First published 2025
The year is 1938, and Martin Dies has found his weapon. The Texas congressman chairs the newly formed House Un-American Activities Committee, and he sees opportunity in the Federal Theatre Project. Roosevelt's program employs thousands of artists across America, staging productions that tackle racism and fascism head-on. Dies watches Orson Welles direct his debut production. He sees modern dance programs draw crowds. He witnesses theater that tells uncomfortable truths about inequality. Then Dies strikes. He brands the entire program communist, feeding newspapers sensational stories and stoking public fears. His attacks grow bolder as he perfects a new kind of political warfare built on misinformation and manufactured outrage. The Federal Theatre Project becomes his proving ground for tactics that will echo through decades of American politics. Dies discovers that destroying art and artists can build careers, and fear sells better than truth.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, political-thriller
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers
Setting: America, Texas
Period: 1938
384 pages · Paperback · Faber & Faber