Scorpion Tongues: Gossip, Celebrity, and American Politics

by Gail Collins

From Thomas Jefferson to William Jefferson Clinton, Scorpion Tongues is a popular history of gossip in American politics. Complete with wickedly delightful anecdotes of major and minor politicians and entertainers over the last 200 years, Gail Collins examines the evolving relationship between politicians and the press and the blurring of the lines between politicians and celebrities. Supported by extensive research and written with an entertaining flair, she speculates on how gossip reflects the current moral compass of the time, noting how a rumor, like an unpredictable summer tornado, can flatten one reputation while a similar story passes over another with hardly a rustle. "Hilariously readable" ( The Economist ), Scorpion Tongues offers sinful scandals and mild hearsay for every taste.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History, Historical, Book Club

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Gail Collins was the Editorial Page Editor of The New York Times from 2001 to January 1, 2007. She was the first woman Editorial Page Editor at the Times.

Born as Gail Gleason, Collins has a degree in journalism from Marquette University and an M.A. in government from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Beyond her work as a journalist, Collins has published several books; Scorpion Tongues: Gossip, Celebrity and American Politics, America's Woman: Four Hundred Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines, and The Millennium Book which she co-authored with her husband Dan Collins.

She was also a journalism instructor at Southern Connecticut State University.
She is married to Dan Collins of CBS.

Reviews

[Ashley]

A strong 3.5. It was smutty, it was trashy, and it was a good read. 200 years worth of political gossip compiled and hashed over by one of my favorite writers? Excellence. Yes, it's not the finest topic or the most expansive research ever done, but it's a fun, light read and very interesting as well.

[Sharyn]

The author had a fine preface. However, the rest of the book was only a list of gossip in chronological order.

[Erin WV]

Collins reports on what the dirt was on political figures from George Washington to present. Incredibly interesting subject matter, but a bit of a shallow review of it. I would have liked her to draw more conclusions, maybe make a few philosophical leaps. Some interesting things to say, though, especially about performative morality and hypocrisy, and how some men have been great politicians while being bad people.

[Susan Liston]

3.5 I very much enjoyed America's Women, and this was quite good too, although with a much smaller scope. A great deal of this was familiar to me...why is it I always know about the scandalous and/or smutty?...but she writes in a sprightly fashion so I was always entertained. And if you weren't so up on this stuff it would be really fascinating reading.

[Denise Spicer]

Intro and 11 chapters. With Bibliography, Acknowledgements, and Index.
Political gossip, rumors, and scandals from George W(ashington) to George W(Bush) 776 – 1998.

[Heather]

I am already a huge fan of Gail Collins, so I was bound to enjoy this book. It is about the history of political gossip in this country, so it covers many topics you never heard about in history classes as a kid (i.e., did you know we've already had a gay President?). She discusses why people spread rumors (that were correct or otherwise), and how the current culture of the country affected what was spread (i.e., alcoholism rumors during the early 20th century). She also talks about topics which were considered taboo by reporters for many generations, including homosexuality.

[John]

Gossip about presidential dalliances, alcoholism, sexual liaisons outside marriage, homosexuality and mental derangement has existed throughout American political history. Much spread of course by political opponents, some of it “had legs.” Until the 1920s innuendo was smeared by word of mouth and print. But then came the electronic age and with it wild rumors and salacious stories proliferated exponentially with reporters less discrete about protecting images. Tawdry rumors relating to celebrities and lesser politicians, some true, also recounted.

[Judi]

Wonderful book! It is one of those books that once you start reading, you can't put down. It entails stories of gossip, but not just the rumors/gossips themselves, but how societal changes influenced what made the list of gossip. I had always found it interesting that even though people knew that JFK was a womanizer, no one printed anything about it until much later and even when we did hold him in such high regard.

[Slawa]

Great read! I learned so much about political history, but in the context of interesting and juicy rumors. Very entertaining.

[Sutherland]

An entertaining 102 type book of U.S. social history. There is plenty here to show the public's evolving attitude towards race and gender.