The Blaclist, HUAC, and the attempted takedown of Hollywood's most illustrious stars are the subject of SHOW TRIAL.
I have always been fascinated by the Blacklist of the late 40s into the 50s. How could something like this happen in America? Well, it's 2022, and SHOW TRIAL is a must-read for anyone who thinks "we don't do this in America." We do, we did, we will.

A really great history read about how HUAC was a force that put a lot creative industries and workers in danger here in the States and the people on multiple sides of things politically and otherwise...definitely a timely read for these times.

I'm very interested in the blacklist era, but I found the writing on this very tough to get into. It's very very thorough, a long way into the weeds and not awfully forthcoming with the benefit of the doubt for the accused. If you're already an obsessive, it might work for you, if you're not and you just wanta bit of a taste of what was going on, try Trumbo by Bruce Cook or (even better) the Blacklist season from Carina Longworth's You Must Remember This podcast.

Doherty, one of the most adept Tinseltown scholars, takes on the October 1947 House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) hearings targeting Hollywood in tick-tock fashion, moving methodically through all nine days of testimony and chronicling not only who said what, but how the press at the time covered it. This scrupulous approach offers insight and balance, Doherty keeping the broad cast of characters straight with a screenwriters' eye. He doesn't skimp on context or consequences, either. The book’s opening section dexterously lays out the many factors influencing the thinking of the moment, while its final section addresses the fallout, exploring why in the wake of the inconclusive hearings Hollywood sent up "a white flag just as the enemy had left the field without a fight" by instituting a blacklist. Doherty’s clean, controlled prose points out excesses and valid arguments on each side, while never losing sight of basic logic. Much has been written about this shameful period of American history, but rarely with the clear-eyed diligence brought to bear here. (Adapted from a review that originally appeared in NOIR CITY magazine.)

This was a rather more detailed account of the HUAC trials than I expected. As another reviewer on Goodreads rather aptly put it, “Pretty much for obsessives, not for people who want an overview”. The author has certainly done his research. Many of the trials are quoted verbatim, and this makes the book an important and valuable historical document. Unfortunately it doesn’t make for a particularly entertaining read, as inevitably it all becomes somewhat repetitive after a while. As does the author’s determinedly chirpy writing style. So an excellent work of historical importance but, for me, not an especially enjoyable read.

Hollywood historian Thomas Doherty turns his attention to the movie industry's darkest era, the blacklist years.

I thought the book over all was a good read. At times I felt it could have skipped some parts as it became dull and drawn out. On a positive note the book is well researched and the author took his time making sure his facts were accurate.

I received a free Kindle copy of Show Trial by Thomas Doherty courtesy of Net Galley  and Columbia University Press the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as the subject matter and the description sounded very interesting.  It is the first book by Thomas Doherty that I have read.

I had high hopes for this book, but the author's writing style (dull, unengaging, text book style) made what should be a fascinating subject into a slow druderrgy of a read. As the subtitle indicates, it is about the House Unamerican Activities Committee and the creation of the Hollywood Blacklist. The most interesting parts of the book were when the author was using direct qoutes from the hearings. The book is well researched as the use of footnotes shows, but it makes reading on a Kindle a bit of a challenge at times.

I cannot recommend this book. There must be others out there on this subject that would make for a much more interesting read.

This is a comprehensive study of the era of the Communist witch hunt in America, focusing on the anti-arts aspects. I intend to reread it and keep it as a source since it is accurate and exhaustive.

I think it is an excellent resource for my students in history and political science. Personally, having read many books about this era, I was very impressed by the scholarship and clarity of detail.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The subject matter of Show Trial concerns an America gone awry. Post WWII brings out the anti-Semitic politicians who disguise their disdain for Jews as a hunt for Communists in Hollywood. Immigrant writers and other Hollywood elites were easy targets. Filmed hearings with nonsensical and uneven rules made it all too possible for ridiculous opinion statements to be viewed as facts. Naming names without evidence was viewed as a way to survive the investigation.

Amazingly, much of the vitriol voiced in this book could be from 21st century America. Find someone to blame for all the country's problems so you can hide your greed and ignorance.

Doherty writes of the beginning of the unions in Hollywood and their mob underpinnings. His writing reads a bit like a textbook so it felt like I was reading for a college course. The numerous footnotes indicate in-depth research but they made for awkward reading on a Kindle.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36906231-show-trial" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Show Trial: Hollywood, Huac, and the Birth of the Blacklist" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516974386m/36906231.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36906231-show-trial">Show Trial: Hollywood, Huac, and the Birth of the Blacklist</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/354875.Thomas_Doherty">Thomas Doherty</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2286020209">1 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
NETGALLEY # 12<br /><br />Many thanks go to Thomas Doherty, Columbia University Press, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.<br /><br />This book was so dry and dull, I regret that I can not recommend it. It's not the subject matter that's the problem. I'm still interested in that. It was the writing style. There was nothing inviting about it. It was cold, rote, full of awkward abbreviations, which really may not be helped. I just felt like I was not properly prepared for the meat; I was just thrown into the pool without knowing how to dog paddle. Maybe a front section introducing the main players? Maybe that would help? I just think I could have learned more from this book if there had been a better presentation.
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