Asa Carter (left) and Forrest Carter (right).

The Education of Little Tree is an iconic best-selling book, with a message about living in harmony with nature, and compassion for people of all kinds. But there’s a very different story behind the book. It begins with the most infamous racist political speech in American history. This week on the Radio Diaries Podcast, the true story of the untrue story of The Education of Little Tree.

We originally produced this story for This American Life. You can also listen to a non-narrated version here.

By the way, if you’re a fan of our podcast, please write us a review in the iTunes store! That way, more people will find us.

Radio Diaries is part of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the best story-driven podcasts on the planet. This week’s episode is supported by Life on Record, a company that makes audio keepsakes.