Author's novel pits Klan against Catholics

Jim Lower is the author of the historical novel

By VALERIE SWEETEN
CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT
Jim Lower knew he had a good story on his hands when he learned about his grandparents' troubles with the Ku Klux Klan.
Lower turned the story into a book where Main Street is located in the fictional town of Donegal, Indiana and a war is being waged for economic control of the area. At the center of the struggle is the clash between the KKK and Catholic Americans in the 1920s.
His book, DonegalIrish Justice, was a labor of love for Lower, who waited years for it to be published.
It's currently being sold on www.littlemiamibooks.com.
Lower's book has some possibly real connections in northern Indiana, where he is from originally.
He found a variety of documents, delving into Indiana historical societies, which he used to build the outline for his story.
It was almost like going back in time and having a conversation with your grandparents," said Lower.
You had to understand the economics and what they were dealing with. I put myself in their shoes. There was some truth to the story and what had to be done to deal with it. I had the basic idea and dreamed it up as I went along."
Michael McGown, longtime friend and Dripping Springs, Texas resident, was familiar with Lower's story. He said his friend brought it to life."
I thought it was well done. As a work of fiction, he was able to bring out a lot of the characterization through his research for the time period. This went beyond his story and how the KKK impacted it," McGown said.
Pam Murray, a Cypress resident who formerly lived in Indiana, found the book particularly interesting."
He took the information and found a unique way to tell his story. I thought it was fascinating. There was a little bit of romance, mystery and intrigue. I thing he did a really nice job on it. It was really well written," Murray said.
Lower, the oldest of three children of Margery and William Lower, graduated from Notre Dame University in 1971 with a business degree.
He then received his master's degree in taxation from Drexel University in Philadelphia in 1983 and worked at Amtrak in accounting and then as a commercial real estate consultant.
In 2008, Lower moved to Cypress with his wife, Lynne, and began working as a controller with Duron Systems Inc.
Seeing his story come to life in print has its rewards he said.
I'm most happy about that over 50 books have been sold," Lower said. I've gotten some really good comments. This was a place for the story to come about."