James Cross Giblin's distinguished nonfiction for young readers includes the Sibert Medal-winning biography The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler. In one of many starred reviews, SLJ said, "It takes courage to write fairly about the person who perpetuated almost certainly the most suffering and misery in the 20th century, and Giblin accepts this mantle and bears it nobly." Add "in America" and the same might be said of this authoritaive, thoughtful, and mesmerizing biography of Senator Joseph McCarthy, who fomented and exploited anti-communist fear and hysteria in this country during the 1940s and 1950s. With his trademark thoroughness and clarity, Giblin traces McCarthy's life and career. The same qualities that made McCarthy a good poker player made him a formidable political adversary; he rose through an astounding series of maneuvers to become a powerful figure who to a great extent ran the U.S. government until his opponents were sufficiently outraged to bring him down. The kind of guilt-by-association, bully tactics that were his trademark are still called by his name, McCarthyism.

Not a likeable or admirable man, he is a fascinating study in the accumulation and abuse of power, and he emerges as a flawed but all too human being. Mc Carthy's ascendancy and eventual disgrace are narrated against a lively backdrop of national and world events: the Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, power shifts in China, Korea, and the Soviet Union, the arms race, and several presidential administrations. Giblin expertly guides the reader through a mass of information, providing the clear context young readers will need in order to understand McCarthy's story. Illustrated with photographs, editorial cartoons, and other archival material, thoroughly researched and carefully documented, The Rise and Fall of Senator Joe McCarthy explores one of the most controversial figures on our history, a man whose influence many people see in political events in our nation today. It offers insight into how our government works, both in the public eye and behind the scenes, and the consequences that ensue when it doesn't work.