“A. J. Baime is a master storyteller and this is his finest work—a thrilling story and a stunning, smart, invaluable piece of American history that helps us better understand a forgotten hero and better understand the question of race in America. An extraordinary book.”
—Jonathan Eig, New York Times best-selling author of Ali: A Life
“White Lies, A. J. Baime’s well-researched and riveting biography of Walter F. White, should be required reading not only for NAACP leaders across America, but for any student of US history and Black leaders in the fight for civil rights. This book is a profound accounting of a pivotal time in our nation and of a man who helped shape its course. Far too many people have never heard of Walter. Or they only know precious little of his contributions to the cause. Now, no one has any excuse.”
—Richard Rose, president, Atlanta branch of the NAACP
“Race is the central question of American history, and Walter White is the riddle within. Far less well-known than he should be, Walter’s dangerous investigations for the NAACP throughout the Jim Crow South changed the way Americans viewed the awful practice of lynching, which surely would have been Walter’s fate if his true identity were ever discovered. A. J. Baime’s White Lies finally gives this American hero his due. Impossible to put down, both thoughtful and gripping, White Lies proves that no one writes American history better than Baime.”
—Jeffrey A. Engel, director, Center for Presidential History
"A captivating portrait of civil rights activist and novelist Walter White (1893–1955) and the fight to end anti-Black violence and racial discrimination in the U.S...Filled with vibrant period details and lucid explanations of legal and political matters, this is a riveting portrait of a complex and courageous crusader for racial equality."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review