First published 2019
Terry McAuliffe opens with the afternoon phone call that changed everything. As Virginia's governor, he had declared a state of emergency that morning as white supremacists flooded Charlottesville. He expected President Trump to condemn the violence unequivocally. Instead, Trump blamed "many sides" for the hatred and bigotry. McAuliffe takes readers inside the events of August 12, 2017, when neo-Nazis marched through the college town, Heather Heyer was murdered, and two state troopers died in a helicopter crash. The former governor examines his own decisions alongside those of other key players during the crisis. He traces the roots of the violence to disputes over Confederate monuments, including KKK protests against removing a Robert E. Lee statue. McAuliffe refuses to ignore Virginia's racist history while detailing the preventive measures implemented after Charlottesville. His account reveals what went wrong and what steps remain necessary as America continues confronting white nationalism and historical racism.
Genres: political-science, social-issues, non-fiction, 21st-century, activism, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-change
Setting: Charlottesville, Virginia
Period: 2017
192 pages · Hardcover · Thomas Dunne Books
Content warnings: racism, violence