Being Red: A Memoir

Rating:
Summary: A 20th CENTURY THOMAS PAINE
Review: "Citizen Tom Paine," written years ago by Howard Fast is an ironic parallel to the "other" of America's reviled patriots. The title of Fast's book lets you know where unapologetically the author stood politically. During the McCarthy period in America, Howard Fast was the United States' first political prisoner; serving 2 years for refusing to name names to the House Un-American Committee. Few books were written as this one that accurately describe the period of the Communits witch hunt and the unrecorded damage to America's social and political fabric as has "Being Red." In the end, Fast utterly rejected Soviet Communism, thereby turning down a huge amount of money from Russian royalties for his books. Indeed, he tells of the poignant event through breaking the bad news to his artist wife; waiting at home for Howard to return with their much needed windfall. Seldom have knowledgeable authors written about their times, unfiltered through an agenda, as has Howard Fast in "Being Red." For those wishing to know what in fact happened during the five decades of turmoil following the Great Depression of 1930 ... read this book.

Rating:
Summary: A 20th CENTURY THOMAS PAINE
Review: "Citizen Tom Paine," written years ago by Howard Fast is an ironic parallel to the "other" of America's reviled patriots. The title of Fast's book lets you know where unapologetically the author stood politically. During the McCarthy period in America, Howard Fast was the United States' first political prisoner; serving 2 years for refusing to name names to the House Un-American Committee. Few books were written as this one that accurately describe the period of the Communits witch hunt and the unrecorded damage to America's social and political fabric as has "Being Red." In the end, Fast utterly rejected Soviet Communism, thereby turning down a huge amount of money from Russian royalties for his books. Indeed, he tells of the poignant event through breaking the bad news to his artist wife; waiting at home for Howard to return with their much needed windfall. Seldom have knowledgeable authors written about their times, unfiltered through an agenda, as has Howard Fast in "Being Red." For those wishing to know what in fact happened during the five decades of turmoil following the Great Depression of 1930 ... read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed Fan
Review: I am fond of Fast's book's but was so disappointed with this book and with him. Fast where were you during World War II? Was your head buried in the sand? His book is full of lame excuses and errors. For instance, the Rosenbergs who were executed for being spies were in fact confirmed guilty per recent unsealed documents. The government was able at the trial, to find them guilty without using testimony from secret agents who would have been publically identified. The book is a portrait of a weak, uninformed,narrow minded "useful idiot" , as Churchill called ignorant, uninformed persons who unknowingly were used to help the enemy's agenda both during & after the war.If a reader is looking for a good read I'd recommend The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz, We Die Alone by David Howarth, The Shadow of War by T. Childers, or Intrepid's Last Case by William Stevenson-all of which are non-fiction & 5 star reading!!!