American Scare - by Robert W Fieseler (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"American Scare is an important history of how Black activists and gay teachers were targeted by a legislative inquest in Florida in the late 1950s. But it's also something more: The story of how this history was recovered and revealed after authorities tried to hide it. An important, riveting book both for those who value history and for those who want to understand the process by which history is preserved--and the ways the past impacts the present."
--Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Code Breaker and Elon Musk, professor of history at Tulane University, and recipient of the National Humanities Medal

"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 a historian's rigor and a novelist's mastery of story, Robert W. Fieseler uncovers a harrowing, hidden chapter of American history--exposing the machinery of fear, repression, and resistance in Cold War Florida. American Scare unmasks the full scale of state-sanctioned persecution of Black and queer lives while celebrating the courage of those who refused to be silenced. Amid a 21st-century effort to erase our history and return us to the horrific politics of this era, Fieseler delivers an essential and unshakable reminder of the past's grip on our present. This book is historical nonfiction at its finest: urgent, unflinching, and impossible to put down."
--Eric Cervini, New York Times bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Deviant's War

"In an age of new and virulent attacks on queer citizens and people of color, Robert W. Fieseler's American Scare: Florida's Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives - an inquisition into the Florida witch hunts in the 1950s and 60s - is imperative reading. Half civil rights history, half investigative reporting, the story features purloined government documents exposing massive abuses of state power. Fieseler's illuminating critique of the devastating intentions of the Florida Johns Committee is a thrilling read. We need this book now more than ever."
--Michael Bronski, Stonewall Book Award winning author of A Queer History of the United States

"Who are we now--and how did we get here? The origins of our fascist moment, defined by racism, homophobia, and the war against freedom, are brilliantly presented in American Scare. Profoundly researched, filled with moving personal details regarding the people Florida silenced, this most important book will inspire us all to rebuild the democracy we worked so hard to create. A splendid history--Robert Fieseler has gifted us with a powerful call to action."
--Blanche Wiesen Cook, recipient of the Bill Whitehead Award and author of the LA Times Book Prize winner Eleanor Roosevelt

"In American Scare, Robert Fieseler uncovers a chilling, long-buried history of white politicians colluding to silence Black civil rights activists and queer educators. Through meticulous archival research, Fieseler exposes the deep roots of oppression that continue to shape today's political landscape. Urgent and revelatory, this book is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand the intersections of race, sexuality, and power in America."
--E. Patrick Johnson, author of the Stonewall Honor Book Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South

"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

"Robert Fieseler's American Scare is a gripping, and deeply researched account of Florida's hidden assault on Black and queer lives during the Cold War--a history that power tried to erase but refused to stay buried. With the sharp eye of an investigator and the skill of a storyteller, Fieseler uncovers long-lost records that reveal a decades-long campaign of surveillance, persecution, and repression against those who dared to live freely in the Sunshine State. At a time when history is being censored and distorted, American Scare brings the past into focus. This book is a necessary read for anyone who wants to understand the roots of today's battles over race, gender, sexuality, and power."
--Tourmaline, artist, filmmaker, activist, and author of Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson

"All readers, in every state, have a right to this masterwork of journalism."
--Booklist, starred review

"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, starred review

About the Author

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.