Out of Step: An Unquiet Life in the 20th Century

One of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century details the events of his career and describes meetings with people who have shaped the philosophical and political character of recent history

In this lengthy, eventful and intellectual autobiography, Hook charts his conversion from communist fellow-traveler to outspoken anti-Marxist and opponent of Soviet expansionism. He blasts Irving Howe and other liberals who, he charges, have concealed their leftist pasts. Calling his own early socialism a substitute for religion, the academic philosopher recalls how Earl Browder, head of the U.S. Communist Party, tried to enlist him as a spy. His firsthand impressions of key figures in the Alger Hiss case will undoubtedly stir controversy. Hook's running debate on world politics with Albert Einstein is recreated here in an exchange of letters. His battles with Sartre, Brecht, Edmund Wilson and Erich Fromm are relived blow by blow. Hook's stated belief that the U.S.S.R. is responsible for starting and sustaining the Cold War is reflected on every page.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Here is a candid and personal portrait of 20th-century intellectual life as told by one of its most outspoken and influential thinkers. Reflecting back on a long career of scholarship, philosopher Hook chronicles the political and intellectual upheavals of the Great Depression, the Second World War, the spread of world communism, and the disillusionment of the Vietnam era, as well as discussing important issues facing us today. The book is also a personal account of his own transformation from devout believer to passionate opponent of communism. His reminiscences about major thinkers he has knownJohn Dewey, Bertrand Russell, M. J. Adler, Einstein, and Sartre among othersare always revealing and make fascinating reading. Highly recommended. Raymond Frey, Drew Univ . Lib., Madison, N.J.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.