A smart, passionate study of the turbulent role of the Communist Party USA by a literary critic and essayist who grew up in the thick of it. Gornick recounts the relief and solace found in this brand of politics and, after the release of the 1956 Kruschev Report, the unfathomable heartbreak. Through the testimonies of CP members and personal experience, she examines a political party and philosophy demonized by historians, politicians, and the Soviets-- yet still beloved by former members. This is, ultimately, a story of American activism: of Depression-era socialism, New York City liberals, and California farmworkers; of the thrill of organization, and the loneliness of another Saturday night peddling the Daily Worker door to door.

Molly McCall