Emergence of David Duke and the Politics of Race

This collection of essays is crystal clear in its criticism of David Duke the politician. . . . Contain[s] insightful observations on the American political process. The entire work is charged with conviction and purpose, leaving no vague 'maybes' in its wake.--Booklist|""[An] excellent and eminently readable collection of essays.""--Publishers Weekly|""In recent years no politician in America has more consistently convulsed an entire state with the politics of acute racial polarization than has Louisiana's David Duke. The penetrating essays in this well-edited volume, all written by experienced observers of Louisiana politics, greatly expand our knowledge of Duke both as a persona and as a politician. Thoroughly documenting the life of an extremist who continues to be obsessed with anti-black and anti-Semitic views, this fine book is must reading for anyone concerned about racial conflict in modern America.""--Merle Black, coauthor of The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected|""If I had anything to say to people outside the state, I'd tell them, 'Don't make the mistake of thinking David Duke is a unique phenomenon confined to Louisiana rednecks and yahoos. He's not. He's not just appealing to the old Klan constituency, he's appealing to the white middle class. And don't think that he or somebody like him won't appeal to the white middle class of Chicago or Queens.'""--Walker Percy, quoted in the New York Times Magazine