I finished Blacklisting Myself: Memoir of a Hollywood Apostate in the Age of Terror several days ago and I have delayed writing the review because I am so enthralled by it. I was trying to come up with platitudes for this piece of writing that do not come across as twee or sycophantic.

In a sense the review is superfluous, except to say the book is one of the best things I have read in a long time, and one of the best memoirs/autobiographies I have ever read. The title very much says it all. Academy Award-nominated Roger L. Simon came from leftist parents and worked in a field dominated by the left. He then became cynical and was finally changed by several events that altered the perspective of many on the left.

A lazy description would be to say that Simon is a “9/11 Democrat” however, as he explains there were a few events before 9/11 which delivered him to his final destination politically.

Unlike many such memoirs Simon keeps it tight and moving along. This might reflect the fact he is an award winning screenwriter and mystery writer. Its clear that -- in contrast to some of the tortuous tomes that are produced by many in Hollywood — he let this experience influence Blacklisting Myself. The man has written a rip-roaring memoir in 190 pages. There seems nothing superfluous and he seems to assume that those reading his book have an IQ above that of the average.

While there are many aspects of the book that are unique to Simon, the themes of his political journey echo those of many I know who took a similar one.

I refuse to quote anything from the book as that would cheapen it. His words need to be read in their proper context to really work. Oh, and don’t think for a minute there are not laugh out loud moments, too.

Article Author: Marty Dodge

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