By Theresa Rothmiller

Oct. 2 The Communitarian received a letter to the editor from the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). The purpose of the letter was to inform the DCCC community about a newly released novel, titled “The Slave Players,” which they suggest should be banned.

The novel, written by Megan Allen and released through Burn House Publishing, was published on Sept. 15, and is available for purchase at Amazon.com for $7.

It begins with 12 young black girls being murdered, and the lead politicians try to cover it up as an accident. If that isn’t motivation for mayhem, then anything less than that would be a picnic.

The novel has approximately 40 chapters, each chapter consisting of about four to six paragraphs that go into slight detail about the same injustice, discrimination, and police brutality that people of color face today. By the 20th chapter some things get out of hand. After news gets out regarding the cover up by the sheriff and governor, black southern state residents riot like never before.

General Anthony Sedgewick, commanding an army of all African-American men, has the bright idea to get vengeance by taking control of Colby County, Ala., where the murder incident occurred. He orders his soldiers to enslave, beat, and even kill Caucasians and any race other than their own. Sedgewick goes as far as gathering 200 plus white slaves to pick cotton after the harvest.

“But as the general knows there is very little to pick, and is getting to be less and less everyday,” said the general’s aide. “We’re already re-picking rows we’ve hit before. I’m not sure what the general wants.”

These Loyal White Knights claim that the literature describes what life would be like if Caucasians were enslaved and put in chains by African- Americans today.

The book’s premise may seem flawed, but not enough to justify a ban. For starters, there are hundreds of movies and television shows that reveal racism, injustice, and discrimination. Yet, there are no riots. If one book could cause mayhem, we would have been doomed decades ago.

As an African-American and a journalist, I admit I was a little disturbed by parts of the book. For instance, Sedgewick beats a female white reporter with a switch on national television, after discussing a resolution with the president. The general wanted to make an example of the reporter.

Did the book motivate or offend me to the point of my resorting to violence? Absolutely not.

The bottom line is, “The Slave Players” is harmless. It’s just fiction. The author has freedom of speech, just as the KKK does.

For what it’s worth, I enjoyed the book and encourage others to purchase it.

Contact Theresa Rothmiller at communitarian@mail.dccc. edu