A gripping account of racial justice activists who confronted violent white supremacists in Charlottesville, VA, and stirred the nation
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 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.
“Not just a visceral portrayal of political violence, but also a major addition to our understanding of right-wing terrorism.”
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“Neus’ wrenchingly graphic account makes clear, it was the malign, violent intent brought to the situation by the white supremacist participants that would drive the events of that awful weekend.”
—Booklist
“An imperative account.”
—Ms.
“A foundational piece of current events literature with a healthy dose of emotion thrown in for good measure.”
—Midwest Book 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
“At last, a narrative that pulls together unheard voices and events from Charlottesville’s Summer of Hate, giving insight, warts and all.”
—Susan Bro, mother of Heather Heyer
“A riveting minute-by-minute account of a day that shocked the world. Nora Neus reveals new details and insight about what really happened in those twenty-four hours in Charlottesville in 2017. It is well worth reading.”
—Anderson Cooper, CNN anchor
“Astonishing new details on an event that might very well be considered a turning point in our American century. I walked away in awe over how much I learned about Charlottesville. This work by Nora Neus feels like something people will both need and want to read.”
—John Berman, CNN anchor
“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
“This is the account we needed of what happened in Charlottesville. The swirl of violence and political chaos left details hard to come by and reflection nearly impossible, and Nora Neus delivers on both. The book also raises questions that still need answers if we’re to avoid ‘another Charlottesville.’”
—Charlie Moore, executive producer of Anderson Cooper 360, CNN
“As time passes, historical events like Charlottesville naturally tend to fade in our collective memory. But with this remarkable and important work, Nora Neus brings Charlottesville roaring back to life, with all the vivid detail and unflinching attention it deserves. This book puts you right in the middle of that fateful day, as told by the people who lived it, and it reminds us—by clear-eyed reporting, not by preaching—that hate remains a potent threat to our survival.”
—Elie Honig, CNN senior legal analyst and best-selling author of Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr Broke the Prosecutor's Code and Corrupted the Justice Department
Maps of Charlottesville
Author’s Note
Cast of Characters
PART 1: WARNING FLARES
ONE
“This isn’t just a bunch of weird LARPers on some dark corner of the internet.”
TWO
“Take away the permit, bad people are coming.”
PART 2: THE RIOTS
THREE
“Is somebody going to respond to this? Because this sounds really bad.”
FOUR
“We have a tip that something is going to happen on Grounds.”
FIVE
“These are racist people carrying torches.”
SIX
“If they could have killed us all right then, they would have.”
SEVEN
“Does this change what we’re going to do tomorrow?”
EIGHT
“We need to go confront literal Nazis.”
NINE
“This is fucked up as a football bat.”
TEN
“I remember thinking, Somebody is going to die today.”
ELEVEN
“It seemed like war in downtown Charlottesville.”
TWELVE
“It turned into an all-out battle.”
THIRTEEN
“Call the state of emergency.”
FOURTEEN
“It was like the resistance camp at the end of the world.”
FIFTEEN
“I heard a car revving.”
SIXTEEN
“I always wondered: Was she afraid? Did she see him coming?”
SEVENTEEN
“Where were the cops? How did this happen?”
EIGHTEEN
“Senseless deaths for a rally that should have never happened.”
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
- “Kale on Books: Tale of a Japanese spy and spy hunter is a treasure,” The Virginian-Pilot, review and write-up
- “Robert E Lee statue that sparked Charlottesville riot is melted down: ‘Like his face was crying,’” The Guardian, article
- “How to Treat Right-Wing Violence in the US,” New Yorker, mention in piece by Benjamin Wallace-Wells
- “Did This Deadly White Supremacist Riot Inspire Trump’s January 6th Coup? w/ Nora Neus,” The Thom Hartmann Program, interview
- “Ep. 279 Inaction Is a Form of Police Brutality with Nora Neus,” The Stacks, podcast interview
- “CNN’s Nora Neus on Writing Oral History,” Chicago Writers Association, podcast interview
- “What is ‘review bombing’? Our book expert Traci Thomas weighs in,” WBUR Here and Now, included as a July book pick by Traci Thomas
- “Story collection by Maine author captures a haunted New England; director of Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art publishes children’s book; volcanoes and fire in a new collection of poetry,” Boston Globe, included in books coming out list
- “It’s considered unethical for journalists to pay sources. Here’s why we should reconsider,” Poynter, op-ed
- “Nonfiction Views: This week’s notable new nonfiction,” Daily Kos, included in new nonfiction roundup
- “New book shares oral history of Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville,” NBC29 (Charlottesville), coverage of book release and author
- “July 2023 Reads for the Rest of Us,” Ms. Magazine, included in reading roundup
- “Virginia court quashes false indictment of Black man lynched by mob in 1898,” The Guardian, author piece
- “Charlottesville by Charlottesville,” C-Ville, feature with author
- “At the Charlottesville Torch March, Student Activists Stood Up to Neo-Nazis,” Teen Vogue, excerpt
- “For the First Time, the Summer of Hate Told by the Voices of Charlottesville,” Beacon Broadside, Q&A
- “Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2023, Part Two,” Literary Hub, included in reading roundup
- “10 Nonfiction Books to Read This July,” Literary Hub, included in reading roundup
- “‘I Always Wondered: Was She Afraid?’: Counter-Protesters Remember the Death of Heather Heyer,” POLITICO, excerpt
- “25 Nonfiction Books You Need to Read This Summer,” Literary Hub, book listed in reading roundup