About Coup:
COUP is the behind-the-scenes story of an abrupt political transition, unprecedented in U.S. history. Based on 163 interviews, author Keel Hunt, describes how collaborators came together from opposite sides of the political aisle and, in an extraordinary few hours, reached agreement that the corruption and madness of the sitting Governor of Tennessee, Ray Blanton, must be stopped.
The sudden transfer of power that caught Blanton unawares was deemed necessary because of what one FBI agent called “the state’s most heinous political crime in half a century”— a scheme of selling pardons for cash.
On January 17, 1979, driven by new information that some of the worst criminals in the state’s penitentiaries were about to be released (and fears that James Earl Ray might be one of them), a small bipartisan group chose to take charge. Senior Democratic leaders, friends of the sitting governor, together with the Republican governor-elect Lamar Alexander (now U.S. Senator from Tennessee), agreed to oust Blanton from office before another night fell. It was a maneuver unique in American political history.
FROM THE FOREWORD BY JOHN L. SEIGENTHALER:
“The individual stories of those government officials involved in the coup–each account unique, but all of them intersecting–were scattered like disconnected pieces of a jigsaw puzzle on the table of history until the author conceived this book. Perhaps because it happened so quickly, and without major disagreement, protest, or dissent, this truly historic moment has been buried in the public mind. In unearthing the drama in gripping detail, Keel Hunt assures that the ‘dark day’ will be remembered as a bright one in which conflicted politicians came together in the public interest.”
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT COUP:
“…told with page-turning intensity”
–Professor Michael Nelson, Rhodes College
“A recommended read for anyone interested in Tennessee history or politics.”
–Tom Humphrey, Knoxville News Sentinel
“…a great accomplishment of reporting and writing. It’s a page turner from start to finish, with lots of great insights into the characters involved and a compelling chronicle of compelling events.”
–Kenneth Jost, Author of The Supreme Court Yearbook
“…well-written and hard to put down once you open the first pages.”
–Victor Ashe, former Mayor of Knoxville and U.S. Ambassador to Poland
“Keel Hunt gives us a fascinating account of an important moment in Tennessee history. It’s a story of a time when Tennesseans of both parties came together to resolve a crisis that had rocked the state.”
–Fred Thompson, former U.S. Senator
“There was a time when government was willing to act. Keel Hunt was a key player on one such occasion in Tennessee and tells the story with elegance and precision. This book tells about government doing what’s needed–quickly, without hand-wringing and without seeking partisan advantage. Every elected official in America should read it.”
–Philip Bredesen, former Governor of Tennessee
“This is a story about men of different political parties who found ourselves in a place none of us wanted to be and how we worked together over a few hours to do something unprecedented but necessary that none of us wanted to do. What fascinates me 34 years later is how much I did not know about what had happened until I read Keel Hunt’s book.”
–Lamar Alexander, U.S. Senator
Where to buy the book
COUP is readily available online and at local booksellers, including:
