Joyce and the G-Men : J. Edgar Hoover's Manipulation of Modernism

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating but Disturbing!
Review: Claire Culleton has done some really interesting research about the ways writers were harrassed by Hoover and the FBI. Anyone who believes that the FBI was and is a benevolent, helpful organization should read this book; the reviewer who thinks Culleton is unpatriotic clearly has not read it. It's shocking that there was a file on James Joyce -- who never even came to America! And it's horrifying that so many writers feared writing poltically radical work because they (rightly) thought that they were being watched.

Rating:
Summary: A Stunning Read
Review: Culleton's book is marvelously written and evokes the horrifying power of government agencies overrun with madness and the quest for power. If you like Joyce, Modernism, the history of small publishing ventures in the early 20th century, or even labor history /feminism, this is your book. A great read, and forgive the cliche, but I couldn't put it down. Even the acknowledgments are well-written and entertaining. Note especially her venture towards encountering the Bureau at 26 Federal Plaza with her lovely assistant, Rocco, in tow. The Larkin info on US labor history and Hoover's desire to have him locked up makes this reader proud to be a union member. Though Culleton has clearly done her research, her style is accessible and engaging. My last recommendation, put in a FOIA request for your own file...

Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating Book!
Review: Powerful research and a story well-told. I read it from cover-to-cover. Damned scary stuff.

Rating:
Summary: DON'T BE SO QUICK TO BOOK EDGAR HOOVER
Review: THIS IS A MASTERPIECE OF LEFTIST UN-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA INTENDED TO DESTROY THE GOOD NAME OF ONE OF THE GREATEST LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS IN OUR NATIONS HISTORY, AS WELL AS TO ASSASSINATE THE GOOD CHARACTER OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED OUR NATION AS G-MEN AND G-WOMEN SINCE THE AGENCY WAS ESTABLISHED 80 YEARS AGO. MR. HOOVER ESTABLISHED THE HIGH STANDARDS OF BEING A FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENT. THE F.B.I. HAS A REPUTATION OF BEING SECOND TO NONE IN EVERYTHING THE AGENCY IS INVOLVED IN, SUCH AS INVESTIGATING FEDERAL CRIMES, RUNNING A FORENSIC SCIENCE LAB, ASSISTING LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT IN SOLVING CRIMES AND INVESTIGATING POTENTIAL TERRORIST ACTIVITIES POST 9/11. MS. CULLERTON HAS DONE OUR COUNTRY AND THE FINE FEDERAL AGENTS OF THE F.B.I., AND ALL FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS, AN ENORMOUS DIS-SERVICE BY HAVING PUBLISHED THIS BOOK. I URGE ANYONE READING THIS NOT TO WASTE THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY IN BUYING THIS BOOK. INSTEAD READ "25 TO LIFE" BY JUDGE LESLIE CROCKER SNYDER, &/OR "BROOKLYN NOIR" BY TIM McLOUGHLIN, &/OR "THE KILLS" BY LINDA FAIRSTEIN. THE ONLY REASON I GAVE THIS BOOK ONE STAR IS BECAUSE NEGATIVE RATINGS WERE NOT AN OPTION.