Review Detail
Middle Grade Non-Fiction
202
McCarthy Era Primary Source Material
Overall rating
3.0
Writing Style
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
3.0
Learning Value
3.0
Balis and Levy employed their "fly on the wall style" in Bringing Down a President, and utilize again to tell the story of McCarthy era Communist "witch hunts" through short observations about particular occurrences, which are then supported by direct quotes. These come from a variety of sources and famous and not-so-famous people. There are presidential directives, interviews, Time Magazine and other news media snippets, and a lot of quotes from Josh, the son of Communist Party members that were especially interesting, since his father had to go into hiding in another state.
A wide range of situations were covered, from the investigations until Hollywood personnel that ruined hundreds of careers, to teachers, the Rosenberg spy case, to the discriminatory treatment of homosexuals. From cities to small towns, it seems like there was nowhere safe. This was fascinating for me to read, because in talking to friends and family members who lived through this time in Ohio, this was something that was in the news but not really on their doorsteps. Clearly, this was a widespread phenomenon, and the people I knew were very lucky not to have been affected!
A wide range of situations were covered, from the investigations until Hollywood personnel that ruined hundreds of careers, to teachers, the Rosenberg spy case, to the discriminatory treatment of homosexuals. From cities to small towns, it seems like there was nowhere safe. This was fascinating for me to read, because in talking to friends and family members who lived through this time in Ohio, this was something that was in the news but not really on their doorsteps. Clearly, this was a widespread phenomenon, and the people I knew were very lucky not to have been affected!
Good Points
Foley's illustrations really make this book; their black and white outlines mimic the style of Mad Magazine, adding a bit of humor to a grim topic. To be fair, history has treated McCarthy as a bit of a buffoon. Even at the time, people such as Senator Lyndon Johnson, made comments that he was "the sorriest senator out there" but that you "don't get in a pissin' contest with a polecat", so this is yet another historical example of bad actors somehow capturing something within the popular psyche that allowed them to have more power than seems reasonable to us today.
There are not a lot of books about this time period, and McCarthy and society instilled a fear of communism in the US population that had long lasting implications. I loved that this started with the banning of the Robin Hood story; that's a nice tie in with all of the book banning that is going on today. What this lacked in narrative flow, it made up for in the variety of topics, even including the Berlin Air Lifts and Oppenheimer and the bomb. This would go right along with Marrin's A Time of Fear: America in the Era of Red Scares and Cold War or Brimner's Blacklisted.
There are not a lot of books about this time period, and McCarthy and society instilled a fear of communism in the US population that had long lasting implications. I loved that this started with the banning of the Robin Hood story; that's a nice tie in with all of the book banning that is going on today. What this lacked in narrative flow, it made up for in the variety of topics, even including the Berlin Air Lifts and Oppenheimer and the bomb. This would go right along with Marrin's A Time of Fear: America in the Era of Red Scares and Cold War or Brimner's Blacklisted.
Comments
Already have an account? Log in now or Create an account
Latest Additions
GET A YABC BUTTON!
We have all sorts of YABC buttons for your website. Grab one here and link to YABC!