In his new book, "Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America," journalist Clay Risen resurrects a turbulent chapter of post–World War II American history.
What began as a legitimate counterintelligence effort, Risen argues, quickly spiraled into a sweeping cultural witch hunt—one that targeted countless individuals who, regardless of their past associations, did not deserve to be driven from their careers and stripped of their livelihoods.
Drawing on newly declassified sources, Risen exposes the far-reaching consequences of fear-fueled politics and ideological persecution.
