A narrative history of the John Birch Society by a daughter of one
of the infamous ultraconservative organization's founding fathers.
Named a best nonfiction book of 2013 by "Kirkus Reviews" and the
"Tampa Bay Times"
Long before the rise of the Tea Party movement and the prominence
of today's religious Right, the John Birch Society, first
established in 1958, championed many of the same radical causes
touted by ultraconservatives today, including campaigns against
abortion rights, gay rights, gun control, labor unions,
environmental protections, immigrant rights, social and welfare
programs, the United Nations, and even water fluoridation.
Worshipping its anti-Communist hero Joe McCarthy, the Birch
Society is perhaps most notorious for its red-baiting and for
accusing top politicians, including President Dwight Eisenhower, of
being Communist sympathizers. It also labeled John F. Kennedy a
traitor and actively worked to unseat him. The Birch Society
boasted a number of notable members, including Fred Koch, father of
Charles and David Koch, who are using their father's billions to
bankroll fundamentalist and right-wing movements today.
The daughter of one of the society's first members and a national
spokesman about the society, Claire Conner grew up surrounded by
dedicated Birchers and was expected to abide by and espouse Birch
ideals. When her parents forced her to join the society at age
thirteen, she became its youngest member of the society. From an
even younger age though, Conner was pressed into service for the
cause her father and mother gave their lives to: the nurturing and
growth of the JBS. She was expected to bring home her textbooks for
close examination (her mother found traces of Communist influence
even in the Catholic school curriculum), to write letters against
"socialized medicine" after school, to attend her father's fiery
speeches against the United Nations, or babysit her siblings while
her parents held meetings in the living room to recruit members to
fight the war on Christmas or (potentially poisonous) water
fluoridation. Conner was "on deck" to lend a hand when JBS notables
visited, including founder Robert Welch, notorious Holocaust denier
Revilo Oliver, and white supremacist Thomas Stockheimer. Even when
she was old enough to quit in disgust over the actions of those
men, Conner found herself sucked into campaigns against abortion
rights and for ultraconservative presidential candidates like John
Schmitz. It took momentous changes in her own life for Conner to
finally free herself of the legacy of the John Birch Society in
which she was raised.
In "Wrapped in the Flag," Claire Conner offers an intimate account
of the society --based on JBS records and documents, on her
parents' files and personal writing, on historical archives and
contemporary accounts, and on firsthand knowledge--giving us an
inside look at one of the most radical right-wing movements in US
history and its lasting effects on our political discourse today.
"From the Hardcover edition."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
