Pete Seeger vs. The Un-Americans: A Tale of the Blacklist

by Edward Renehan

"Edward Renehan does a great job of shining a light into this dark episode of American history." - BILLY BRAGG

Blacklists. Political witch-hunts. Congressional inquisitions. Loyalty oaths. And one brave banjo-wielding patriot willing to risk prison and professional ruin rather than acquiesce ...

"Pete [was] blacklisted during the McCarthy era and had a hard time, but he never stopped." - BOB DYLAN

"I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs ... or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked ...." - PETE SEEGER, testifying before the House Select Committee on Un-American Activities, August 1955


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
EDWARD RENEHAN serves as managing director of New Street Communications, LLC. He is the author of many books including THE SECRET SIX (Crown), THE LION'S PRIDE (Oxford University Press), THE KENNEDYS AT WAR (Doubleday) and DARK GENIUS OF WALL STREET (Basic Books). His articles and essays have appeared in THE SAN FRANCISO CHRONICLE, Hearst's VERANDA and THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. He was close friends with Toshi and Pete Seeger for more than 40 years.

Genres: History, Music

124 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2014

About the author

Greetings:

I've authored a number of critically praised books published by such houses as Doubleday, Crown, Basic, Oxford University Press, and the University of Michigan Press. My works have ranged across biography and history (with a particular though not exclusive interest in business biography/history) and literary studies. Several have been translated into Russian, Japanese, and Chinese. I am also an extensively published ghostwriter of business books, entrepreneurial autobiographies, books on digital technology and related issues, and numerous op-eds and other opinion pieces.

I am in the 41st year of a publishing career which has included stints at St. Martin's Press and Macmillan/Newbridge. I served seven years as Director of Computer Publishing Programs at the latter establishment.

I founded my own digital-native imprint (New Street Communications, LLC) in 2010, doing e-books as well as paper and audio editions. We publish across a number of topic categories and disciplines, working with authors spanning from Europe to LA, and have lately made something of a specialty of audiobooks. We are located in the waterfront village of Wickford, in southern Rhode Island.

Reviews

[Larry Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is as the old phrase goes short and sweet! It has a bit of a extended focus for a short book on Pete’s experience with the HUAC when he refused to name names and did not assert his fifth amendment rights But simply took the position that his first amendment rights ruled his conduct.

Pete was a hero to many including myself. His brush with the fifth amendment it’s some thing I take close to heart. The US government took me to federal court in 1985 as a result of my war tax resistance and my refusal to divulge the location of my assets to the IRS so they could collect them. In my case the judge asserted my fifth amendment rights and I did not actually have to assert them myself. So I can only wonder if I might have followed In the path of Mr. Seeger if the judge had not intervened.

This very short book is written by a friend an admirer and it is filled with appreciation and some humor. It is enjoyable to listen to.

[Alan Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should preface this by saying that I know the author and I knew Pete Seeger personally, That said, I find this little volume to be a remarkable story of courage, perseverance, and integrity. It truly captures what it means to be an American and one man's insistence on exercising his rights in the face of persecution and hardship. There are many lessons to be taken from this.

[George Heidemark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good but short read about the activist musician Pete Seeger and his testimony before HUAC. The author knew Seeger and he gives an intriguing description of him. If you like music, politics and history this is for you. The book does a great job of capturing a dark and paranoid period in U.S. History and tells how a man of principle resisted fascist forces out to crush and blacklist him.

[Msjodi777 · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I liked listening to it, it is very dry, and finally just put me to sleep. It never ceases to amaze me that people can do so much to try to hurt other people, especially when half of it is either a lie or just plain stupid. Yes, Mr. Seeger joined the communist party when he was very young, but he never tried to overthrow the government, he was just interested in bringing about civil rights to all people in the US, and a living wage to those who were being kept on the fringes of society because they couldn’t make a living wage. Not only that but others were paid to lie about the things that he supposedly did and said. Now that is just wrong. It was an interesting book - sorta, but could have been done much better. It was more like an extended documentary without any pictures to keep things going.