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Part I: Bibliographic information
Type: Nonfiction/Biography
Title: Master of Deceit: J. Edgar Hoover and America in the Age of Lies
Writer: Marc Aronson
Copyright Date: 2012
Publisher: Candlewick Press
ISBN: 9780763650245
Genre/subgenre: Young Adult/Nonfiction Biography
Interest Age: 13+
Reading Level: Upper Grades (UG 9-12)
Pages: 230
Awards: Junior Libary Guild Selection
Part I: Reader’s Annotation, Plot Summary, Critical Evaluation
Reader’s Annotation -- J. Edgar Hoover, a complex man with unyielding ambition, led the Federal Bureau of Investigation for over forty years and left his distinct mark on national affairs of the 20th century. His story parallels the Cold War era during which Americans lived in fear of the possibility of communist infiltration in large due to Hoover’s secret record keeping and carefully coordinated leaks of select information.
Plot Summary --
This story of J. Edgar Hoover begins with a mention of a note received by Martin Luther King that threatens him openly. Then the author presents a lengthy comparison of capitalism versus communism. He carefully explains the ideals of both systems as oppose to the reality of both -- mentioning both the positive and negative. This involves some background on John Reed, the radical American who was most associated with promoting communism during the pre-World War II era. Hoover, on the other hand, is shown to be the example of all that is patriotic and was supportive traditional Christian values. His early life is explained in the context of a strong mother figure who had high expectations for young Edgar and a failure who failed and ended up having several breakdowns. Hoover, himself, was a tough and staunch man who dressed immaculately and used his power to ruthlessly defeat his enemies through his career.
Hoover’s early days at the FBI, where he began in 1917, lead to his being chosen to head Alien Enemy Bureau. The Soviet’s rise to power in Russia had given fuel to left-wing causes. A roundup of thousands took place and many were held without due process and hundreds were deported from the country in what later became know as the Palmer Raids. Hoover was making his mark at the FBI during this time. He would soon rise to Deputy Director and in 1924 was chosen to head the Bureau of Investigations after a corruption scandal brought down his predecessor.
His early days as head were involved flashy news reports of the FBI’s efforts to stop well-known criminals like Pretty Boy Floyd and Machine Gun Kelly and Hoover leverage these to make the FBI looks good in the public’s eye. He also ran a very tight organization in which dress and grooming were mandated, and his operatives systematically collected of information on many Americans, including politicians and intellectuals. This information was often not made available outside of the FBI but was occasionally used to protect and promote Hoover and the FBI within the federal bureaucracy.
Hoover’s close relationship with FDR was based on mutually beneficial relationship involving secrets provided to the president and discretion the president allowed Hoover in operating outside the law. This mainly involved following communist connections and infiltrators. After Roosevelt’s sudden death and Truman’s sudden rise to power, the era of anti-communism dominated that FBI’s agenda and culminated in the rise of Senator Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin. The bureau also went on a tirade against homosexuals working in government positions. This is somewhat ironic since there is some indication that is discussed in the book about Hoover’s sexuality being in question. The McCarthy era in which hundreds of government officials’ loyalty and communist leanings were revealed was Hoover’s last great stand against the enemy he spend most of his career combating -- communism. Hoover was feeding this frenzy by providing the information to McCarthy and when he cut off the list the end of the era and of McCarthy was not far behind.
The 1960s brought in a time of racial tension that tested Hoover’s value system. He was openly against integration and had made statement about African Americans implying they were immoral and lacked ambition. He also believed that Martin Luther King Jr. was a cloaked communist and had ties to the Communist Party. His men had King bugged and followed and found no direct connection to communism. However, the FBI found other information about infidelity -- and later King received a letter sent telling him to essentially commit suicide. Hoover also disliked and had the Kennedy’s surveilled. When the assassinations of King and Robert Kennedy in the same year, the FBI came under fire for having not done more or perhaps having been involved. Hoover would die suddenly that same year ending five decades at the FBI during which his beliefs defined federal law enforcement and resulting in much behind the scenes manipulations.
Aronson concludes that “fear allows secrecy in the name of defense.” Hoover had used secret and illegal surveillance and information gathering against communists, intellectuals, homosexuals, blacks and feminists and others in the name of creating a more secure state of affairs. Hoover had a book written in his name titled, “Masters of Deceit.” This book was about the shadowy operatives of communist that infiltrated the United States. But Aronson saw an analogy to Hoover’s own organization, which used secrecy, illegality and blackmail toward the end of promoting its own cause -- and sometimes the cause of Hoover himself. He had created an law enforcement organization so tightly controlled that it crossed the line of illegality in the name of our protection. In many ways, the legacy of Hoover remains intact in the form of the water boarding and detention of enemy combatants, according to Aronson. While Aronson concludes there are no easy answers, he argues that we must not allow this need to protect to end our tradition of dissent as legitimate.
Critical Evaluation -- This book provides a broad look at the 20th century American politics and international conflict. It rough corresponds to the Cold War-era but goes beyond the Soviet versus the United States conflicts. He touches on domestic happenings such as the Great Depression, World War II and the Civil Rights Movement with engaging detail. Lots of what he covers is little discussed in history books and has the appeal of a good crime novel.
Aronson also steps out of the role of storyteller about Hoover into a more interpretive mode that explains the larger picture in words and concepts a younger reader can understand. For instance, a lengthy portion at the beginning simply defines the values of communism versus capitalism. Later he reveals some important history of the civil right’s movement and associated efforts at the FBI to discredit this effort. These efforts would carry over into the women’s movement as leaders were surveilled and discredited through leaks of private information and innuendo about associations are provided to the press.
In short, there is a great deal of intrigue in this work of nonfiction that keeps the reader moving forward out of fascination about how our government has really worked over time. Details about Hoovers relationships with various presidents -- from Roosevelt to Truman -- make for fascinating reading and hopefully younger readers, too, will find here what they often don’t in their history books -- the real story of American history.
Part III: Author Info
“Marc Aronson is an author, editor, publisher, speaker, and historian who believes that young people, especially pre-teens and teenagers, are smart, passionate, and capable of engaging with interesting ideas in interesting ways. He writes books, visits schools, teaches classes, and publishes books that affirm this belief. His mission is to inspire young people to ask questions, to look around, behind, inside of the stories the world tells us - whether that means being a detective, examining the clues history has left behind, or a reporter, telling the truth about the modern world,” (Aronson, n.d).
Additionally, his autobiographical section from his website says that, “Aronson has a doctorate in American History - his focus was on William Crary Brownell, Edith Wharton's editor, and he published conclusions as a lengthy essay in the New York Times Book Review. He periodically reviews books for the Los Angeles Times Books Review, and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and publishes essays in journals devoted to reading and literature. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, the author Marina Budhos and their two sons.”
His other books include: Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado (2000); Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials (2003); Art Attack: A Short Cultural History of the Avant-Garde (1998). More recently he authored an award-winning title for young adults called Sugar Changed the World (2011). Two other titles for adults and educators are: Exploding the Myths: The Truth About Teenagers and Reading (2001) and Beyond the Pale; New Essays for a New Era (2003). He presently teaches at Rutgers University in the School of Communication and Information.
Part IV: Curriculum Ties, Diversity, Booktalk Ideas, Challenge Issues
Curriculum Ties, if any -- Aronson has worked on Common Core standards. His books are excellent resources for history teachers who seek to broaden their curriculum and introduce creative nonfiction reading into the classroom.
Diversity of Cultures -- This book touches extensively on the social history of the United States and traces race relations to Hoover’s early mistrust of Marcus Garvey through the era of Martin Luther King Jr. It offers an alternative view of race relations in that he introduces the history of our governments resistance to change and progress in race relations.
Booktalking Ideas -- Rumors surrounding Hoover’s personal life often imply that he may have had a homosexual affair with his top aide and that he may have been part African American. How do rumors serve or not serve the interest of history as being told accurately? Is it better to not discuss that which is not proven in our textbooks or to offer a broader view and let readers decide what to believe or not themselves?
Challenge Issues -- Clearly, Aronson offers a no-holds history of Hoover’s personal life that discusses the evidence that points to his possible homosexuality. This could be reason that some might challenge the book. Aronson’s own interpretation is that Hoover was a closeted and non-practicing homosexual. This is not the perspective taken in J. Edgar (2013), the Clint Eastwood-directed film, that presents this aspect of Hoover’s life more or less as fact. The subject is somewhat tangential to the larger story of Hoover’s career though related due his having been a iron-fisted all American who used his power to persecute homosexuals and others who did not fit the norm of society he promoted. Some excerpts from the book as well as reviews of the book and historical accounts of Hoover’s life in this regard should be kept on hand to defend the work.
Part V: Reasons chosen
Aronson has a number of nonfiction reads that are worthy of mention. I found this work particularly engaging is that it covers modern American History from an alternative perspective. He makes every effort to show the reality of Hoover’s world and thinking and put it in context to the times as they were playing out. From the discussions of the clubbing in Manhattan where he brushed shoulders with stars and powerful elites to the behind the scenes investigations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King Jr., this work is utterly engaging to anyone interested in American history. He includes just enough interpretation to keep the reader in touch with the dynamic of the time and place of these happenings as well as enough intrigue about the possible motivations and legal complexities that it reads with engaging intrigue. Aronson has said he aims to use history to reflect on issues that affect us today -- in this case, the issues of surveillance, secrecy and government versus individual rights are explored. This parallels our current challenge in using modern methods against our current enemies -- and finding the balance between offensive means of defending ourselves and outright violation of our own principles out of fear for our own survival. It’s simply a great read in context of both the history and the implications for today’s geopolitical dynamics.
Part VI: Citations
Aronson, M. (n.d.). Biography [webpage]. Retrieved from http://www.marcaronson.com/author/
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