Alger Hiss and the Battle for History Audiobook

Quotes

• Fascinating, accessible, and persuasive, Susan Jacoby makes it clear why the Hiss case and the diverse responses to and uses of it matter.

  — Harvey J. Kaye, author of Thomas Paine and the Promise of America

• “There is a lifetime of erudition—about American society, the Soviet Union, and the way people bend their perceptions to fit their beliefs—in this wise and careful look at an episode that for decades inspired heated diatribes. Jacoby points out that those of us who don’t believe in Hiss’ innocence should still care about the issues of civil liberties that the case raised—and which are still highly relevant today.”

  — Adam Hochschild, New York Times bestselling author of To End All Wars

• “[The] book is most memorable for the passion with which Jacoby trumpets certain sensible but often overlooked truths.”

  — Washington Post

• “[Jacoby’s] ostensible subject is the still-controversial espionage trial of Alger Hiss, but her brisk and persuasive study is, more generally, a reminder that a contested historical event can be misunderstood and misused by both sides. The Hiss trial, far from being a matter for the history books, vividly reflects present-day disagreements about patriotism and dissent in wartime.”

  — Barnes&Noble.com, editorial review

• “Fascinating, accessible, and persuasive…Susan Jacoby makes it clear why the Hiss case and the diverse responses to and uses of it matter.”

  — Harvey J. Kaye, author of Thomas Paine and the Promise of America