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Search - Not by the Sword: How a Cantor and His Family Transformed a Klansman

Not by the Sword How a Cantor and His Family Transformed a Klansman
Author: Kathryn Watterson

At a time when hate crimes seem to dominate the headlines, Not by the Sword tells the inspiring true story of how a Jewish cantor and his family changed the life of a virulent white supremacist leader. The riveting account begins in 1991, when Cantor Michael Weisser receives his first threatening phone call from Larry Trapp, Grand Dragon of the... more » White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of Nebraska. Trapp, a wheelchair-bound amputee holed up in a cramped apartment filled with automatic weapons, Nazi paraphernalia, and stacks of hate literature, had for years led a campaign of terror in Lincoln, Nebraska. But Cantor Weisser and his wife Julie refused to be intimidated by Trapp's escalating threats. Instead, they made a stunning offer of friendship; after an emotional confrontation with the Weissers, Trapp shocked everyone—including himself—by resigning from the KKK and breaking his ties with other neo-Nazi leaders. Not by the Sword recounts Larry Trapp's life as a racist, his startling transformation in response to the Weissers' kindness, and his subsequent crusade to redeem his past by apologizing to his victims and speaking out publicly against racism and bigotry. Kathryn Watterson movingly describes how one family, along with other individuals from the Jewish, African American, and Asian American communities in Lincoln, feared, fought, and then forgave a man who had tried to destroy them. Winner of the Christopher Award for "artistic excellence in affirming the highest values of the human spirit," this gripping tale gives the reader an inside view of hate mongering, and offers a powerful testament to the triumph of the human spirit and the transforming power of love and tolerance. "Watterson engrossingly recounts what is perhaps the strangest episode in the history of American hate groups. Larry Trapp of Lincoln, Nebraska, grand dragon of the state Ku Klux Klan, spent years as an all-around menace. He terrorized the Vietnamese community, and sent disturbing messages to black, Jewish, and handicapped neighbors. But Lincoln cantor Michael Weisser realized that much of Trapp's venom might be due to debilitating illness. The Klansman suffered from diabetes, his legs had been amputated, and much of his eyesight was gone. Weisser and his family, targets for Trapp when they moved to Lincoln, reached out to him, and Trapp eventually quit the Klan, renounced bigotry, and even converted to Judaism shortly before his death. Telling this fascinating story, Watterson cites interesting similarities between Weisser and Trapp, such as backgrounds of juvenile delinquency. The big questions of the book--for instance, was this conversion indicative of anybody's ability to!

change, or was Trapp just one big flake?--remain unanswered, but Watterson's investigation of the issues is well worth exploring." —Aaron Cohen, Booklist "This rare investigation of American hate-mongering provides a unique glimpse as well at the power of tolerance and love. . .it's almost impossible to put this book down." —Patricia Holt, San Francisco Chronicle "The true-life people in Kathryn Watterson's Not by the Sword are unforgettable human beings, especially Larry Trapp. This eerie, wounded, hate-filled man, this Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, who is holed up and dying in an apartment packed with enough weapons to blow up a small city, and who is dragged out of hell into a redemption of love, is one of the most perfectly rendered characters in literary nonfiction that I've ever encountered. I can't get Larry Trapp out of my mind. His story and the heroism of the cantor's family is a parable for modern America, told with great intelligence and skill." —Richard Preston, author of The Hot Zone "Kathryn Watterson's Not by the Sword is more than the inspiring true story of how a Jewish family's love changed the life of a hardened and bitter Klansman. Watterson's book is also a powerful reminder that love and forgiveness can truly conquer hate, and that there is good in everyone—even a Klansman." —Morris Dees, author of A Season for Justice: The Life and Times of Civil Rights Lawyer Morris Dees "Kathryn Watterson's Not by the Sword is a chilling, finally thrilling account of a vicious American Nazi's journey from hate to regeneration through the efforts of a concerned Jewish family. This book is a must read for those who may doubt the possibilities of love." —Abraham Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League "Kathryn Watterson has written one of the most powerful, painful yet healing stories about our most explosive issue—race. Her book is not only literally true but also symbolically true for us as a people—if we acknowledge and transform who and what we are." —Cornel West, author of Race Matters

ISBN-13: 9781555534714
ISBN-10: 1555534716
Publication Date: 6/7/2001
Pages: 360
Rating:

Currently 2.5/5 Stars.

2.5 stars, based on 1 rating

Publisher: Northeastern University Press
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

Genres:

Biographies & Memoirs >> Community & Culture >> Jewish
Politics & Social Sciences >> Crime & Criminals >> Criminology
Nonfiction >> Social Sciences >> Discrimination & Racism
Nonfiction >> Social Sciences >> Sociology >> Race Relations >> General
Nonfiction >> Social Sciences >> Sociology >> General
Nonfiction >> Social Sciences >> Specific Demographics >> General

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Search - Not by the Sword: How a Cantor and His Family Transformed a Klansman

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