SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: www.elizabethlevy.com
CITY: New York
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 312
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
ADDRESS
CAREER
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist vol. 120 no. 13 Mar. 1, 2024, Michael Cart, “Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare.”. p. 36.
Kirkus Reviews Feb. 15, 2024, , “Balis, Andrea: WITCH HUNT.”. p. NA.
Booklist vol. 120 no. 13 Mar. 1, 2024, Cart, Michael. , “Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare.”. p. 36.
Booklist vol. 115 no. 21 July 1, 2019, Cart, Michael. , “Bringing Down a President: The Watergate Scandal.”. p. 58.
Kirkus Reviews June 1, 2019, , “Balis, Andrea: BRINGING DOWN A PRESIDENT.”.
School Library Journal vol. 70 no. 4 Apr., 2024. Diaz, Shelley M. , “BAUS, Andrea & Elizabeth Levy. Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare.”. p. 145.
I grew up in Buffalo, New York. I loved to daydream, and through my fantasies I learned a lot about good writing. I had a crush on Elvis, and I made up what he would say to me. When I became a writer as an adult, I could make my daydreams almost come true. I put Elvis in several of my books. Kids have sent me pictures of Fletcher as Elvis. Principals have even dressed as Elvis when I visited their school.
Liz and Mr. Met
I went to Brown University where I majored in history. After I graduated, I came to New York City and worked for ABC-TV and Radio, and then for Senator Robert Kennedy. My first book was written shortly after Senator Kennedy’s death. It was called The People Lobby. I wanted teenagers to know how exciting politics can be. After that, I began writing mysteries and novels. I have been writing and living in New York ever since. At certain times of the year, I can be found out at Shea Stadium watching, the New York Mets. And of course, I still daydream. Now I daydream that they will win the World Series again.
Peter, Liz, Larry and Robie
Friendship and laughing are a big part of my life.
I write a lot about characters and real people who make mistakes in their lives. Learning how to be loyal and to laugh at myself and with my friends and family is something I still work on. Here I am on my sixth birthday with my brother Larry and my cousins, Robie and Peter. Robie Harris is another children’s book writer and still one of my best friends.
Dracula is a Pain in the Neck
Liz and brother Larry
Writers try to look closely at our lives and how we live. Notice my brother’s hands are a little close to my neck. No wonder I wrote Dracula is a Pain in the Neck. I get a lot of my ideas from the fights that I used to have with my brother, but we still love each other. And now I get to hang out with my family and my great-nieces and great nephews, and they give me ideas. We love to read and write together
Third grade poem
I loved my elementary school, and I had a wonderful third-grade teacher who taught me not to be afraid of making mistakes. She made me feel like a wonderful writer, even though I couldn’t spell. She even helped me get a poem in the newspaper.
I’ve had some wonderful teachers in my life. At Brown University, Forrest McDonald taught me how to make writing come alive. I still love to write about some of the characters he taught me about.
RESEARCH! RESEARCH! LOTS AND LOTS OF RESEARCH!
Liz and the Captain of the Queen Mary
Liz sailing New York Harbor
The wonderful thing about writing is that everything you do, you can write about, and you can always learn new things. When I wanted my character to live on a cruise ship, I took a cruise and of course, I had to interview the captain. And now, even if I am just sailing around New York Harbor, I am always on the lookout for new details.
Who's that?
Liz and Brant
When I wrote Tackling Dad I did a lot of research.
Who do you think the football player is in the picture?
Which one of us do you think played real football?
Julia, Isabel, Sam and Liz
When I’m alone and not writing, I love to hang out with my friends, bike around the city, but most of all I still love to read and daydream.
Sometimes I am alone—and sometimes I am with others, and we share our daydreams and stories. Writing is lot of hard work but it still is fun. So send me your stories or daydreams. I’d love to read them!
May 19
Dr. Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy
Author Interview
Author Interview - Dr. Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy
Author of Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare
A gripping account of one of the most tumultuous periods in American history. Authors Dr. Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy delve into Senator Joe McCarthy's infamous hunt for communists during the 1950s Red Scare. Originally written for young adult and teen audiences, the book is written in a unique screenplay-style format with rich illustrations and includes interviews with individuals who recalled their childhood experiences of McCarthyism. With meticulous research and attention to detail, The authors shed light on the human stories behind historical events, filling in the critical gaps in historical knowledge, ensuring that the lessons of the past are not forgotten in today's rapidly changing world.
Author Interview - Dr. Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy
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Author I draw inspiration from:
Liz: Judy Blume. We entered the children’s book world about the same time, and Judy taught me that emotional honesty and humor belong together. My favorite is Are you There God, it’s My Margaret!” Because until then I hadn’t read many Jewish characters who seemed so contemporary.
Andrea: Robert Caro; I love the way he uses the voices of the past. My favorite is The Power Broker, and Caro’s Lyndon Johnson biographies. When I worked in the theater, (where I met Liz) I wrote the lyrics for a musical about Robert Moses, and Robert Caro’s book was my inspiration, and he came to see it. and he liked it, and I was thrilled.
Author Interview - Dr. Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy | Author I Draw Inspiration From
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Favorite place to read a book:
Liz: Everywhere, subway, garden, in bed. My great fear is being without a book, and I never am.
Andrea: I have a reading chair in my bedroom, and I spent hours there with a cat in my lap.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Liz: Pippi, from Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking. Pippi would entertain me with pirate stories and get us out of there.
Andrea: Elizabeth Bennett in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I want to discuss feminism with her.
Author Interview - Dr. Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
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The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
Liz: Third grade: Ms. Sugarman put a poem I had written on the wall. ,The kids teased that I had the worst handwriting in the class. Ms. Sugarman said, “No Lizzie has imagination.” Something shifted in me that day. And I wrote a book about her Keep Ms. Sugarman in the 4 th Grade.
Andrea: When I wrote my first play in 1973. It was about the revolutionary era – (even before
Hamilton…even though he was a character in my play.). After that, I was hooked on writing.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Liz: All of the above. As I said my great fear is being somewhere without a book. I dislike nothing about any of them. I love my kindle because it has so many different books on
it. I still love hardbacks and paperback. I now listen to audio books when I fall asleep, mostly
celebrity autobiographies. It’s fun to go to sleep with Alan Cumming
Andrea: eBook - because it’s so convenient. I dislike large hardbacks. They are heavy and awkward to read. I do like reading paperbacks, but again not if they are really fat because those fall apart. For really fat books I like my e-reader. Audio books confuse me.
The last book I read:
Liz: The Genius Under the Table: Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain by Eugene Yelchin. I loved Yelchin’s book. It was everything that I love about humor and memoir.
Andrea: The Sisterhood: the Secret History of Women at the CIA: by Eliza Mundy. The book about women in the CIA had interesting material, but it was way too long.
Author Interview - Dr. Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy | The Last Book I Read
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Pen & paper or computer:
Liz: Computer.. I switched to a computer as soon as I could (thanks Radio Shack.). But even with a computer, I still make so many mistakes that I’m grateful to copyeditors.
Andrea: I like to write early drafts on a yellow pad. And then I switch to a computer. I still love to do timelines and outlines on a yellow pad.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Liz: Again, Pippi. I think we’d get out of the elevator. She and I would find the captain, and sail around the world and laugh.
Andrea: I’d go back to Elizabeth Bennett. She’s such a clever, enterprising woman.
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
Liz: Teacher with some of the wonderful teachers, that’s you Emilynn Garrick and Dinah Krosnick, in the teacher’s lounge laughing with me.
Andrea: Opera singer or neurosurgeon. I can’t decide.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
Liz: Ha! I’m a woman in her eighties who never got over the first women’s lib era in the late 1960’s and 70’s s – comfortable shoes (no bra unless I absolutely have to …..and ….a METS shirt.
Andrea: I like the clothes from the 1950’s but I wouldn’t want to have those foundation garments. The clothes from the 1920’s too. I like all those beads.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Liz: I’ve been blessed to go visit kids around the world at International Schools. But I love going to Rome because one of my best friends lives there.
Andrea: South America because I’ve never really traveled there.
My signature drink:
Liz: Coffee in the morning, Wine in the afternoon or early evening.
Andrea: Coffee too in the morning. But a beer in late afternoon.
Favorite artist:
Liz: Elvis, because I saw him live in 1955, and he taught me there was more to life than I knew. Bruce Springsteen because he continues to teach me that’s there is great joy to be had in the world.
Andrea: Mick Jagger, because he’s so meticulous as a performer. And I like the Stones music too.
Number one on my bucket list:
Liz: I guess, Bruce isn’t going to invite me on stage, so I’d like to do another play with Andrea.
Andrea: I’ll drink to that.
Find more from the author:
https://www.facebook.com/elizabethlevybooks/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-balis-8071ba6/
About Dr. Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy:
Author Interview - Dr. Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy
Dr. Andrea Balis is a faculty member in the history department of John Jay College, City University of New York. Her specialization is twentieth century political history. She has also written extensively for the theater, and worked as a director. She is the author of two books for young people, What Are You Using: A Birth Control Guide for Teenagers and a novel, PJ.
Elizabeth Levy is the award-winning author of over 100 fiction and non-fiction books for children and young adults. She is known for the humor and research that she brings to her subjects, from studying stand-up comedy for My Life as A Fifth Grade Comedian, to working with renowned historians for America's Funny but True History and If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution.
Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare. By Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy. Illus. by Tim Foley. Apr. 2024. 240p. Roaring Brook, $20.99 (9781250246813). Gr. 5-8.973.9.
History is stories, these coauthors assert, and theirs is a doozy--the rise and fall of the notorious anti-Communist Republican senator Joe McCarthy. The story begins with the Red Scare of the post-WWII years, proceeds chronologically through the work of the House Un-American I Activities Committee and the presidency of Harry S. Truman, and then focuses on the decade of the 1950s and the insidious work of McCarthy and his assistant, Roy Cohn, who, famously, was later Donald Trumps mentor and lawyer. The account continues to McCarthy's ultimate fall and alcohol-related death. While terrifying at the time, with hindsight, it is possible to see how ridiculous some of the Red Scare efforts were. For example: one Indiana censor called for banning Robin Hood because his robbing the rich to give to the poor sounded too much like communism. The authors tell their fascinating story in an interestingly nontraditional way. Within each bite-size chapter, the chronological narrative is surrounded by numerous, often anecdotal, quotations dubbed "Fly on the wall." The unusual format makes for a fast-paced, even suspenseful read that brings history dramatically alive on the pages, many of which are generously illustrated with Foley's black-and-white sketches. Exceptional. --Michael Cart
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Cart, Michael. "Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 13, 1 Mar. 2024, p. 36. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A786417460/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0d622997. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.
QUOTED: "a scorcher that exposes shameful attitudes, personalities, and events that might seem eerily familiar."
Balis, Andrea WITCH HUNT Roaring Brook Press (Children's None) $20.99 4, 16 ISBN: 9781250246813
A pointed account of a fear-mongering demagogue's quick rise and meteoric fall.
As in this trio's previous collaboration, Bringing Down a President: The Watergate Scandal (2019), this history is written as a playscript, with a cast of dozens of political figures, journalists and other witnesses, and victims and their descendants offering snippets of verbatim testimony with commentary by the omniscient narrator, "Fly on the Wall." Setting them against a backdrop of events of the time, Balis and Levy clearly establish how contemptible the headline-seeking, accusation-flinging Joseph McCarthy ("A pimple on [the] path of progress," as President Eisenhower once put it), and Roy Cohn, his bulldog lawyer, were. The piecemeal narratives also create clear pictures of the course of the Red Scare (and the contemporaneous anti-gay Lavender Scare) and the ugly efforts, led by FBI head J. Edgar Hoover, to insinuate connections between communism and the nascent Civil Rights Movement. In the end, for all the whipped-up fear and grandstanding, as one of Hoover's aides at last admitted, "We didn't have enough evidence to show that there was a single communist in the State Department." The storytelling approach serves as a reminder that history happens to real people in real time. "We want to emphasize," the authors conclude, "that historical witch hunts affect regular people like the ones you know." Final art not seen.
A scorcher that exposes shameful attitudes, personalities, and events that might seem eerily familiar. (author's note, timeline, note on sources, source notes, further reading, image credits, index) (Nonfiction. 11-15)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Balis, Andrea: WITCH HUNT." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A782202694/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=745be7f9. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.
QUOTED: "a fast-paced, even suspenseful read that brings history dramatically alive on the pages."
Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare. By Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy. Illus. by Tim Foley. Apr. 2024. 240p. Roaring Brook, $20.99 (9781250246813). Gr. 5-8.973.9.
History is stories, these coauthors assert, and theirs is a doozy--the rise and fall of the notorious anti-Communist Republican senator Joe McCarthy. The story begins with the Red Scare of the post-WWII years, proceeds chronologically through the work of the House Un-American I Activities Committee and the presidency of Harry S. Truman, and then focuses on the decade of the 1950s and the insidious work of McCarthy and his assistant, Roy Cohn, who, famously, was later Donald Trumps mentor and lawyer. The account continues to McCarthy's ultimate fall and alcohol-related death. While terrifying at the time, with hindsight, it is possible to see how ridiculous some of the Red Scare efforts were. For example: one Indiana censor called for banning Robin Hood because his robbing the rich to give to the poor sounded too much like communism. The authors tell their fascinating story in an interestingly nontraditional way. Within each bite-size chapter, the chronological narrative is surrounded by numerous, often anecdotal, quotations dubbed "Fly on the wall." The unusual format makes for a fast-paced, even suspenseful read that brings history dramatically alive on the pages, many of which are generously illustrated with Foley's black-and-white sketches. Exceptional. --Michael Cart
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Cart, Michael. "Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 13, 1 Mar. 2024, p. 36. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A786417460/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0d622997. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.
QUOTED: "This valuable book reminds us that we can learn from the lessons of history."
Bringing Down a President: The Watergate Scandal.
By Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy. Illus. by Tim Foley.
Aug. 2019. 240p. Roaring Brook, $19.99 (9781250176790). Gr. 7-12.973.924.
With Watergate much in the news of late, the coauthors' reconstruction of the national debacle that resulted in the resignation of then President Richard M. Nixon is both timely and relevant. It is also an absolutely riveting story told pardy in quotations from documented sources and partly in crisply written expository sections called "Fly on the Wall" (as in, "I wish I had been a fly on the wall") that augment and expand the quotations. The lively and informative text is enriched by illustrator Foley's many expert black-and-white pictures that capture the spirit of the words and the character of those involved. Particularly revealing are his portraits of the president and the other principal, larger-than-life players in the drama. Though the scandal sparked a constitutional crisis, it had at least one salutary result: it evidenced, as the authors write, that "nobody is above the law, not even the president ... the country is ruled by laws, not by a king." And yet they caution, "The cynicism and skepticism of our current political culture has its roots in the years of the Nixon scandals." That said, this valuable book reminds us that we can learn from the lessons of history and so avoid reprising the dark days of this national nightmare.--Michael Cart
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Cart, Michael. "Bringing Down a President: The Watergate Scandal." Booklist, vol. 115, no. 21, 1 July 2019, p. 58. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A595705140/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=583957df. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.
QUOTED: "intriguing."
Balis, Andrea BRINGING DOWN A PRESIDENT Roaring Brook (Children's Informational) $19.99 8, 6 ISBN: 978-1-250-17679-0
President Richard Nixon's downfall as a result of the Watergate scandal is vividly recounted in a screenplay-style narrative.
In Balis and Levy's narrative, contextual paragraphs identified as "Fly on the Wall" are separated from direct quotes taken from Nixon, his administration, the Watergate burglars, reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, and members of Congress. The purpose of choosing this narrative format is never explained, nor is it readily apparent. Many of Nixon's lines and those of his staff come from transcribed Oval Office recordings. It's inventive all right, but there are some odd inclusions. Is it necessary to know that Howard Hunt urinated in a whiskey bottle while hiding in a closet? What use is it to know what John Dean's wife wore on each day during his weeklong testimony before Congress? Why do the authors need to identify who ate what when Nixon, John Mitchell, and Bob Haldeman met for lunch? Perhaps worse are the exclusions. In recounting Nixon's political career, the authors note he made a name for himself "fighting communists with Senator Joe McCarthy," but there is no explanation of how fraudulent and destructive McCarthy's anti-communist crusade was, nor that it was specifically Nixon's role in the Alger Hiss trial that got him noticed. In lieu of photographs and archival material are Foley's interpretive black-and-white illustrations, which bring a graphic-novel-esque flair to the design.
An intriguing but flawed attempt at narrative innovation. (timeline, source notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Balis, Andrea: BRINGING DOWN A PRESIDENT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A587054368/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8669b1a9. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.
QUOTED: "This compelling volume on mid-20th-century American politics is a must for research students and history buffs alike."
BAUS, Andrea & Elizabeth Levy. Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare. illus. by Tim Foley. 240p. Roaring Brook. Apr. 2024. Tr $20.99. ISBN 9781250246813.
Gr 5 Up--A fascinating, if not always cohesive, accounting of Senator Joe McCarthy's rise to power and public downfall during the Cold War. The creators of Bringing Down a President present another dark period in U.S. history. A bombastic politician, McCarthy wielded immense influence following WWII as suspicion of the USSR's infiltration into all facets of American life overran the country. He was the face of the Red Scare and incited the government to rout out any person suspected of Communist leanings. This persecution resulted in the loss of reputations, careers, and lives of many, including Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed for treason. This riveting narrative brings history to spine-chilling life in a way that is scarily relevant today. The team showcases the history in a screenplay format, with most of the factual events shared through a question-and-answer layout. The responses are revealed via a theoretical "Fly on the Wall." This structure is confusing and superfluous, though some reluctant readers may find it engaging. Foley's pencil-like drawings are scattered throughout and add interest, giving readers an idea of what these historical figures looked like. Students will acquire a deeper knowledge of people like President Dwight D. Eisenhower and FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. They'll also meet Roy Cohn, McCarthy's henchman, and Joseph Welch, the lawyer who finally brought McCarthy to justice. Back matter includes a time line, extensive source notes, and a plentiful further reading list. VERDICT Despite the confusing format, this compelling volume on mid-20th-century American politics is a must for research students and history buffs alike.--Shelley M. Diaz
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Diaz, Shelley M. "BAUS, Andrea & Elizabeth Levy. Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare." School Library Journal, vol. 70, no. 4, Apr. 2024, p. 145. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A790645177/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=44ea3010. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.