Gossip Men

“A juicy introduction to three of the most controversial figures in 20th-century American politics. . . . Well-researched and stimulating. . . Elias vividly describes the era’s political battles, tabloid magazines, and dramatic Senate hearings, and persuasively identifies the influence of the 'surveillance state masculinity' embodied by his three subjects on the political rise of Donald Trump.” * Publishers Weekly *
“A perceptive, well-informed political and cultural history. . . . Elias makes a stimulating book debut with interwoven biographies of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy, and lawyer Roy Cohn.” * Kirkus Reviews *
"Informative, entertaining. . . An important, novel history text." * Foreword Reviews *
“This finely crafted book, based on meticulous use of archival records, satisfies on many levels and sheds light on often overlooked history. . . . Elias adeptly details the Lavender Scare of the mid-20th century, and the lasting impact of the use of fabrication and hyperbole.” * Library Journal (starred review) *
“Elias brings fresh detail to how the trio worked together in pursuit of common enemies, and he persuasively argues that McCarthy’s death from alcoholism, at age 47 in 1957, failed to slow the Communist witch hunt he had done so much to foster. He also explores why the cross-dressing rumors about Hoover remain so much a part of his legacy (Elias skillfully skewers the more outlandish tales of Hoover being dressed “like an old flapper” at the Plaza and having the Bible read to him by a young man while another, wearing rubber gloves … well, let’s stop there) and deftly illustrates how the playbook these three men developed came to be used so devilishly by Cohn’s onetime client—the 45th president of the United States. Gossip Men manages the neat trick of portraying three monsters in ways that induce as much pity as fury." * Air Mail *
"The writing is crisp and intelligent. . . Elias has written a sociological thesis, dense with information, extensively footnoted, and carefully hewing to the facts." * The Gay & Lesbian Review *
“This may be a case of scholarship catching up with James Ellroy, whose novel American Tabloid pursued that thesis with all due imaginative embellishment.” * Inside Higher Education *
"This engrossing work blends the best of standard political history with superb cultural analysis. . . . Recommended." * Choice *
“A masterful interpretation of the politics of the early Cold War." * Commonweal *
“Gossip Men is a fast-paced and absorbing account of how the men who were most vulnerable to gossip about their sexuality—Joseph McCarthy, Roy Cohn, and J. Edgar Hoover—rose to power by mastering the art of masculine performance. As the United States struggles once again with the perils of political manhood, Elias reminds us that alpha-male conservatism was born in a Cold War information economy where gossip, rumor, and innuendo were weapons—but also assets to a career.” * Claire Potter, The New School for Social Research *
“Gossip Men is a terrific book about a trio of fascinating (if not necessarily terrific) political men. Hoover, McCarthy, and Cohn helped to create the modern security state. As this book shows, they also helped to create—and were created by—fierce public and private contests over masculinity, sexuality, and secrecy. Gossip Men is an important cultural history and a thoroughly engaging read.” * Beverly Gage, Yale University *
“Gossip Men is compellingly written and fun to read from beginning to end. Elias tracks the emergence of surveillance state masculinity and highlights the role of the gossip industry in its creation and reproduction in a novel way, excellently integrating biography, media studies, and history.” * Shanon Fitzpatrick, McGill University *
"For those who want a deeper understanding of the underlying cultural force influencing the work and actions of Federal Bureau of Investigation director J. Edgar Hoover, Senator Joseph McCarthy, and his aide, Roy Cohn, this fine book is a must-read. In a sophisticated analysis, Christopher M. Elias focuses on changing understandings of manhood and their intersection with the rising power of gossip from the turn of the nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century." * Journal of American History *