Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare

by Andrea Balis, Elizabeth Levy, Tim Foley (Illustrator)

Overview

A cutting-edge look into a pivotal moment in US history: McCarthy's infamous "witch hunt" for communists during the 1950's Red Scare.

At the cusp of the Cold War, Americans were so afraid of communists living among them that they began to hunt them like witches. As Senator Joe McCarthy took up this mantle to hunt down “communists” in the US, citizens grew terrified of being accused, so they turned on each other - pointing fingers at neighbors, friends, and even family.

Told through a unique and inviting screenplay-format, brought to life with dozens of illustrations by Tim Foley, and comprised almost entirely of quotes derived from primary sources, Witch Hunt recounts the political craze that gripped America during the Red Scare when McCarthyism forced people to go to extraordinary lengths to keep themselves and their families safe from persecution against their own government.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250246820
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	04/16/2024
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	43 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Dr. Andrea Balis is a faculty member in the history department of John Jay College, City University of New York. Her specialization is twentieth century political history. She is the author of What Are You Using: A Birth Control Guide for Teenagers and a novel, PJ.

Elizabeth Levy is the award-winning author of over 100 fiction and non-fiction books for children and young adults. She is known for the humor and research that she brings to her subjects, including working with renowned historians for America's Funny but True History and If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution.

Andrea and Elizabeth are the authors of Bringing Down a President: The Watergate Scandal.

Tim Foley was born in Flint, Michigan, and attended college at the Kendall School of Art. His has illustrated such books as Ben Thompson and Erik Slader's Epic Fails history series. Tim lives and works in Grand Rapids with his wife, Terri.

Dr. Andrea Balis is a faculty member in the history department of John Jay College, City University of New York. Her specialization is twentieth century political history. She has also written extensively for the theater, and worked as a director. She is the author of two books for young people, What Are You Using: A Birth Control Guide for Teenagers and a novel, PJ.

Elizabeth Levy is the award-winning author of over 100 fiction and non-fiction books for children and young adults. She is known for the humor and research that she brings to her subjects, from studying stand-up comedy for My Life as A Fifth Grade Comedian, to working with renowned historians for America's Funny but True History and If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution.


From the Author

I grew up in Buffalo, New York. I loved to daydream, and through my fantasies I learned a lot about good writing. I had a crush on Elvis, and I made up what he would say to me. When I became a writer as an adult, I could make my daydreams almost come true. I put Elvis in several of my books. Kids have sent me pictures of Fletcher as Elvis. Principals have even dressed as Elvis when I visited their school.

I went to Brown University where I majored in history. After I graduated, I came to New York City and worked for ABC-TV and Radio, and then for Senator Robert Kennedy. My first book was written shortly after Senator Kennedy’s death. It was called The People Lobby. I wanted teenagers to know how exciting politics can be. After that, I began writing mysteries and novels. I have been writing and living in New York ever since. At certain times of the year, I can be found out at Shea Stadium watching the New York Mets. And of course, I still daydream. Now I daydream that they will win the World Series again.

Tim Foley was born in Flint, Michigan, and since attending college at the Kendall School of Design, has made his home in Grand Rapids on the west side of the state. A freelance illustrator for the past three decades, his work has appeared in magazines and newspapers around the world and books have included many titles in the bestselling young adult "Who Was" biography series, as well as several adult coloring books.

Editorial Reviews

*A JLG Gold Standard Selection*

★ "A scorcher that exposes shameful attitudes, personalities, and events that might seem eerily familiar." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "A fast-paced, even suspenseful read that brings history dramatically alive." — Booklist, starred review

"An almost irrefutable argument that global events are as inextricable as they are unpredictable, and that history is not, in fact, a straight timeline." — BCCB

"This compelling volume on mid-20th-century American politics is a must for research students and history buffs alike." — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

04/01/2024

Gr 5 Up—A fascinating, if not always cohesive, accounting of Senator Joe McCarthy's rise to power and public downfall during the Cold War. The creators of Bringing Down a President present another dark period in U.S. history. A bombastic politician, McCarthy wielded immense influence following WWII as suspicion of the USSR's infiltration into all facets of American life overran the country. He was the face of the Red Scare and incited the government to rout out any person suspected of Communist leanings. This persecution resulted in the loss of reputations, careers, and lives of many, including Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed for treason. This riveting narrative brings history to spine-chilling life in a way that is scarily relevant today. The team showcases the history in a screenplay format, with most of the factual events shared through a question-and-answer layout. The responses are revealed via a theoretical "Fly on the Wall." This structure is confusing and superfluous, though some reluctant readers may find it engaging. Foley's pencil-like drawings are scattered throughout and add interest, giving readers an idea of what these historical figures looked like. Students will acquire a deeper knowledge of people like President Dwight D. Eisenhower and FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. They'll also meet Roy Cohn, McCarthy's henchman, and Joseph Welch, the lawyer who finally brought McCarthy to justice. Back matter includes a time line, extensive source notes, and a plentiful further reading list. VERDICT Despite the confusing format, this compelling volume on mid-20th-century American politics is a must for research students and history buffs alike.—Shelley M. Diaz

School Library Journal

★ 2024-01-19
A pointed account of a fear-mongering demagogue’s quick rise and meteoric fall.

As in this trio’s previous collaboration, Bringing Down a President: The Watergate Scandal (2019), this history is written as a playscript, with a cast of dozens of political figures, journalists and other witnesses, and victims and their descendants offering snippets of verbatim testimony with commentary by the omniscient narrator, “Fly on the Wall.” Setting them against a backdrop of events of the time, Balis and Levy clearly establish how contemptible the headline-seeking, accusation-flinging Joseph McCarthy (“A pimple on [the] path of progress,” as President Eisenhower once put it), and Roy Cohn, his bulldog lawyer, were. The piecemeal narratives also create clear pictures of the course of the Red Scare (and the contemporaneous anti-gay Lavender Scare) and the ugly efforts, led by FBI head J. Edgar Hoover, to insinuate connections between communism and the nascent Civil Rights Movement. In the end, for all the whipped-up fear and grandstanding, as one of Hoover’s aides at last admitted, “We didn’t have enough evidence to show that there was a single communist in the State Department.” The storytelling approach serves as a reminder that history happens to real people in real time. “We want to emphasize,” the authors conclude, “that historical witch hunts affect regular people like the ones you know.” Final art not seen.

A scorcher that exposes shameful attitudes, personalities, and events that might seem eerily familiar. (author’s note, timeline, note on sources, source notes, further reading, image credits, index) (Nonfiction. 11-15)

Kirkus Reviews