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Witness
Witness has changed the lives of countless readers since it was first published in 1952. This 50th Anniversary Edition recounts Whittaker Chambers' early work with the Communist Party, his later renunciation of communism, and the astounding Hiss-Chambers spy trial in a book that packs the emotional wallop-and literary power-of a classic Russian novel.
Paperback, 808 pages
Published
August 1st 1987
by Regnery Publishing
(first published 1952)
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Witness, which treats the truth like a part-time mistress, is a masterpiece of evasion and embellishment, a perfect portrait of neurosis, and at the same time a hyperarticulate tale of religious conversion and helpless do-gooding. I suspect that some on the left still bother to revile Whitaker Chambers because they see him as a patsy for the Nixons and McCarthys of the world, an opportunistic imprisoner of innocents, and neglect the vortex of self-doubt and mystery that remains at the center of ...more
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Perhaps the greatest work of political biography of the 20th century. Chambers spent many years in the Communist underground in Baltimore, supporting a cell of spies and subversives. Eventually he came to the Cross and escaped the despair of the Communist enterprise. His testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities exposed the depth of the Communist penetration of American institutions, and led eventually to the perjury conviction of Alger Hiss, then a respected diplomat, once ...more
If you hate politics, if you loathe old Cold War battles, if you have no interest in any of such things, you should still pick up this book. It is more eloquent and moving than anything you will ever read on the subject. And if you still do not believe me, then pick it up, and read the chapter entitled "The Child."
My wife ran over to me, took my hands, and burst into tears. ‘Dear heart,’ she said in a pleading voice, ‘we couldn’t do that awful thing to a little baby, not to...more
My wife ran over to me, took my hands, and burst into tears. ‘Dear heart,’ she said in a pleading voice, ‘we couldn’t do that awful thing to a little baby, not to...more
I usually do not finish an 800-page book and wish it were longer. I usually don't even read 800-page books (especially these days!), but I devoured Witness. I've heard that some conservatives have found Witness very influential in the development of their own beliefs, and it articulately and persuasively denounces Communism -- just as important, though, it's also a fascinating read. (World magazine put it in its top 10 most influential books of the 20th century re: Christian worldview.)
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the most poetic, eloquent and compelling book i've ever read. a must read. a narrative on human nature, strength, weakness, vulnerability, and what may or may not be inevitable. but also exciting. a biography written in the first-person by a man of incredible humility, wisdom, compassion and love for his family, mankind and the world. i am lucky to have read this book. it's not religious at all but for me a religious experience no doubt. eye-opening. and i'm not easily stirred. can't recommend e...more
WITNESS. (1952; this ed. 2002). Whittaker Chambers. ****.
This was very definitely a book of its time. When I first read it about thirty years ago, the events were relatively recent and all the characters – at least most of them – were still fresh in my mind. Chabers claim to fame, at least to most people who remember him, was as a key witness in the trial of Alger Hiss, ultimately helping to convict Hiss of espionage against the U.S. Chambers himself joined the Communist Party in ab...more
This was very definitely a book of its time. When I first read it about thirty years ago, the events were relatively recent and all the characters – at least most of them – were still fresh in my mind. Chabers claim to fame, at least to most people who remember him, was as a key witness in the trial of Alger Hiss, ultimately helping to convict Hiss of espionage against the U.S. Chambers himself joined the Communist Party in ab...more
This is the story surrounding the Communist trials in the 1930's. Whittaker, a former communist, converts to the Quaker faith. His writing is very thought provoking and I found myself questioning the depth of my own convictions throughout the book, and also committing to live in a more real way. He touches on every aspect of life, from marriage and childbearing to espionage and the Resurrection. He is eloquent and profound, and if you're interested in a more intense, introspective book this ...more
What can I even say about this book? Long. Heavy in some ways. Disturbing perhaps. And yet it is full of courage, hope, forgiveness, healing, God's ability to conquer and His unfaltering loyalty to us once we turn to Him. What a phenomenal example of one who is willing to make a complete change once he finds he is wrong, even in the face of his own ruin and destruction. Yet another WITNESS that truth will prevail.
Upon typing my notes up this morning, I just had to add a few things I ...more
Upon typing my notes up this morning, I just had to add a few things I ...more
I have to rate this five stars because of its power to change minds and thus change lives. I began "reading" it by asking my library to obtain the audio edition through inter-library loan. I got half-way through before having to return it. I then picked up my library's re-bound copy and found myself scribbling notes and page numbers on both sides of two bookmarks. I am glad the audio got me through the background and the book got the ideas through me.
Chambers is an apt ...more
Chambers is an apt ...more
This book is a first class expose of International Communism, how Communists have worked in secret cells in America to undermine our government, who some of the important communists were in the 1940s and 1950s that infiltrated our government to subvert it and to help Stalin in his plans for world conquest, and to the fact that Communism is a conspiracy that is international in scope and most dangerous to the happiness of mankind.
It was one of my favorite autobiographies that I've rea...more
It was one of my favorite autobiographies that I've rea...more
Throughout the Roosevelt administration the state department was infiltrated with Democrats, er, I mean communists. Whitaker Chambers, a reformed communist, was aware of the espionage and started naming names. But, unfortunately, he was not suave, just smart and sincere. This resulted in a seemingly losing battle against one of his best friends and unrepentant undercover communist, Alger Hiss. With persistence, bravery and a newly found faith in God, Mr. Chambers proved his case and became a...more
Witness is hard to classify because it is so many books in one. It starts out as a spy thriller and then morphs into a seemingly ordinary autobiography. Chambers then goes on to recount his embrace of Communism and all his works in the Communist underground. From there, he describes a religious conversion from a godless Communist to a devout Quaker. After his break from Communism, he describes how he reluctlantly gets embroiled in one of the most dramatic trials of the Cold War. Chambers' amazin...more
A great autobiography for anyone who wants to know how the communist mind works and how in the early 20th century, communists were able to infiltrate the U.S. government. Chambers as a young man sees the answers to the world’s problems in communism. But after about 15 years of it he decides to get out risking his life and his family’s life. Becoming a Christian and witness to the world about the evils of communism and infiltration in our U.S. government. He gives the inside story of the famous H...more
I read this book back in college (1983) and I loved it. It is a biography by an editor at Time magazine who previously had worked in the communist party and who later was subpeoned to appear before the Nixon commission to investigate communists in the US government. Chambers came forward to point the finger at Alger Hiss who at that time was a member of the staff in the Secretary of States office. A pretty high ranking official who was spying full time for the Russian government during the col...more
I read this book in my teens in the fifties, when the Communist threat was at its peak. I have read many thrillers since, and this book shows that truth is stranger than fiction. How one man was taken in by the comminust propaganda machine, and joined a cell. How he became dissolusioned with them and agreed to become a mole in the cell for the FBI. No book written by Dan Brown, Brad Thor, Vince Flynn or any current top thriller author could be any more exciting than this book was. As interesting...more
Chambers writes so well, and the events of the book are so strange, that I sometimes forget that the book is not fiction. The haunting quality of the book is appropriate for its subject -- Communists in America at the time of Stalin during the depression. Chambers said that when he defected from the party, he knew he was joining the losing side. I can never decide if this reflected the limit of how far ahead he could see (forgivable at the height of the Cold War) or if, given what he had lear...more
This is a heavy book. (Having read the Kindle version, I don't mean physically, though the physical book would be that as well.) Whittaker Chambers is a serious man who lived by choice through serious events. He powerfully wrote about them in 1951 shortly after his part in them concluded. In this autobiography, Chambers recounted his unhappy childhood, his search for meaning in the "crisis of history" that led him to communism, his underground work for the Communist Party, the confront...more
Olivia
rated it
Recommends it for:
Sherry Neaves, Roger Barnick
Recommended to Olivia by:
Claire and Ezra
Shelves:
non-fiction
This book is the autobiography of Whittaker Chamers written in 1952. Chambers was an American who joined the Communist party in the early 1930's and eventually left the open party to become a paid informant for the Soviets. He worked in Washington DC in conjunction with several Societ underground apparatuses. In the late 1930's he began having trouble justifying the atrocities being perpetrated by the Communists in the name of social progress and fled the party. He went to work against it in ...more
Liked, not liked. Not an appropriate evaluation style for a book like this. I read this book because of an news item that Reagan had a bestowed the Medal of Freedom on the author, posthumously as Chambers had died in 1961 at the same time PBS presented Concealed Enemies, a mini-series about Chambers and the Alger Hiss case, an event that played crucial role in advancing the career of Richard Nixon. I was certainly aware of Nixon from childhood (age 7 in 1960) and had a vague awareness of the ...more
Suprisingly good book. The memoir of a former communist who breaks with the party and exposes Alger Hiss in trials that fuel the rise of Richard Nixon. Who knew that he was such a good writer. This book is said to have changed Ronald Reagon's life and was once thought of as a bible for conservatives.
Chambers is plagued by guilt and resentment. He hated his father and blamed his miserable family life in Lynbrook Long Island for his brother's dissipation and suicide. He claims tha...more
Chambers is plagued by guilt and resentment. He hated his father and blamed his miserable family life in Lynbrook Long Island for his brother's dissipation and suicide. He claims tha...more
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Oh my goodness: read this book! It gets tedious in the second half, but read it anyway. Chambers figured out, to his great horror, that Communism was not only bad, but evil. Why such horror? Because at the time, he was a Commie spy.
So he extricated himself (not an easy task) and eventually went to Uncle Sam and told his tale, with a warning that Alger Hiss, a high state department lawyer, also was a commie spy. None other than Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon believed him, ...more
So he extricated himself (not an easy task) and eventually went to Uncle Sam and told his tale, with a warning that Alger Hiss, a high state department lawyer, also was a commie spy. None other than Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon believed him, ...more
This book is part autobiography, part conversion tale, one of the greats of its kind in American letters. It is undeservedly ignored, I think, because of all the political baggage and ugliness attending Whittaker Chambers' initial arrival on the public scene. Chambers is a great writer and his style, which is occasionally florid and self-dramatizing, is nonetheless kind of thrilling in its unabashed enthusiasms and aversions, and for that reason I think it fits very nicely into a particular Ame...more
Have delayed finishing this deep, deep and very dark autobiography of a man who in the depression era, in self-described despair about his family and the world, became a member of the Communist underground in the U.S., carried on their clandestine programs for many years, and then finally realized, as Stalin was murdering millions of people in the USSR, including loyal Communists, how very wrong what they were doing was, and decided to leave the party. He then realized he had to risk everything,...more
Who cares that it's 800 pages. This is the finest autobiography I have ever read. It's the story of Whittaker Chambers' conversion from communist spy in the U.S. government to chief witness against higher level spies. I was completely engrossed not only in the story, but in Chambers' perspective both on Communism and the Christian faith. And the fact that he is one of the most brilliant writers I have ever come across helps, too.
This has been the greatest book I've read so far. Maybe my interest in politics has biased me slightly. I do think, however, that Whittacker gives tremendous insight into the two opposing faiths held by man in modern times, God and Man, manifested in Religion and Communism. Not only is Witness profound, but the trial scenes involving Alger Hiss make it riveting. I highly recommend reading it.
I would like to see Chambers' take on current conditions in the Communist world. Of course, that is impossible but it would interesting just the same. He definitely had too high opinion of that form of government or way of life. The test of time and the test of change brought the communist world to its knees and he did not live to see it. Unless the world gets wise, it could happen to Capitalism.
What I appreciated most about this book was the clear articulation of why Communism is wrong and evil. I knew it was, but never knew why until now. As Chambers said in his testimony at one point "The problem with Communism isn't economic. It's atheism." Even more fascinating and somewhat chilling is the fact that we are not taught this side of history in school. We are, or at least I was,taught the "witch hunt" view point even though it is factually incorrect. God bless...more
One of my favorite books of all times, it pulls you in from the get-go. Worth all 800+ pages. Gripping, moving, and all so incredible given that it's real. Years ago my dad lent me his beloved copy and convinced me to give the tome a try. I'm so glad I did. Just wish more people would read it so we could talk about it together. (Hint, hint!)
Perhaps the book (other than scriptures) that has made the most impact on my life. I first bought and read the book in high school and have read it a number of times since. It has done much to inform me what it means to be a witness for something true and good and how to stand under severe psychological pressure.
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| Communist infiltration of USA in 1930s. | 3 | 13 | Nov 29, 2011 02:48pm |
Whittaker Chambers born Jay Vivian Chambers and also known as David Whittaker, was an American writer and editor. A Communist party member and Soviet spy, he later renounced communism and became an outspoken opponent. He is best known for his testimony about the perjury and espionage of Alger Hiss.
In 1952, Chambers's book Witness was published to widespread acclaim. The book was a comb...more
More about Whittaker Chambers...
In 1952, Chambers's book Witness was published to widespread acclaim. The book was a comb...more
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“Yet there is one experience which most sincere ex-Communists share, whether or not they go only part way to the end of the question it poses. The daughter of a former German diplomat in Moscow was trying to explain to me why her father, who, as an enlightened modern man, had been extremely pro-Communist, had become an implacable anti-Communist. It was hard for her because, as an enlightened modern girl, she shared the Communist vision without being a Communist. But she loved her father and the irrationality of his defection embarrassed her. 'He was immensely pro-Soviet,' she said,' and then -- you will laugh at me -- but you must not laugh at my father -- and then -- one night -- in Moscow -- he heard screams. That's all. Simply one night he heard screams.'
A child of Reason and the 20th century, she knew that there is a logic of the mind. She did not know that the soul has a logic that may be more compelling than the mind's. She did not know at all that she had swept away the logic of the mind, the logic of history, the logic of politics, the myth of the 20th century, with five annihilating words: one night he heard screams.”
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A child of Reason and the 20th century, she knew that there is a logic of the mind. She did not know that the soul has a logic that may be more compelling than the mind's. She did not know at all that she had swept away the logic of the mind, the logic of history, the logic of politics, the myth of the 20th century, with five annihilating words: one night he heard screams.”
“Crime, violence, infamy are not tragedy. Tragedy occurs when a human soul awakes and seeks, in suffering and pain, to free itself from crime, violence, infamy, even at the cost of life. The struggle is the tragedy - not defeat or death. That is why the spectacle of tragedy has always filled men, not with despair, but with a sense of hope and exaltation.”
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2 people liked it
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