David Duke, Evolution of a Klansman

"Zatarain does effectively demonstrate that extremists on the right as well as on the left are easy game for governmental abuse; and he also underscores the hard political truth that alienated voters, when sufficiently angry, will elect extremists."
-Kirkus Reviews

Michael Zatarain, a writer and insider in Louisiana politics, has written the definitive biography of one of the most controversial figures in the 1980s American political arena: David Duke. In researching David Duke: Evolution of a Klansman, Zatarain discovered that David Duke did not fit into the standard mold of the ignorant, untutored bigot. Duke is articulate, charismatic, appears educated; and he is dedicated to the cause of "white rights," as Duke has coined his openly racist agenda.

Duke won a stunning victory in his race for a seat in the Louisiana legislature, thus becoming the only former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan ever elected to public office in America. In the summer of 1990, David Duke was a serious candidate for the U.S. Senate, with early polls suggesting he would challenge the three-term incumbent he ran against.

In researching this comprehensive work, Zatarain spent hundreds of hours interviewing. He spoke with Duke's family, former classmates, political allies and enemies, Klan members, and Duke himself in an attempt to understand the thinking behind his radically racist crusade. In fact, Zatarain interviewed David Duke more than 50 times, for a total of over 100 hours, in the preparation of this fascinating and thoroughly researched account.