The Rebel Scribe: Carleton Beals and the Progressive Challenge to U.S. Policy in Latin America

Carleton Beals was a renowned American foreign correspondent who covered Latin America, Cuba, and the Mexican Revolution. His dispatches and features appeared in various publications, and he authored forty books on U.S. topics and Latin America. Beals' work was characterized by its evidence-based assessments and prescience, and he was known for his ability to immerse himself in the societies he reported on. Christopher Neal's book, The Rebel Scribe, explores Beals' life and career, tracing his interactions with political leaders and his ability to identify patterns of political behavior that became influential schools of thought. The book sheds light on the evolution of U.S. foreign policy and intervention and the challenges faced by contrarian journalists.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 390 pages
Publication date: 27 January 2022
Publisher: University Press of America

Carleton Beals was a prominent American foreign correspondent who gained fame for his bold and critical reporting on U.S. intervention in Latin America. His dispatches and features appeared in various publications, including the Nation, New Republic, Current History, and the Progressive. Time magazine praised him as "the best informed and the most awkward living writer on Latin America." Beals authored forty books, covering a wide range of topics, including chronicles, political analysis, and novels. His works were often based on his extensive travels and contacts in the "America South." In addition to his coverage of Latin America, Beals also reported on Mussolini's rise in Italy and U.S. topics such as Huey Long and the environmental damage caused by agri-business in the 1930s. Many of his books were best-sellers, earning respect even among those who disagreed with his criticisms of U.S. economic and government elites. "The Rebel Scribe" by Christopher Neal is a biography and analytical history that delves into Beals' interactions with political leaders, democrats, demagogues, populists, and revolutionaries. It explores how Beals' ability to immerse himself in their societies gave his accounts a sense of authenticity and foresight. Neal's narrative traces Beals' journey of identifying patterns and themes in his reporting.

ISBN-13: 9780761873105