Naming Names
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Author Description
With a New Afterword by the Author“An astonishing work concerning personal honor and dishonor, shame and shamelessness. A book of stunning insights and suspense.” —Studs TerkelHalf a century later, the investigation of Hollywood radicals by the House Committee on Un-American Activities still haunts the public conscience. Naming Names, reissued here with a new afterword by the author, is the definitive account of the hearings, a National Book Award winner widely hailed as a classic. Victor S. Navasky adroitly dissects the motivations for the investigation and offers a poignant analysis of its consequences. Focusing on the movie-studio workers who avoided blacklists only by naming names at the hearings, he explores the terrifying dilemmas of those who informed and the tragedies of those who were informed on. Drawing on interviews with more than 150 people called to testify—among them Elia Kazan, Ring Lardner Jr., and Arthur Miller— Naming Names presents a compelling portrait of how the blacklists operated with such chilling efficiency.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the moral and political implications of the Hollywood blacklist era, specifically focusing on the motivations and consequences of those who chose to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Victor S. Navasky, a journalist and editor, utilizes extensive primary source interviews and historical records to analyze the psychological and social pressures that forced individuals to choose between their personal integrity and their professional survival. The text provides a rigorous examination of the mechanisms of political repression within the American film industry during the mid-twentieth century.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Detailed analysis of the House Committee on Un-American Activities hearings
- Examination of the blacklist system in Hollywood studios
- First-hand accounts from over 150 witnesses and industry figures
- Exploration of the ethical dilemmas faced by informers and the accused
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide a comprehensive history of the entire Cold War era
- It focuses primarily on the film industry rather than broader government sectors
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts and historians frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the intersection of political ideology and individual morality in twentieth-century America. Readers often note the academic density of the prose and the thoroughness of the author's investigative methodology.
Page Count:
482
Publication Date:
1981-11-19
Publisher:
Penguin Books
ISBN-10:
0140059423
ISBN-13:
9780140059427
History
Biography
Politics
Cold War
Industry
Hollywood
Social Science
Movies
