Clinton, MS -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/21/2015 -- While the mainstream media and educators frame the Civil Rights Era as a time when groups of Americans banded together to fight for their most basic human rights, the dark and evil "other side" is often brushed under the rug. But the South was also awash with rape, brutal Ku Klux Klan murders and certain abusive instigators who are nothing but an embarrassment to their nation's history.

'Quicksand Paradise', by Mary Keith, is about of these cruel and heartless misfits. His name is Louis Abellard; literature's most misguided antagonist whose story is sadly lifted straight out of the history books. It's not an easy read, but tells a story the world needs to hear.

Synopsis:

Louis Abellard, the son of a Prohibition-era bootlegger, was the epitome of evil. Wealthy and a prominent member of his Louisiana community, he was also a bully, a drunk, a rapist and a diehard member of the Ku Klux Klan. Louis' son Charles wants nothing to do with any of this, but how do you turn your back on money, power and a father who manipulates you like a puppet? How do you escape a Quicksand Paradise?

Born into wealth and privilege, Louis Abellard is doomed to a self-centered existence by the influence of an unprincipled father. Set in the deep South in the 1920's through the 60's, this novel tells his turbulent story as he leaves life after life in chaos--or worse. He doesn't blink an eye over murder in the name of the Ku Klux Klan.

Driven by his sadistic nature, he joins the local Ku Klux Klan. Quickly rising to power, he plots and commits unspeakable crimes that leave him craving more. With anything he wants becoming an obsession, he has no qualms about stealing his son's girlfriend through manipulation and lies. But a slight happenstance arouses suspicion, and his son uncovers his treachery; their explosive confrontation has extreme consequences for both men.

"While Louis is fictional, thousands of privileged Southerners just like him abused their power with fatal consequences barely fifty years ago," explains Keith. "We need to re-tell this story right now; our nation has hit a rut of discord and we risk seeing history repeat itself. I hope that showing the psychotic nature of people like Louis will educate the public, especially the younger generation, who are largely unaware of just how bad things were."

Continuing, "There's no filter to this story. I felt it was vital to get the bare atrocities across in their raw form, making it one of the only books of its kind on the market. If it makes you sick to your stomach and repulsed, then I see it as a mission accomplished."

Since its release, the novel has garnered a string of rave reviews. Deborah M. Patterson comments, "This was an excellent read. I must admit that this book took me through a range of emotions. Ignorance tends make me angry...and Mary Keith's book showed ignorance at its maximum. I was growing up in some of the time she's writing about so what she wrote is true to my knowledge. As I said some of the circumstances she wrote about made me angry others broke my heart. I would say if you want to learn a little American history about some sad parts of our past this read does the job."

Jeff Dawson adds, "Folks, Mary Keith does not pull any punches with how the clan treats those they are convinced are liars, cheaters, subversives, communists and the other sects they hated and deemed the bane of society. She leaves nothing to the imagination of the horrors they hand out to those they've branded, in need of education. If you're weak in the stomach and knees, I can't recommend this book. Think of "Mississippi Burning" meets "Clockwork Orange." It's historically accurate and brutal."

'Quicksand Paradise' is available now: http://amzn.to/1GqCDra

About Mary Keith
The author lives in Clinton, MS.