joyous exhilaration in this epic conclusion to the Born Ready Series, Born Out Loud.

With help from her sexy male counterpart Lucas Schaefer and his mysterious ability to heal, Calamity Jane Bouddic has successfully killed her father, Russian terrorist Khalil Bahkroshin. Safely back home in one piece (barely), she finally shares her first kiss with Luke in the hot tub, getting a small taste of happily ever after, an ending she never thought possible after everything she’s been through. While Jane is determined to leave the past behind and enjoy everything the future holds, including a lifetime together with the man she loves, trouble lurks right around the corner when presented with an opportunity to train in Okinawa, the Karate mother land, where she learns the very destiny that brought them together is not without devastating and potentially permanent consequences.

Benny Andrews loved to draw. He drew his nine brothers and sisters, and his parents. He drew the red earth of the fields where they all worked, the hot sun that beat down, and the rows and rows of crops. As Benny hauled buckets of water, he made pictures in his head. And he dreamed of a better life—something beyond the segregation, the backbreaking labor, and the limited opportunities of his world. Benny’s dreams took him far from the rural Georgia of his childhood. He became one of the most important African American painters of the twentieth century, and he opened doors for other artists of color. His story will inspire budding young artists to work hard and follow their dreams.

In an effort to escape a lifetime of traumatizing chaos thanks to a neglectful, alcoholic mother and the subsequent unknown identity of her father, fiercely independent and overtly self-reliant seventeen-year-old Jane Bouddic seeks refuge in the only reliable, steadfast safe haven she has come to know and trust- Martial Arts. Looking to enjoy a desperately needed carefree summer break, Jane's plans go up in smoke one evening after a particularly exhausting karate class when she is approached by a mysterious figure named Jack who hails from a secret agency, anointing her with the daunting task of saving the world from an elite Russian terrorist. Jane ends up on a dangerous collision course with not only an evil supervillain, but also many unknown and unwanted truths about her own past she never sees coming. You will find yourself cheering for the young heroine the entire way as she is forced to search the depths of her soul and face the rawness of her own humanity. Intensely protective of Jane, her older, infinitely sexy, and seemingly unattainable fellow karate classmate and best friend Lucas Schaefer frustratingly finds himself shut out of her life as she turns down his constant insistence to rescue her and finds himself stopping at nothing to gain a foothold in her treacherous adventure. Readers can expect to enjoy an endearing, underlying love story that will tease until the very end.