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American Scare: Florida's Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives

Fieseler, Robert W.

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A vital exposé for both our history and our present day, American Scare tells the riveting story of how the Florida government destroyed the lives of Black and queer citizens in the twentieth century.

In January 1959, Art Copleston was escorted out of his college accounting class by three police officers. In a motel room, blinds drawn, he sat in front of a state senator and the legal counsel for the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, nicknamed the "Johns Committee." His crime? Being a suspected homosexual. And the government of Florida would use any tactic at their disposal--legal or not--to get Copleston to admit it.

Using a secret trove of primary source documents that have been decoded and de-censored for the first time in history, journalist Robert Fieseler unravels the mystery of what actually happened behind the closed doors of an inquisition that held ordinary citizens ransom to its extraordinary powers.

The state of Florida would prefer that this history remain buried. But for nearly a decade, the Florida Legislature founded, funded, and supported the Johns Committee--an organization using the cover of communism to viciously attack members of the NAACP and queer professors and students. Spearheaded by Charley Johns, a multi-term politician in a gerrymandered legislature, the Committee was determined to eliminate any threats to the state's white, conservative regime.

Fieseler describes the heartbreaking ramifications for citizens of Florida whose lives were imperiled, profiling marginalized residents with compassion and a determination to bring their devasting experiences to light at last. A propulsive, human-centered drama, with fascinating insight into Florida politics, American Scare is a page-turning reckoning of our racist and homophobic past--and its chilling parallels to today.

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Publisher

DUTTON BOOKS

Bisac Major Subject

True Crime

Binding Type

Hardcover

Country Of Origin

Number Of Units

Length

9.0 Inches

Barcode Indicator

EAN

Width

6.3 Inches

Publication Date

2025-06-17

Height

1.7 Inches

ISBN 10

0593183959

Weight

1.55 Pounds

Book EAN

9780593183953

Target Audiance

Adults

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American Scare: Florida's Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives