Better Dead Than Red

Book excerpt: A nostalgic look at the golden years of Russiaphobia, red-baiting, and other Commie madness. Both amusing and a sobering reminder of the way we were, this book showcases America reveling in the golden age of Russiaphobia, an age in which our patriotic passions -- and naivet} -- were never stronger. But a unique kind of national fear also ran high -- in ways that now seem nearly unbelievable, but which forever altered attitudes and lives. An enlightening, startling, and often hilarious selection of the day's magazines, editorials, films, ads, paperback novels, comic books, TV shows, and even bubble gum cards, exemplifying America's xenophobia at its greatest excess.