Blacklisted!

August 13, 2018
Brimner (Twelve Days in May) provides a cinematic recounting of the 1947 investigation into the motion picture industry by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Extensive quotes from contemporary sources help to recreate the struggle—complete with shouting matches, arbitrary rulings, and summary dismissals—between politicians determined to uncover evidence of communist infiltration and the Hollywood 10, men striving to protect their work, livelihoods, and futures by invoking the First Amendment. Throughout, Brimner provides necessary context and clearly explains each stage of the proceedings, from the Committee hearings to Supreme Court appeals several years later, showing how individual rights were trampled in the process. Later chapters focus on the Hollywood blacklist—created by studio executives to preclude further investigation into their business, it lasted until 1960—and the devastating impact it had on many careers. An author’s note concludes: “America and Americans need to be ever watchful that the Constitution’s guarantees are never sacrificed again out of fear, hysteria, prejudice, or political passion.” Abundant archival material, bibliography, and sources are included as back matter. Ages 12–up.

Starred review from July 1, 2018

Gr 7 Up-In the years following World War II, anticommunist sentiment reached a high in the United States with the formation of a congressional committee tasked with finding communists who were supposedly involved in spreading subversive messages in movies. The House Un-American Activities Committee started out in 1947 with a list of artists from the motion picture industry and ended up creating a blacklist that would affect at least hundreds. Those subpoenaed included director Edward Dmytryk and screenwriters Adrian Scott and Dalton Trumbo; 10 would be convicted for contempt. There is a careful presentation of the order of testimony, how questions were asked and answered-or not allowed to be asked or answered. There were a number of ways in which those summoned avoided answering if they were or had ever been a member of the Communist Party. Their answers are quite fascinating and relevant to today's polarizing political environment. Copious quotations are integrated into the story of 19 men forced to make a choice between their beliefs and their livelihood. Librarians could pair this with James Cross Giblin's The Rise and Fall of Senator Joe McCarthy. VERDICT This is a fascinating look at a part of U.S. history that should be included in public and school libraries.-Betsy Fraser, Calgary Public Library, Canada

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 15, 2018
Brimner brings to life a shameful episode in American history when citizens working in the film industry were accused of disloyalty and subversion and persecuted for defending their First Amendment rights. In 1947, tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States were at an all-time high. The House Committee on Un-American Activities, which included members with ties to the KKK, called Hollywood actors, directors, producers, and screenwriters to answer accusations that they were Communists. Ten who appeared refused to answer questions, citing their Constitutional rights to freedom of speech and assembly. The "Hollywood Ten" were afterward denied work by all Hollywood studios. Brimner vividly chronicles the hearings and their fallout, braiding stories of individuals into the overall narrative. Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo worked under pseudonyms; director Edward Dmytryk, unable to work covertly, later cooperated with the committee and named names. Drawing heavily on hearings transcripts, Brimner also includes a great deal of historical background to put the story in context. He notes that the origins of HUAC were rooted in America's first "Red Scare" following the Russian Revolution, and he challenges readers to consider if things are all that different today, citing contemporary examples. The many archival photographs included are testament to the overwhelming whiteness of both Hollywood and Congress.A chilling look at a time when the government waged war on civil liberties, with the public a complicit ally. (bibliography, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

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Starred review from September 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party of the United States? That was the question asked of 19 men (Hollywood screenwriters, directors, a producer, and an actor) in 1947 congressional hearings. The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) played on Americans' fears of communists by investigating subversive influences in the movie industry. Ten men were charged with contempt of Congress, tried, found guilty, and imprisoned, while many others were blacklisted. The author of the Sibert Award-winning Twelve Days in May? (2017), Brimner presents an informative account of the HUAC hearings and their repercussions for the Hollywood Ten. In the chapters covering those hearings, the extensive use of quotes gives the writing great immediacy, while the commentary clearly explains the motivations of the committee members and the viewpoints of those called to testify before them. The well-captioned illustrations include archival photos, documents, and political cartoons. Most easily understood by readers with some knowledge of the period, this tightly focused book presents a meticulously detailed narrative of events related to the 1947 hearings. More broadly, Brimner offers a cautionary tale about the damage done to individuals and society when constitutional rights are denied by officials sworn to uphold them.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
This detailed and devastating account of the House Un-American Activities Committee and "The Hollywood Ten" explores the HUAC's attack on First Amendment rights. This proved to be a precursor to the rise of McCarthyism in the 1950s, which destroyed the lives of many innocent Americans. Brimner effectively utilizes transcripts from the hearings, archival photos, and secondary sources to document the events. An author's note makes the connection between "then and now." Websites. Bib., ind.

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