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Florida's Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives
by Robert W. Fieseler
A vital exposé for both our history and our present day, American Scare tells the riveting story of how the Florida government destroyed the lives of Black and queer citizens in the twentieth century.
In January 1959, Art Copleston was escorted out of his college accounting class by three police officers. In a motel room, blinds drawn, he sat in front of a state senator and the legal counsel for the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, nicknamed the "Johns Committee." His crime? Being a suspected homosexual. And the government of Florida would use any tactic at their disposal—legal or not—to get Copleston to admit it.
Using a secret trove of primary source documents that have been decoded and de-censored for the first time in history, journalist Robert Fieseler unravels the mystery of what actually happened behind the closed doors of an inquisition that held ordinary citizens ransom to its extraordinary powers.
The state of Florida would prefer that this history remain buried. But for nearly a decade, the Florida Legislature founded, funded, and supported the Johns Committee—an organization using the cover of communism to viciously attack members of the NAACP and queer professors and students. Spearheaded by Charley Johns, a multi-term politician in a gerrymandered legislature, the Committee was determined to eliminate any threats to the state's white, conservative regime.
Fieseler describes the heartbreaking ramifications for citizens of Florida whose lives were imperiled, profiling marginalized residents with compassion and a determination to bring their devasting experiences to light at last. A propulsive, human-centered drama, with fascinating insight into Florida politics, American Scare is a page-turning reckoning of our racist and homophobic past—and its chilling parallels to today.
"Drawing from a trove of secret documents…Fieseler's dogged reporting and narrative gifts make the history as gripping as it is frightening. This timely account of political power run amok is not to be missed." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Fieseler's vital account shines a light on the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee...An essential work of recovering queer history." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"All readers, in every state, have a right to this masterwork of journalism." —Booklist (starred review)
"American Scare is a fierce and chilling book, deeply reported and deftly written. Fieseler shines a bright light on injustices past and present, bringing a censored saga to life." —Jonathan Eig, author of the Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times bestseller King: A Life
"With eye-popping detail, American Scare shines a much-needed light on the notorious Johns Committee and its extralegal assault on civil rights activists and the gay community in 1950s and 1960s Florida. Robert Fieseler is to be commended for bringing this remarkable story—and that of the courageous Black, white, and LGBT Floridians who fought back—out into the open once and for all." —Scott Ellsworth, author of the National Book Award longlister The Ground Breaking
This information about American Scare was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Robert W. Fieseler is a journalist investigating marginalized groups and a scholar excavating forgotten histories. A National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Journalist of the Year and recipient of the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship, his debut book Tinderbox won seven awards, including the Edgar Award, and his reporting has appeared in Slate, Commonweal, and River Teeth, among others. Fieseler graduated co-valedictorian from the Columbia Journalism School and is pursuing a PhD at Tulane University as a Mellon Fellow. He lives with his husband on the gayest street in New Orleans.
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