by Nora Neus
Beacon Press
7/18/2023, hardcover
SKU: 9780807011928
A gripping oral history of the white nationalist riots that shook the nation and signaled the arrival of a galvanizing new era, told from the perspective of the anti-racist activists who fought back
On August 11 and 12, 2017, armed neo-Nazi demonstrators descended on the University of Virginia campus and downtown Charlottesville. When they assaulted antiracist counterprotesters, the police failed to intervene, and events culminated in the murder of counterprotestor Heather Heyer.
In this book, Emmy-nominated CNN journalist and former Charlottesville resident Nora Neus crafts an extraordinary account from the voices of the students, faith leaders, politicians, and community members who were there. Through a vivid collage of original interviews, new statements from Charlottesville mayor Mike Signer and Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, social media posts, court testimony, and government reports, this book portrays the arrival of white supremacist demonstrators, the interfaith service held in response, the tiki torch march on the university campus, the protests and counterprotests in downtown Charlottesville the next day, and the deadly car attack. 24 Hours in Charlottesville will also feature never-before-disclosed information from activists and city government leaders, including Charlottesville mayor Mike Signer.
Reviews:
"Not just a visceral portrayal of political violence, but also a major addition to our understanding of right-wing terrorism." -- Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"Nora Neus has given us a grand gift: the definitive inside story of the historic Charlottesville neofascist event in August 2017! We have yet to emerge from under its ominous shadows." -- Dr. Cornel West
"With this original book, Neus has done a great service for American democracy. Interweaving oral histories of the fateful days of the Unite the Right Rally in 2017, this narrative reconstructs how hate unfolded on the streets of Charlottesville and how a diverse spectrum of citizens fought back to protect peace and justice." -- Alexandra Minna Stern, best-selling author of Proud Boys and the White Ethnostate: How the Alt-Right Is Warping the American Imagination
About the Author:
Nora Neus is an Emmy-nominated journalist whose reporting has appeared in CNN, VICE News, the Washington Post, and more. Neus field-produced Anderson Cooper's coverage of the 2017 white nationalist riot in Charlottesville, Virginia for CNN. Before joining CNN, she worked as a local news reporter and fill-in anchor for the CNN affiliate in Charlottesville, WVIR NBC29. She is the coauthor of the YA graphic novel Muhammad Najem, War Reporter: How One Boy Put the Spotlight on Syria.