Alistair Cooke
"Tanenhaus has dissolved many myths and made Whittaker Chambers a
necessary journey for his once cocksure accusers."
necessary journey for his once cocksure accusers."
Richard Bernstein, The New York Times
"Remarkable... the kind of writing that can keep you propped up
against your pillow late at night."
against your pillow late at night."
Book Description
Sam Tanenhaus charts the spellbinding story of Whittaker
Chambers (1901-1961), a complex figure whose intriguing transformation from
Communist agent to anti-Communist witness climaxed in 1948, when he
testified against Alger Hiss, a senior U.S. State Department official, in
the controversial trial that shook and changed America. With a cast that
includes Richard Nixon as a young lawyer, Senator Joseph McCarthy and many
others, An Un-American Life: The Case of Whittaker Chambers is at once a
vivid tapestry of twentieth century history, a spectacular human drama and
a political thriller of the highest order.
With a new introduction by the author, linking the historical implications
of the Chambers-Hiss case with contemporary America.
Chambers (1901-1961), a complex figure whose intriguing transformation from
Communist agent to anti-Communist witness climaxed in 1948, when he
testified against Alger Hiss, a senior U.S. State Department official, in
the controversial trial that shook and changed America. With a cast that
includes Richard Nixon as a young lawyer, Senator Joseph McCarthy and many
others, An Un-American Life: The Case of Whittaker Chambers is at once a
vivid tapestry of twentieth century history, a spectacular human drama and
a political thriller of the highest order.
With a new introduction by the author, linking the historical implications
of the Chambers-Hiss case with contemporary America.
About the Author
Sam Tanenhaus is editor of New York Times Book Review and former
contributing editor of Vanity Fair.
contributing editor of Vanity Fair.
