AN EVIL TREE: The Story of Communism

Basing her approach on the parable of the ""good tree which bears good fruit and the evil tree which bears bad fruit"", Dr. Agnes Murphy, professor of philosophy and history at San Diego University's College for Women, here undertakes the difficult task of writing The Story of Communism for young readers. While her purpose is laudable and what is said is frequently compelling reading, it must be noted that at times Dr. Murphy tends to ""oversimplify"" the issues of her momentous theme and betrays a basic weakness for the use of old fashioned rhetoric. Even so, Dr. Murphy's brief, but adequate, biographical sketches of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin put these men into clear perspective as she explains how atheism, dialectical materialism, naturalism and class struggle are the basic ingredients of the communistic way of life they espouse. The author concludes her book with a description of the attempts being made by Communists to capture the minds of American youth, and gives suggestions to her readers as to how they can meet the threat. It is unlikely that young people will choose this book on their own for leisure reading, but teachers can perform a real service if they steer them to it as a part of their history courses. Imprimatur.