Tracey Brame’s Undeterred: KKK Target, KKK Witness is one of the rare memoirs that captures the stupidity of the KKK, a powerful statement that bears witness to its cruelty. I first read about the KKK in Richard Wright’s Black Boy and, for a while, I thought it was an evil that had already been buried in the urns of history. Here comes a heartbreaking story of one who has been a witness and a victim of the workings of the Ku Klux Klan.

Wanting to serve the nation, Tracey Brame joined the United States Military Academy, where she got attacked by a cadet after expressing her desire to enter into politics, an attack that left her with serious memory damage, resulting in dissociative amnesia. Back in Indiana, Brame returned to her job and when she expressed her desire to run for office, she became a target of the Ku Klux Klan and her life has been negatively touched by it. Why was she being targeted? It’s simple: The KKK couldn’t stand to see an educated colored woman hold a position of responsibility. She writes: “My history demonstrates the Indiana Ku Klux Klan’s inability to control themselves in the face of a diversifying America. The Klan is only the most recognizable arm of the white nationalist movement that rallied on President Donald Trump’s behalf, and, as we have come to see in recent weeks, there are many who do not swear allegiance to a grand dragon, but still agree with the KKK’s aims and goals.”

Undeterred: KKK Target, KKK Witness is a courageous look at one of the realities that many American people are afraid to talk about, a compelling memoir from a courageous woman, and a book that will become an eye-opener to many people who still can’t admit the shady workings of the KKK. The writing is neat and accessible, and the story comes across with honestly and a frankness that can’t go unnoticed.

I would like to meet Tracey Brame, author of Undeterred. I would like to get to know her. I would like to ask her some questions about her horrible experiences. I found it hard to read some parts of her memoir for a lot of reasons, but the story is so compelling in its depiction of man’s inhumanity to man that I was compelled to continue to the bittersweet end. I am an African-American man, born and raised in Alabama. I know a little about the KKK. I also know a little about drug dealers like her husband. They are two sides of the same coin. Someone had to write a book like Undeterred. I don’t think I could, so I salute Tracey Brame for doing the difficult.

Tracey tells her story in a clear, plain, very straightforward way that isn’t dramatic at all. It was very evident that it is the story itself that is dramatic. Not her or her writing style. The story is her life. She tells it like it happened. I never knew how powerful PTSD was until I read her story. I never fully realized how much more stressful life might be for a woman than it is for a man. But I knew how mean people could be. I know that some people are like wolves disguised as sheep, and mingle in with the flock, picking off victims one by one. Everyone should read this book. You will learn a lot about predators. But ultimately, the most inspiring part of Undeterred is the people who help Tracey all along her journey. They are why hope endures.

Wow. Just, wow. That's exactly what I thought when I finished reading Undeterred: KKK Target, KKK Witness by author Tracey Brame. This book outlines the experiences the author had, both in the insular world of West Point and in her home state of Indiana, after she, an educated African American woman, stated her interest in becoming involved in politics after her time in the military was done. If you thought that racism was dead in this country, or that the KKK was not still out there trying to make their influence felt, then you should really read this book. I found myself obsessively turning the pages, shocked and outraged by the treatment that Ms. Brame endured, and I was determined to find out if she triumphed in the end.

Undeterred is a read that will keep you up at night, both while you are reading it and for several nights thereafter as you process the story that it imparts. Author Tracey Brame has done a tremendous job in sharing her difficult history in a way that serves to educate others about her experiences. Any reader who is interested in books that explore race relations, the military, the KKK, or simply an excellent memoir in general should absolutely read this book. I am so pleased to be able to highly recommend Undeterred: KKK Target, KKK Witness, and I certainly hope that I will see more work from the very talented and courageous author, Tracey Brame, in the very near future!

In the memoir Undeterred: KKK Target, KKK Witness, Tracey Brame narrates her horrifying young life as a victim of PTSD as a result of an ugly rape. An honor student and over achiever at West Point, Brame goes above and beyond expectations to get ahead in life. She is any instructor’s dream; of course, at West Point excellence is overrated, earning Brame continuous criticism from instructors and fellow students, proving that a soldier is never good enough. Tracey Brame plows on, though, out to prove her worth in the military as well as in life. One lesson she learns is that being a female in the military is difficult enough; but being an African American female adds fuel to the already existing competition. When Brame becomes victim of her husband’s brutal sexual treatment, another lesson is learned, yet barely realized. As a result of a vicious rape, Tracey Brame suffers extreme PTSD that follows her through life and makes her the perfect target of the KKK when she enters civilian life.

Tracey Brame’s detailed recitation of her trials with PTSD exemplify the less traditional view of the disease. While not a victim of military combat, Brame’s relationship with the government is directly in line with her abuse. Her description of the disease and its lesser publicized symptoms are presented in vivid language and almost unbelievable details that earn the reader’s sympathy. The second half of her story includes how the KKK utilized her condition to fit their purpose in the 1970s to present day. Gruesome, but necessary read!