Jane S. Smith and Kevin Boyle: "A Blacklist Education..."

Bookends & Beginnings is pleased to present an evening with Jane S. Smith in conversation with Kevin Boyle on Jane's new book, "A Blacklist Education: American History, a Family Mystery, and a Teacher Under Fire." The event will take place from 6:00 to 7:00 PM on October 8th, followed by a book signing.

A mysterious file of family papers triggers a journey through the dark days of political purges in the 1950s. Jane S. Smith tells the story of the anticommunist witch hunt that sent shockwaves through New York City's public schools when more than a thousand teachers were targeted by Board of Education investigators--including her own father.

Jane S. Smith writes about the intersection of science, business, popular taste, and social history. She received her B.A. from Simmons College and her Ph.D. from Yale University and has taught at Northwestern University on topics ranging from twentieth century fiction to the history of public health. She lives in Chicago, where she works in a very small room with a very large window.

Kevin Boyle is a historian of the twentieth century United States, with a particular interest in modern American social movements. His most recent book is "The Shattering: American in the 1960s," a narrative history of the decade whose conflicts shattered America’s postwar order and divide us still. He is the department chair of American History at Northwestern University.

The discussion and Q&A will take place downstairs at Bookends & Beginnings and will be followed by a book signing. Doors and the MiniBar will open at 5:00 PM for this event.

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