Not by the Sword: How a Cantor and His Family Transformed a Klansman

At a time when hate crimes seem to dominate the headlines, Not by the Sword tells the inspiring true story of how a Jewish cantor and his family changed the life of a virulent white supremacist leader.

The riveting account begins in 1991, when Cantor Michael Weisser receives his first threatening phone call from Larry Trapp, Grand Dragon of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of Nebraska. Trapp, a wheelchair-bound amputee holed up in a cramped apartment filled with automatic weapons, Nazi paraphernalia, and stacks of hate literature, had for years led a campaign of terror in Lincoln, Nebraska. But Cantor Weisser and his wife Julie refused to be intimidated by Trapp's escalating threats. Instead, they made a stunning offer of friendship; after an emotional confrontation with the Weissers, Trapp shocked everyone—including himself—by resigning from the KKK and breaking his ties with other neo-Nazi leaders.

Not by the Sword recounts Larry Trapp's life as a racist, his startling transformation in response to the Weissers' kindness, and his subsequent crusade to redeem his past by apologizing to his victims and speaking out publicly against racism and bigotry. Kathryn Watterson movingly describes how one family, along with other individuals from the Jewish, African American, and Asian American communities in Lincoln, feared, fought, and then forgave a man who had tried to destroy them.

Winner of the Christopher Award for "artistic excellence in affirming the highest values of the human spirit," this gripping tale gives the reader an inside view of hate mongering, and offers a powerful testament to the triumph of the human spirit and the transforming power of love and tolerance.

"Watterson engrossingly recounts what is perhaps the strangest episode in the history of American hate groups. Larry Trapp of Lincoln, Nebraska, grand dragon of the state Ku Klux Klan, spent years as an all-around menace. He terrorized the Vietnamese community, and sent disturbing messages to black, Jewish, and handicapped neighbors. But Lincoln cantor Michael Weisser realized that much of Trapp's venom might be due to debilitating illness. The Klansman suffered from diabetes, his legs had been amputated, and much of his eyesight was gone. Weisser and his family, targets for Trapp when they moved to Lincoln, reached out to him, and Trapp eventually quit the Klan, renounced bigotry, and even converted to Judaism shortly before his death. Telling this fascinating story, Watterson cites interesting similarities between Weisser and Trapp, such as backgrounds of juvenile delinquency. The big questions of the book--for instance, was this conversion indicative of anybody's ability to!

change, or was Trapp just one big flake?--remain unanswered, but Watterson's investigation of the issues is well worth exploring." —Aaron Cohen, Booklist

"This rare investigation of American hate-mongering provides a unique glimpse as well at the power of tolerance and love. . .it's almost impossible to put this book down." —Patricia Holt, San Francisco Chronicle

"The true-life people in Kathryn Watterson's Not by the Sword are unforgettable human beings, especially Larry Trapp. This eerie, wounded, hate-filled man, this Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, who is holed up and dying in an apartment packed with enough weapons to blow up a small city, and who is dragged out of hell into a redemption of love, is one of the most perfectly rendered characters in literary nonfiction that I've ever encountered. I can't get Larry Trapp out of my mind. His story and the heroism of the cantor's family is a parable for modern America, told with great intelligence and skill." —Richard Preston, author of The Hot Zone

"Kathryn Watterson's Not by the Sword is more than the inspiring true story of how a Jewish family's love changed the life of a hardened and bitter Klansman. Watterson's book is also a powerful reminder that love and forgiveness can truly conquer hate, and that there is good in everyone—even a Klansman." —Morris Dees, author of A Season for Justice: The Life and Times of Civil Rights Lawyer Morris Dees

"Kathryn Watterson's Not by the Sword is a chilling, finally thrilling account of a vicious American Nazi's journey from hate to regeneration through the efforts of a concerned Jewish family. This book is a must read for those who may doubt the possibilities of love." —Abraham Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League

"Kathryn Watterson has written one of the most powerful, painful yet healing stories about our most explosive issue—race. Her book is not only literally true but also symbolically true for us as a people—if we acknowledge and transform who and what we are." —Cornel West, author of Race Matters

Micheal Weisser is the Cantor (and de facto Rabbi) of a congregation in Lincoln, Nebraska. He's had a rough childhood, been in prison for a while, but now he's a devoted husband, father, and step-father, and part of a growing community.

Weisser is aware of the hate groups in Lincoln, but when he gets nasty calls from a member of the Nebraska KKK, he tries a radical method. He approaches the racist bigot as a friend. This bigot turns out to be a lonely diabetic whose now half-blind. He joined the KKK because nobody else offered him friendship. Larry Trapp, the Grand Dragon of the KKK, quickly sheds his racist ideologies. Slowly, Trapp, Weisser, and others start reaching out to racist kids in an effort to neutralize all the hate groups that are recruiting them.

I was in Junior High in Lincoln, NE when this story happened. I spent most of my time junior high and high school discussing Larry Trapp and the Weisser family. I was fortunate enough to have Cantor Weisser speak at a candlelight vigil I held during my senior year in high school. This is an amazing book.

I was a member of the Congregation in Lincoln ten years ago, and knew Larry Trapp personally. This book is a great insight into how I remember the situation, and to that great deed of Cantor Weisser. I recommend it fully to everyone out there. It will help you understand the emotion and meaning Larry Trapp added to our lives.

The first part of this book is a frightening portrait of a dangerous, unstable neo-Nazi. After reading what the book reveals about the personalities of some of these people, racially mixed families might pause before visiting certain parts of our country.

Cantor Weiss's ability to show tolerance and kindness to KKK member Larry Trapp is extremely moving and awe-inspiring. One of the things I learned from this book is that Weiss's capacity for forgiveness actually has deep roots in the Jewish tradition.