“A history of the United States that is almost incredible.” —Jean-Paul Sartre, Les Temps Modernes

Jim Crow Guide to the U.S.A. by Stetson Kennedy is a bold exposé of America’s institutionalized racism, originally published in 1959 and hailed as a landmark in civil rights literature. With unflinching clarity, Kennedy documents the laws, customs, and social codes that relegated nonwhite citizens to second-class status under the Jim Crow system. From the mistreatment of Native Americans to the exclusionary immigration policies targeting Asians and Africans, the book maps the presence of race-based politics across every facet of American life—housing, education, employment, and even burial. 

What makes this work especially influential is its international resonance. The famed French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre championed the book’s publication in Europe, recognizing its power to illuminate the contradictions between American democratic ideals and racial realities. Sartre’s endorsement helped position the book as a global indictment of racial injustice, aligning it with anti-colonial and human rights movements worldwide. Provocative, meticulously researched, and deeply human, Jim Crow Guide to the U.S.A. remains a vital historical document and a call to conscience. It is not merely a guide—it is a mirror held up to a nation, reflecting truths that later generations were called on to address.

The Klan Unmasked is a riveting exposé of one of the most daring undercover operations in American history. In the 1920s, journalist Stetson Kennedy infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan at the height of its power, risking his life to expose the group’s secrets, rituals, and violent agenda. With the precision of a spy and the pen of a poet, Kennedy documented the Klan’s inner workings and fed intelligence to law enforcement and even popular radio shows—turning public opinion against the hooded order.

This book reads like a noir thriller, but its stakes are real and its impact profound. Kennedy’s fearless reporting helped dismantle one of the most dangerous hate groups in the country, making The Klan Unmasked not just a gripping narrative, but a landmark in anti-racist literature. It’s a testament to the power of truth, the necessity of resistance, and the enduring fight for justice.

Whether you're drawn to undercover intrigue or passionate about civil rights, this classic delivers both. It’s not just history—it’s a call to action, wrapped in suspense and driven by moral clarity. Few books are this brave. Fewer still are this urgent.

The Klan Unmasked is part of a three-book set that includes Southern Exposure and Jim Crow Guide to the U.S.A., all available from the University of Alabama Press.