Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3/5 stars.

It's not bad, so don't look at the 3 stars and immediately discredit this. I just expected....more? It's also told in an interesting way with many many many primary sources (which I love) but it's told in almost a radio serial format with interjections and not very lengthy texts. While it keeps it moving fast with how it's told, I also don't think it gives enough background information. I think I would have been a confused reader if I did not have the background knowledge I already do with this area.

I also liked the sketches included, but they needed context for them to be effective.

Thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I chose to read "Witch Hunt" because it covers a topic I was personally interested in learning more about and it received a starred review in Booklist. Interestingly, though, the elements that were called out as positives in the starred review were the exact elements that made this a swing and a miss for me. I found the format of the book--lots of block quotes interspersed with bits of prose by the authors dubbed as "Fly On the Wall" context--to be more distracting than engaging. I appreciate that the authors relied heavily on actual quotes and source documents from the period, but I felt it would have all been more impactful if it was integrated into a cohesive narrative structure. My eyes had to do too much work to keep up with the format, and I expect I would have stopped reading sooner if I wasn't personally interested in the topic. Likewise, the creators chose to go with simple line illustrations of the people and events throughout the book, whereas I would like to have seen actual photographs and information-rich captions to make this fraught period of history come alive for the intended young readers.

This is an important piece of history to re-examine from a contemporary perspective, and the authors treat it with an appropriately critical eye. The book reflects the authors' deep research and simply falls short in presentation, in this reader's opinion.

I try to be fair when I read these books, accept that I am reading a manuscript, rather than a ready-to-release book. Still, even by those standards, I felt like I was missing large chunks of the book. I assume the sketches on the pages are placeholders and will be replaced with photos or more detailed images, as I assume that the formatting of quotes and other materials will be changed up as well, like via different fonts or something. I would really be more interested in seeing a more complete version of this book.

Because from a content perspective, it’s a pretty solid book. It tells the story of a moment in American history that more should know about, especially for those who paint the fifties as some halcyon “Ozzie and Harriet” era. Though McCarthy was eventually stopped, he did incalculable damage to our country and unfortunately, his tactics are still with us, wielded by those who are far more savvy than him.

While I appreciate the format of the book, the actual text was so dry that I cannot imagine a YA reader picking this up and enjoying it. The information and history presented in the book has so much potential as a novel or radio program (as this format suggests), and the use of quotes from actual participants give it even more depth. It's just laid out in such a way that there's no feeling for the drama or emotion that the actual events should evoke. I wish this book had lived up to its potential...

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

From a history perspective, this book gives an in-depth look to the "Red Scare" and "McCarthyism" of the 1950s and gives perspectives of what McCarthy or other historic figures said, as well as how the media presented it. The authors then included a perspective called "Fly on the Wall" and reflected on these perspectives through the lens of a 21st century historian.

Initially I thought this text format would disrupt the flow of the narrative, but I found myself eager to see what the historian's take on McCarthy's antics would be. I learned a lot about the so-called witch hunt for communists and people in the community who had ties with the communist party.

I think from a young readers' perspective, they will need additional context to understand what is un-American about communism and why it was considered so bad. They also may want to read about Woody Guthrie's folk music connections to the American Communist Party in the 30's and 40's and the origins of unions and the labor party to understand the motives of communism in mid-century America.

This was a great historic view, and it encourages readers to continue learning more. I recommend this for schools and libraries to have in their non-fiction collection.

Telling the story of the "witch hunt" for communists around the Cold War time period, this book will bring a unique part of history to any collection. The formatting of this book is a little unusual, which may be because I had access to a digital review copy. It read like a screen play, and at times, felt like information was missing between sections. Maybe if this is being turned into a graphic novel or having illustrations, that information may be provided visually and it will feel less chaotic.

The quality of information was excellent. Full of quotes and references pulled from primary sources, making Witch Hunt an excellent nonfiction resource to fill this gap in history on your shelves.