Patricia Bernstein, Ten Dollars to Hate

Thursday, November 9, 12:30 pm

PATRICIA BERNSTEIN, Ten Dollars to Hate

In one of the most topical books of the Book Festival, Ten Dollars to Hate, author Patricia Bernstein tells the story of the massive Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s and the first prosecutor in the nation, 29-year-old Texan, Dan Moody, to successfully convict and jail Klan members. Bernstein also describes in detail the beginnings of the Ku Klux Klan in Atlanta in 1915 and the rapid growth of the organization in 1920, when the founder, failed preacher William J. Simmons, was joined by Edward Clarke and Elizabeth Tyler of Atlanta’s Southern Publicity Association. Tyler, who was also a notorious madam in Atlanta’s red light district, was the real driving force behind the phenomenal growth of the “second” KKK. The beautiful home she built with her ill-gotten gains from the Klan can still be seen in Buckhead today. It was she who developed the notion that the Ku Klux Klan should cater to all prejudices, not just racism. She designed a Klan that was also anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, and opposed to social change—something for everyone.

About the Author:

Patricia Bernstein graduated from Smith College with a Degree of Distinction in American Studies. She has managed her own public relations firm in Houston, Bernstein & Associates, since 1983. Ten Dollars to Hate: The Texas Man Who Fought the Klan is her third book.  She has also published numerous articles in magazines and newspapers, including Texas Monthly, The Smithsonian and Cosmopolitan.

Member: $10

Community: $15

Your Best Bet! Purchase Book Festival Series Passes today!

***Please note that there is a $1.25 service fee per ticket.