Hard Right: The Rise of Jesse Helms

Chief of the Baltimore Sun's Washington bureau, Furgurson bases his revelatory biography on sound research into Senator Helms's background. The author talked to people who knew Helms in Monroe, N.C., where he was born in 1921 and grew up reportedly a real go-getter. Writing opinion columns geared to special interests was a step on the way to the Senate and his intransigent rightist position of phenomenal influence, according to Furgurson. He writes about Helms's stance on civil rights and other controversial matters, the strong support he receives from the Rev. Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority and big business. There is much vital information in this book that should be read by liberals and conservatives alike, since Helms may become head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (October 21)