Inside the Veiled Prophet’s ‘rancid’ past, a St. Louis author searches for meaning

St. Louis writer Devin O'Shea's debut book "The Veiled Prophet: Secret Societies, White Supremacy, and the Struggle for St. Louis" takes readers inside the mysteries of the Veiled Prophet Society, a group that's maintained influence over St. Louis institutions since its founding in 1878. Today, the group lives on as VP St. Louis. Its leaders are behind the non-profit Celebrate Saint Louis and “America’s Birthday Parade,” an event that is returning to St. Louis this weekend after taking last year off. In conversation with STLPR’s Danny Wicentowski, O'Shea traces the Veiled Prophet’s origins, members, rituals and controversies, and builds a case for why St. Louis would be better off without it.