The Troubled Air A Novel edition by Irwin Shaw Literature Fiction eBooks
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New York Times Bestseller A provocative novel about one man’s struggle with courage and his conscience at the height of McCarthyism.
Clement Archer, head of a popular radio show, faces a profound dilemma Five of his employees stand accused of being communists, and a magazine threatens disclosure unless Archer fires each and every one. Despite his efforts to meet his own moral standards and avoid self-incrimination, Archer finds himself hounded from both ends of the political spectrum for his seemingly righteous actions.
The Troubled Air, Irwin Shaw’s second novel, was published immediately before the author moved to Europe, where he lived for the next twenty-five years. The story remains a powerful portrayal of a good, decent man ensnared by the hysteria and cruelty of a dark period in American history.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Irwin Shaw including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.
The Troubled Air A Novel edition by Irwin Shaw Literature Fiction eBooks
In the 1950s, the U.S. was reeling under the onslaught of Senator Joseph ‘Tail Gunner Joe’ McCarthy’s ‘lists’ of communists and communist sympathizers in government, and the entertainment industry maintained blacklists of artists and executives suspected of being fellow travelers. Many people, on the basis of nothing more than accusations, were deprived of their livelihoods or driven to exile or suicide.In this troubled time, Clement Archer was the director of a popular radio show. His producer ordered him to fire five of his top performers because of a threat by a right-wing rag to publish the allegations if they were not dismissed. Archer finds himself caught between the practical path—obey and keep his job—and following his core beliefs of fairness and justice.
The Troubled Air by the late Irwin Shaw follows Archer on his torturous journey of self-discovery and confrontation, showing how cowardice can lead to betrayal, and how a determined few can intimidate the multitudes through bullying, lying, and coercion. Though fiction, it contains more than a grain of truth, and is worthwhile reading in our currently polarized political climate.
Shaw writes with the knowledge of someone who experienced the travails of the ‘Red Scare’ years. Falsely accused of being a member of the Communist Party in 1951, Shaw left his native land and lived abroad until his death in the 1980s. Unlike many victims of the witch hunts of the era, he was able at least to rebuild his career, going on to produce many outstanding works.
Anyone who wants to understand the human cost of political intimidation should read this book.
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The Troubled Air A Novel edition by Irwin Shaw Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
This is more for the fan of radio theater and the late Himan Brown producer of CBS Radio Mystery Theater (1974 to 1982) as well as earlier radio days. If you like Mad Men, you'll love the setting of this story because it takes place in NYC just after WWII. Its POV is in third person and Shaw is evidently very attentive to a characters thoughts and solely descriptive of action and places. The theme is Isben like where the producer, Archer Clement who is totally the main guy from Mad Men, faces a career ostracization when he supports his cast and crew in light of McCarthyism at the beginning of the Cold War, and struggles with it as the effects threatens his work and family life. I love the nostalgia of New York and getting some of the insights to the radio theater production, especially the music end. Shaw has all the elements of a catastrophe but turns the ending into a somber one.
Great
This is the first Irwin Shaw novel I have read, and I was bowled over by the strength of the writing. Shaw is a master of plot development and characterization. At times, I winced at the main character's misogyny; but sadly, it reflected how this was considered acceptable in 1951, when the book was published. Otherwise, it was a thoroughly engrossing read with several memorable scenes and characters.
Shaw reminds us of what can happen when demagogues come to power. I am old enough to remember having professors hauled before the House on Un-American Activities because they encouraged students to think and speak freely. "McCarthyism" is still alive and well today--it can be found on both the right and the left. As a political reminder, I would rate the book a 4. As a literary work--a 3. My basic criticism is I thought it began to lag towards the end. It made an otherwise strong work a bit less satisfying.
This fine novel, despite its numerous proof-reading typographical errors, unveils a troubling aspect of our recent history that I guess I knew existed, but to which I had never given a second thought.
Irwin Shaw does a masterful job, as usual, in bringing characters to life, exposing their (and our) strengths and weaknesses, and keeping the story moving just fast enough to make page turning a pleasant endeavor.
I would have liked a storybook ending, but the one he gave us more nearly fits the history he unveils.
I am in the process of studying Irwin Shaw as well as reading his works. One of the pleasures of studying an author is discovering little known works (at least to me!) that are really good reads and very thought provoking. The Troubled Air is a perfect example of this. This book is very readable. There were times I did not want to put it down. It has a semi autobiographical aspect to it, as many really good novels do. I think there are various aspects of Irwin Shaw in various characters. This novel concerns "blacklisting", a situation very common and troubling in the United States after World War II. Irwin Shaw was blacklisted. Irwin Shaw had previously written numerous works, including a very interesting anti war play in the 1930s called "Bury The Dead". Mr. Shaw subsequently served in the Army in World War II and then wrote a novel called "The Young Lions". The Troubled Air is his second novel as far as I know. Mr. Shaw's first two novels seem to suggest a prevailing point of view, but include some ambivalence and equivocation that I think are part of real life. As such, I find his work very appealing, realistic, and thought provoking. People love spouses, yet still have feelings for others. People can be moral, yet make compromises for practical reasons. All in all, I find Irwin Shaw's work to be an interesting mix of readability and questioning. As far as I am concerned, Mr. Shaw is a thinking man's author with a popular style.
In the 1950s, the U.S. was reeling under the onslaught of Senator Joseph ‘Tail Gunner Joe’ McCarthy’s ‘lists’ of communists and communist sympathizers in government, and the entertainment industry maintained blacklists of artists and executives suspected of being fellow travelers. Many people, on the basis of nothing more than accusations, were deprived of their livelihoods or driven to exile or suicide.
In this troubled time, Clement Archer was the director of a popular radio show. His producer ordered him to fire five of his top performers because of a threat by a right-wing rag to publish the allegations if they were not dismissed. Archer finds himself caught between the practical path—obey and keep his job—and following his core beliefs of fairness and justice.
The Troubled Air by the late Irwin Shaw follows Archer on his torturous journey of self-discovery and confrontation, showing how cowardice can lead to betrayal, and how a determined few can intimidate the multitudes through bullying, lying, and coercion. Though fiction, it contains more than a grain of truth, and is worthwhile reading in our currently polarized political climate.
Shaw writes with the knowledge of someone who experienced the travails of the ‘Red Scare’ years. Falsely accused of being a member of the Communist Party in 1951, Shaw left his native land and lived abroad until his death in the 1980s. Unlike many victims of the witch hunts of the era, he was able at least to rebuild his career, going on to produce many outstanding works.
Anyone who wants to understand the human cost of political intimidation should read this book.
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