American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives

Edgar winner Fieseler (Tinderbox) uncovers a mostly forgotten plot by Florida’s government to terrorize its minority residents in this harrowing history. Drawing from a trove of secret documents given to him by whistleblower Bonnie Stark, Fieseler recounts a racist and homophobic mid-century witch hunt waged by the state against its own citizens. In 1956, state senator Charley Johns launched the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee as a local version of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Using the pursuit of communists as cover, Johns hunted down gay Floridians and members of the NAACP, who were then tried in inquisition-style hearings for subversive activities and “crimes against nature.” It took nine years and nearly half a million taxpayer dollars before the committee was disbanded, with only a single conviction (for adultery) to its name. In its wake, the committee left a wreckage of lost careers and ruined lives, with teachers fired, scholars harassed, and hundreds of college students harangued (and some expelled). 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. Photos. Agent: Peter Steinberg, UTA. (June)