This memoir was unbelievable. It sounds like fiction that an African American detective would become a full-fledged member of the Ku Klux Klan.
His insertion into the Klan ranks was born from a half-hearted response to a newspaper ad from the local Klan chapter, an attempt to solicit intel on Klan materials for the Colorado Springs Police Department.
To his surprise however, his "interest" was taken seriously. For the sake of an ensuing investigation into the inner-workings of Klan activity, Ron assumed a character over several years of phone corresondence with up to Grand Wizard of the KKK at the time, David Duke.
Of course, the Klan was unaware the Ron Stallworth they were talking to on the phone was, in fact, a Black man. A fellow White detective pretending to be Ron stood in during in-person meetings, which allowed them to gather intelligence of Klan activity and have law enforcement prepared for any potential terroristic activity.
Stallworth is highly knowledgeable on major players in the terse racial relations of the 1970s, as he ironically experienced the inner workings on both sides, i.e., the Black Panthers and other labor movements that clashed with the Klan's ideology. I listened to an audiobook version where Ron Stallworth narrated it himself and was captivated by his simple, direct style of retelling his experiences, typical of a law-enforcement officer.
It's an eye-opener of how far we've come, but also a sad reminder that we still have a great distance to go as a society. Racism and bigotry have far from disappeared!