"Anthony Slide's American Racist: The Life and Films of Thomas Dixon sheds new light on the life of the controversial writer. Dixon suggested in his writing and films alternative solutions to war to address the mixing of the races. Dixon was also one of the first to recognize the value of the motion picture as a propaganda tool, and through his films he spread his dogmatic views on race, communism, socialism, and feminism. Slide argues that Dixon's complex and often contradictory stances and personality cannot be viewed in simple terms, and he places Dixon's body of work in its socio-historical context." "Slide examines each of Dixon's films and the novels from which they were adapted. He chronicles the North Carolina writer's transformation from a major supporter of the original Ku Klux Klan in his early work to an ardent critic of the modern Klan." "American Racist makes significant contributions to the understanding of both southern history and the medium of film and its influence on American culture."--BOOK JACKET.