A review by gannent
Gossip Men: J. Edgar Hoover, Joe McCarthy, Roy Cohn, and the Politics of Insinuation by Christopher M. Elias

informative medium-paced

5.0

I was super excited to read this book, and it turned out just about as interesting as I’d hoped it would be. Really fascinating analysis of the three men and how they used masculinity and gossip to further their own careers and amass power. The author connects it to Trump in the epilogue, but to me the 2023 connector is in the anti-trans, anti-gay “groomer” gossip and smears. Unfortunately much of the analysis is very relevant.